Blogger's Experiment Proves How Important Makeup Is for Making Impressions
A makeup blogger set out to confirm on her own what science — and most individuals — already know: makeup plays a major role in how people are perceived. WorkingWithMonolids puts scientific results (studies have shown that women who wear makeup are seen not only as prettier, but also smarter, more competent in their jobs, and even more fun) to the test and proves that, unfortunately, if you want to be liked, taken seriously, and make a good first impression, you should probably be primping.
Francesca, who’s based in Jakarta, Indonesia, started with two versions of the same photo of herself, one edited to appear made up and another fresh faced. She posted them to PhotoFeeler, a site where people can vote and share their unfiltered opinions of others’s appearances. “As you can guess, the pic with makeup immediately ranked higher for competence (10% higher), likability (23% higher) and influence (10% higher),” Francesca wrote of the “business” category results. “Not only that, the pic without makeup got comments mentioning that I looked ‘somewhat unconfident’ and ‘a bit uncomfortable,’ my ‘smile seems a bit forced,’ and ‘something seems a bit odd with [my] eyes…[they look] a little scary,‘” she explained. “The only criticism about the makeup pic is asking for a different pose or angle, which is what I got for the non-make up pic as well.”
As you can probably guess, she saw similar results in the “social” category, with her makeup photo perceived as 25 percent more confident, 18 percent more authentic, and 15 percent more fun. “I definitely find it funny going makeup-free makes people think I’m less authentic,” Francesca said. “So for anyone saying that girls who wear makeup look ‘fake’…the stats don’t lie.”
As for the “dating” category, Francesca’s attractiveness was rated 57 percent higher in her makeup photo, which she noted was “hardly shocking.” She’s also perceived as 14 percent more intelligent and 6 percent more trustworthy with a made up face.
“Sure, your job performance can ultimately counter your first impression, but I’m sure we’ve all experienced how important a first impression is,” Francesca concluded. “So yes, if you need to make a good first impression, definitely wake up an hour early and make your face up.”
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