Grooming= Make up
Make up seems to be the in thing these days. Grooming has got a new meaning and that is application of make up. This fakeness which is creeping into our society is benefiting the cosmetics companies, cosmetologists, beauty salons, beauty and spa therapists, cosmetic surgeons and all the related industries. So every magazine which is a film/ beauty/ women's or business magazine has advertisements of luxury spas and beauty products. The amount of money these companies spend on media, I wish they spent on research and to cut the cost of the product. Most of the cosmetic giants who have their own counters in a lifestyle store are rude. They rattle like parrots what is taught to them. Their own make up is usually gaudy and OTT( over the top). I for sure do not want to buy anything from them.
When I started working for hotels, they did not insist on make up at all. A saree was the main requirement in terms of dress code.Then I had some colleagues tell me I should wear make up when I go to meet a CEO or a VP or a Consul General as I should not look like a rookie or a fresh out of college kid. So I started applying lipstick for important meetings. After a year or so , we got an Indian General Manager. When I had joined the organization, it was full of expats at the top. Then with one re-engineering by an American consultancy and the company got more Indians at the top. So we had a General manager from Delhi. Lo Behold! Make up became a pre- requisite at work. I always thought that the Capital was full of fake people and the legacy continues. I did not succeed in learning to put eye liner or blush on or eye shadow. I gave up. By then we had fully "made up" girls even in Sales and marketing, not just the Front Desk. One was judged by their make up. So more the layers, more your bosses liked you and better your appraisal rating. Like I said,the make up was seeping in and out.
Now when I read that hospitals have made it compulsory for nurses to apply make-up in the name of grooming. So all the HR people have special Make-up classes for nurses. One hospital in Mumbai even insists that the nurses wear a strand of pearls around their neck. Very soon all these hospitals will have make up academies. They will even insist that the staff buy a specific make up product from a specific brand
and the hospital will get a commission on it? I was disgusted when I read this. Where is the virtue of nursing the sick gone. In fact, the Lakme salon I have been visiting for years, the beauticians never wore any make up. Last six months the management is actively involved.Which means basically lot of firing of the old staff and lot of politics. Today I saw a notice in the staff area which said NO MAKE UP, NO CLIENTS. I feel dirty when I see women with the war paint on. In this purple, reds and fuschia, they look wan and totally unappealing. I firmly believe we are not pale like the Westerners or the Oriental people. Our Indian skin is healthy and we do not need to add colour to look better or more professional. Why put chemicals on your face for a job? Most of the chemicals used by the best of brands are harmful for the skin. Most people cannot afford expensive cosmetics and the cheaper
ones are more harmful. What's wrong with au naturel? If the organization believes in being ecofriendly, then cosmetics should not be compulsory for the staff. Cleanliness, personal hygiene and neatness is good grooming.
When I started working for hotels, they did not insist on make up at all. A saree was the main requirement in terms of dress code.Then I had some colleagues tell me I should wear make up when I go to meet a CEO or a VP or a Consul General as I should not look like a rookie or a fresh out of college kid. So I started applying lipstick for important meetings. After a year or so , we got an Indian General Manager. When I had joined the organization, it was full of expats at the top. Then with one re-engineering by an American consultancy and the company got more Indians at the top. So we had a General manager from Delhi. Lo Behold! Make up became a pre- requisite at work. I always thought that the Capital was full of fake people and the legacy continues. I did not succeed in learning to put eye liner or blush on or eye shadow. I gave up. By then we had fully "made up" girls even in Sales and marketing, not just the Front Desk. One was judged by their make up. So more the layers, more your bosses liked you and better your appraisal rating. Like I said,the make up was seeping in and out.
Now when I read that hospitals have made it compulsory for nurses to apply make-up in the name of grooming. So all the HR people have special Make-up classes for nurses. One hospital in Mumbai even insists that the nurses wear a strand of pearls around their neck. Very soon all these hospitals will have make up academies. They will even insist that the staff buy a specific make up product from a specific brand
and the hospital will get a commission on it? I was disgusted when I read this. Where is the virtue of nursing the sick gone. In fact, the Lakme salon I have been visiting for years, the beauticians never wore any make up. Last six months the management is actively involved.Which means basically lot of firing of the old staff and lot of politics. Today I saw a notice in the staff area which said NO MAKE UP, NO CLIENTS. I feel dirty when I see women with the war paint on. In this purple, reds and fuschia, they look wan and totally unappealing. I firmly believe we are not pale like the Westerners or the Oriental people. Our Indian skin is healthy and we do not need to add colour to look better or more professional. Why put chemicals on your face for a job? Most of the chemicals used by the best of brands are harmful for the skin. Most people cannot afford expensive cosmetics and the cheaper
ones are more harmful. What's wrong with au naturel? If the organization believes in being ecofriendly, then cosmetics should not be compulsory for the staff. Cleanliness, personal hygiene and neatness is good grooming.
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