Study Women in heavier makeup are less likely to be seen as leaders

Study Women in heavier makeup are less likely to be seen as leadersStudy Women in heavier makeup are less likely to be seen as leadersFor women to be taken seriously by their colleagues at work, they may have to hold back on the mascara. According tonew research frompsychology researchers in Scotland, women get taken less seriously as competent leaders when they wear too much makeup.To test the effect of makeup on our ability to see women as leaders, Abertay University researchers recruited more than 150 participants to look at multiple computer-generated versions of the sixteen womens faces - one version with makeup used for a a social night out, one with moderate makeup, and one with no makeup.Regardless of the gender or race of the participants, they all judged women with the heaviest makeup to be less effective leaders.Past makeup studies have shownpros and consPrevious studies found that makeup on women can make them appear more desirable to other men and more dominant compared to other women. Thats a trait that may help them on a night on the town, but notlage in the office, the study concluded. Makeup enhances perceptions of traits that are important for successful female mating competition but not other components of social dominance such as leadership, the study states.Looking for an inspiring way to start your day? Sign up forMorning MotivationIts our friendly Facebook robot that will send you a quick note every weekday morning to help you start strong. Sign uphereby clicking Get StartedMakeups ability to get women ahead in their careers is limited. A Harvard/Boston University study found that women with makeup were overall judged as more competent than women without makeup, but women with glamorous looks were seen as less trustworthy than those with natural or professional makeup looks.The stakes of what your face looks like are high in the workplace. Your face can appear on job applications, author pages, and websites. You want to make sure what yo u are projecting is aligned with your professional ambitions.In an ideal world, your leadership ability would be determined by job performance, not your smoky eyeshadow. But these studies remind us that we are not yet in that world.