Discrimination | Should lipstick be banned at work?

Wearing make-up isn’t considered a fundamental aspect of someone’s uniform at work. However, many women may choose to wear makeup within the workplace for a number of reasons.

For example, in 2017 researchers from Harvard Medical School, US, and the University of Chieti, Italy, studied the ‘lipstick effect’ among 186 female undergraduate students. The effect is known as a psychological phenomenon whereby individuals who wear lipstick feel more attractive, increasing their confidence, feelings of self-esteem, attitude and personality.

It seems that this also rings true with the stats as a study by Renfrew Centre Foundation found that 44% of women are left feeling unattractive if they don’t wear makeup. Much like someone who won’t leave the house without having had their morning cup of coffee or enjoying 15 minutes of yoga, applying makeup is a morning ritual many choose before they start their day.

While this may be the case, a man who describes himself as a 'philosopher' took to Twitter where he condemned women for wearing lipstick. He wrote: “So strange. Do you know that female lipstick stimulates sexual arousal? Can you imagine a man showing up for a business meeting with a giant artificial boner straining at his pants? Yet lipstick is perfectly acceptable in the business world.”