A key point that stuck out to me in the discourse by Kaja Silverman was the idea of the "woman as spectacle." This notion of the female as an exhibition for aesthetic pleasure has certainly not changed today, and it is not even concealed. I was reminded of an article (which can be found here) that discussed how a Harrod's sales assistant quit after being sent home repeatedly for not wearing makeup on the job. This is because part of the company's dress code states that female employees MUST wear "full makeup at all times." There are dress code guidelines for male employees as well, but they are not nearly as intrusive as the requirements for women. It is, of course, acceptable to have a dress code in order to maintain a professional appearance, but mandating a thing such as makeup which is a personal matter is ridiculous. Not only does this imply that a woman can only be presentable in heavy makeup, but it also contributes to the idea touched up on by Silverman that women are mere "spectacles" for men to observe and enjoy. This idea is prevalent in advertising and the entertainment industry in particular, but I was pretty surprised to see it so explicitly in such an everyday setting.
In addition, the article made we wonder about something. I'm sure a large number of women (probably the majority?) wear makeup to work anyway as a personal choice, not because they are forced to. But are they doing so for themselves, or for the men in their lives/what they think is the male ideal of women? This male "vicarious viewing pleasure" that Silverman references in her article seems to drive female beauty ideals in general, since ultimately women want to look good based on what men think is attractive.
I agree with your analysis that women want to look good based on what men think. When I first thought about the “dress code” incident, I reasoned that it points to the question of “What is too personal” in the workplace. However, I think that mandating makeup as part of the dress standard would not seem as “personal” if it weren’t for the fact that men don’t have similar mandates regarding their dress codes. This distinction between the genders is what causes us to question this mandate for women.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that this dresscode was definitely intrusive and unfair. Also, I believe that actually the majority of people tend to dress or show an appearance that believe is going to make them feel more attractive. This sense of attractiveness is not only physical and altered by the use of makeup, haircut or more, but also in the way people dress. You do jot dress the same way to go to school, grandparents house, work, dinner and party. All, men and women are required to show a certain appearance.
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