Why I'm not convinced we should care about the "Appearance Tax"
+ new ventures to know, podcasts and books for your list, and one Fall style staple.
Hi friends.
Last week, I saw an interesting Linkedin post about something called the “appearance tax”. Then later, I spotted the same topic on FemaleInvest’s Instagram. Trending or just a coincidence? Not sure, but it got me thinking.
The idea is this.
Let's calculate the time women spend on hair and makeup over the course of their careers, then define it as an opportunity cost—626 days of your career lost!
If only we had all that time back, think of what we could achieve.
The insinuation? Society expects women to be well-groomed, and that has a price—both in time and money spent. Men don't have to deal with this, so it's just another way the world keeps women down.
Now, this is exactly the type of content that normally resonates with me. I’m all about lifting up women in business, and I love nothing more than a good data dump.
But honestly, this one had me rolling my eyes. Out of all the inequities that women in the workplace deal with, are we really choosing this as one of our battles?
Hear me out—
Society rewards everyone for being well-groomed. Both genders benefit professionally from taking care of their appearance—not just women. This isn’t anecdotal, it’s backed up by research that confirms an “attractiveness premium” in the workplace applies to everybody. Sure, maybe the guys spend less time on grooming, but they are certainly under a similar pressure.
Spending time on hair and makeup is ultimately a choice. Unlike the “pink tax”, which charges women more than men for identical items whether they like it or not, you can choose to opt out of an extensive hair and makeup regimen. You can also be well-groomed on your own terms—full disclosure, my current morning routine is 10-15 minutes (because that’s all I can spare right now). Much less than the 55 minutes quoted, and I’m doing just fine professionally.
It’s a time-honored ritual that brings joy. Many women cherish their hair and makeup routines. It’s a form of self-care, a way to express themselves, or a confidence booster. Not exactly a burden placed on us by a patriarchal society. If the modern woman truly didn’t want to spend time on this each day, the beauty industry wouldn’t be worth $500B+. We also probably wouldn’t be inundated with skincare routine and GRWM videos every time we open a social media app.
The “data” here is spotty. There are some big generalizations and assumptions with these estimates of time spent on hair & makeup. What is the methodology here? Where is the study they reference? Both Linkedin and Instagram credit Today / AOL, but I searched across Google, PerplexityAI, and ChatGPT to no avail.
Is there a realistic alternative? Both posts ended with the same call-to-action— "time to end the appearance tax". Ok, so what exactly does that mean? Are we banning 5-step skincare routines? Shaving our heads? Making men wear makeup to even out the playing field? One of my biggest pet peeves is when people complain without presenting solutions, and I didn’t see one here.
I’m sure these creators meant well, but focusing on this so-called "appearance tax" distracts from bigger, more relevant issues that hold back women in the workplace: the pay gap, micro aggressions, unconscious bias, and the broken rung.
I also don’t think it gives us enough credit. I don’t know a single woman who would let a societal need for full glam or a bouncy blowout get in the way of her ambition or achievements. If anything, they use hair and makeup as a tool to enhance their career.
What do you think? If you have a different take, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
Next up, new ventures, new media, and (one) new style staple to get on your radar this season. ⬇️
xAllison
Welcome to On the Rise—weekly musings on founder life, the business world, women's empowerment, and wine from award-winning entrepreneur Allison Luvera, Co-Founder & CEO of Juliet.
On My Radar
After leaving OpenAI, Mira Murati is already raising for a new AI company: Given the dismal number of women leaders in this incredibly important industry, I’m glad to see her hit the ground running on her next venture.
Speaking of AI: Seeing tons of media lately on the environmental costs of AI and big tech pursuing nuclear energy strategies to meet their growing needs (without increasing emissions). It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
All the cool millennial businesswomen are buzzing: About Amy Griffin’s upcoming memoir, The Tell. For those who aren’t familiar, she is the powerhouse behind G9 Ventures, which backs some of today’s most desirable female-focused brands.
Juliet Wine @ some fantastic events for women in biz: The Information WTF Summit in Napa had an all-star speaker line-up (recap here). I wasn’t able to attend this year, but Juliet was included in the VIP gift bags. Next up, we’re pouring our wine for hundreds of founders at the Female Founder World Summit in NYC.
Exited founders’ second act: After selling Wellory earlier this year, the brilliant Emily Hochman Mueller created Bolden Advisors / Accelerator, a group of exited founders offering consulting services for early-stage companies. Highly recommend.
Olympic legend Allyson Felix unveiled another venture: The track & field icon is one of those awe-inspiring people who juggle a seemingly impossible amount of things flawlessly (Juliet investors Sara and Erin Foster are also those people, and having a big moment right now). In addition to a shoe brand and work advocating for Olympic athlete’s families, she recently announced the launch of Always Alpha, the first talent management firm to solely focus on women’s athletes.
An out-of-this-world collab: Prada worked with Axiom Space to design spacesuits for NASA’s upcoming mission to the moon, which could be the first time a woman walks on the moon.
Love seeing this dynamic normalized: Behind Many Powerful Women on Wall Street: A Doting ‘Househusband’—the headline says it all, but read the article in WSJ.
New podcast content from women I admire: Reshma Saujani launched a new podcast, My So-called Midlife, with a first episode featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus . Plus, two great entrepreneur interviews on well-known pods—Kat Hantas, CEO of 21 Seeds on How I Built This, and Virginia Frischkorn, CEO of Partytrick on The Pitch.
Buy Less, Buy Better
If you know me, you know I’m not someone who shops the trends.
I buy a handful of high-quality items each season and wear / use them over and over again. It’s partially due to a lack of patience for shopping, partially due to an aversion to over-consumption. Whatever the reason—it works for me.
Over the years I’ve discovered the brands, styles, and beauty staples that stand the test of time (and have my loyalty). So as we shift into Fall / Winter, I thought I’d share an item or two each week that are making the cut this season.
First up—another Argent Blazer.
The fit and quality are top notch, and these pair with jeans and a tee, or I can throw it on over a dress. Argent offers its wool pieces in some fun, vibrant colors, but the classic Navy pinstripe is a staple I know I’ll wear for years (the colorblock is also chic).
I’m also eying a few other pieces from their Fall Collection:
This versatile tailored twill midi dress.
A classic georgette blouse — I have one of these in midnight blue that I love.
Bonus points: the company has a badass female founder who has engrained women’s empowerment and activism into the brand values.
Parting Words
Just love this quote. ⬇️
Thoughts or questions In the comments—see you next week! ✨