Every time I'm in a nail salon, I can't help but think of that.
Doing your nails is a social requirement for a professional woman. Just the way it is. Keeping your nails clean and trimmed is not sufficient anymore. They have to be painted. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that did not exist before and now there are more nail salons than grocery stores.
Yes, you can do your own (I can't do that nearly as well though), but it is still a waste of time and money (more time, less money if you DIY). How much time is wasted collectively on something that stupid?
But as a society we don't see that from the inside. Just as people did not see giant powdered wigs as unnecessary and ridiculous. Or, we look at the culture that puts ring coils on a woman's neck to stretch it as crazy, but don't think that ripping your hair out in a Brazilian wax as something crazy or weird at all, and comply with whatever society tells us is the new norm. And we create whole industries around it. I know if we lived in that society, we'd be piling on those brass rings like no tomorrow.
Artificial society-mandated ways of spending time and money
January 2nd, 2015 at 02:34 pm
January 2nd, 2015 at 02:55 pm 1420210523
January 2nd, 2015 at 04:02 pm 1420214574
Grooming standards are very industry specific, though. I'm a scientist and I work in hospital locations. Women in my field are not expected to look a certain way. In the OR, nail polish is forbidden and must be removed. I wear scrubs and clogs during clinical procedures. Perfume and scented hair and cosmetic products are not allowed.
This expectation follows into our professional meetings, as well. No one is expected to have the sort of look that requires manicures and a smokey eye.
But for a certain type of woman, things like manicured nails are expected. That's why it's nice that you can learn to do that yourself!
January 2nd, 2015 at 05:23 pm 1420219414
January 2nd, 2015 at 05:59 pm 1420221542
However, I'm sure there are a lot of other things that I do that I wouldn't do if society didn't mandate it (deoderant is one that instantly comes to mind!), so I understand what you mean completely!
January 2nd, 2015 at 07:52 pm 1420228361
January 3rd, 2015 at 12:25 am 1420244710
I rarely wear makeup, and I don't really "style" my hair. My bf likes it on the occasions I "put on my face" because he knows I'm doing it special for him - if I did it all the time it would be out of character and not so special.
Just a side note -- the big white powdered wigs apparently came into fashion to hide signs of syphilis.
January 3rd, 2015 at 01:55 am 1420250152