Last night I saw a tweet from Adam Grant, a professor and author whose work typically resonates with me.
A real source of career inequality is the time women are expected to spend on their appearances.
An extra 30 min per day on hair and makeup adds up to losing two full weeks of work per year.
A real source of career inequality is the time women are expected to spend on their appearances.
An extra 30min per day on hair and makeup adds up to losing two full weeks of work per year.#ThursdayThoughts
— Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) October 4, 2018
First: I admire Adam Grant. I am a fan of his work, and I appreciate his intention to stand up for women by calling out an apparent double standard.
And, thanks, but NO.
I have some things to say about this and it’s longer than a tweet. This will be a 2-parter (at least).
The Actual Source of Inequality
Grant’s argument obscures the actual source of career inequality. It’s not the expectation about our appearance, but the devaluing of the time we spend on appearance, the assumption and implication that this is an obstacle that prevents us from working effectively or being productive.
The source of inequality is the belief that time spent putting on makeup is time “lost” or “wasted” because it could have been spent doing “work.” It’s the belief that work, especially “productive work,” looks only one way.
What Do We Value?
Imagine if someone claimed that a “real source of career inequality” was the expectation that we sleep 8 hours a night or the time we spend eating nourishing meals, connecting with people we love, or engaging in physical exercise?
There are other examples, of course. I mention these because many in our culture already buy into the belief that these things are also “wasted” time.
We wear our limited sleep like a badge of honor. We view rest with disdain. There is a segment of our culture that looks for ways to drink or inject our vitamins because eating is such a distraction from work.
This is not living.
Of course, the research shows that time we spend on sleep isn’t “lost” or “wasted.” The same is true for time spent on physical exercise, rest, eating nutritious meals, and connecting with our loved ones.
These activities fuel our work and our creativity; they don’t detract from it. They make us better.
The same is true for time spent on appearance. At least it is for me. I put on makeup almost every day. Not because our culture expects me to, but because I feel good about myself while I do my makeup and once it’s on. Its part of how I prime for my day. It makes me feel awake and alive.
How We Create Space for Our Best Work
This is about valuing what we do to create space for our best work, and recognizing that there are multiple paths to productivity.
The real problem is not that women take time to look a certain way; it’s that the time it takes us for this (and it’s a lot more than 30 minutes a day) is viewed as an obstacle in the path of getting our work done.
The statement that this time is “lost,” results from a myopic view of
- what “counts” as “working” time;
- what brings value to the person doing the work
And that’s the real problem — for all of us.
Waste of Time vs Part of the Process
What Adam Grant sees as a waste of time on appearance, I view as an essential part of my creative process.
First, I wear makeup because I like how I feel when I put on makeup, and once my makeup is on. I put on makeup even if I’m not leaving the house, even if I’m not going to see anyone else. I do it for me, not because of any expectation about my appearance.
Second, rather than thinking of the time I spend applying my makeup as a waste, I consider it another one of my morning rituals.
Just like my morning workout prepares my body and my meditation practice clears my mind, applying makeup is a way I prime for my day. It’s part of my process of creating space for my best work.
Third, if I enjoy it, if it makes me feel confident and good about my work, and I find meaning in it, then it’s not lost time.
Activating Creativity
The time I spend on my makeup is part of my peak creative time. As I apply my makeup I think through my upcoming day, marinate ideas, consider blog topics, noodle on problems, or even — gasp! — allow my mind to wander.
As Srini Pillay writes in Harvard Business Review,
Excessive focus exhausts the focus circuits in your brain. It can drain your energy and make you lose self-control. This energy drain can also make you more impulsive and less helpful. As a result, decisions are poorly thought-out, and you become less collaborative.
The brain operates optimally when it toggles between focus and unfocus, allowing you to develop resilience, enhance creativity, and make better decisions too.
Pillay explains that when we unfocus, we engage a brain circuit called the “default mode network.” In this “resting” state the brain is at work under the surface. It activates old memories and synthesizes ideas, leading to new creative solutions, enhanced self-awareness, and better decision-making.
The default mode network also helps us tune into other people’s thinking, thereby improving team understanding and cohesion.
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that women are generally judged as better leaders and create more cohesive working environments.
Time spent applying makeup is a form of
“creative play” time, a type of low-key activity that allows the brain to slip into the default mode network.
I’d hardly consider this time to be “lost.” This is the epitome of “sharpening the ax,” or “preparing for battle” — to use a masculine-friendly term.
In fact, as I apply my makeup in the morning it feels a little like “putting my game face on.”
Ideally that’s what we should want in our workforce: people who bring their sharpest tools and their best ideas.
To that end, my time applying makeup isn’t “lost,” it’s a crucial ritual to help me create space for my best work.
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