If you’ve got a face made for radio or a body that doesn’t fit Madison Avenue’s image, you may feel that you’re not getting a fair shake. And you may be right.
For example, tall people earn more than shorter ones. Overweight men earn less (and overweight women earn a lot less) than non-obese coworkers.
And this one really frosts me: A Harvard University study indicates that women who wear makeup are seen as “more trustworthy and competent.” Hey, not all of us want to put on war paint each day.
“Unfair, but true: How your looks affect your pay,” on Money Talks News, discusses the ways bosses can legally discriminate against you.
Sometimes those ways are pretty ridiculous. One employment law expert has heard from people who got canned because supervisors didn’t like their shoes. Seriously.
Also up at Money Talks News:
“10 frugal ways to fight the flu” is just what it sounds like. Take care of yourself, and don’t overpay for that flu shot.
“Dentists’ tricks of the trade: Don’t get drilled by dental bills” is a cautionary tale with teeth, so to speak. Consumer Reports notes that dentists are “trained to push for procedures, both cosmetic and non-cosmetic, that will boost their bottom line.” You may need to ask for a second opinion – my daughter did and it saved her a bundle.
Ways to scare the profligate
Frugal people frighten spendthrifts. We hang our laundry outdoors, pick coins up off the ground, shop at “curb mart,” peek into the trash (aka “Dumpster wading”), check library giveaway shelves, repurpose our condiments.
Or so I note in “13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others,” a post I published recently at GOBankingRates.com.
Why this bothers people so much I couldn’t say. Maybe some of the people who criticize this behavior shouting down their own consciences (e.g., “I threw away perfectly good items because it seemed like too much work to take them to Goodwill”).
Or maybe they’re just feeling nervous about their own choices: Donna seems very happy even though she just cut her salary by 58 percent. I, on the other hand, spend like a drunken sailor but nothing I buy seems to matter for very long. Wait…I’m going into debt in search of happiness and it isn’t working?!?
Directing your dollars
Another money-saving post was published on Women & Co., the Citibank blog. “5 questions to ask yourself before you buy anything” makes a good reality check any time, but especially during the upcoming holiday season.
Those questions, which make up my personal “frugal filter,” can help us look past those loss-leader deals, the ones so irresistible that we may overbuy for ourselves as well as for others.
Note: I’m not saying you can never spend your own money, or ever treat yourself (or others). Merely saying that:
“It’s all about financial responsibility, which means controlling my money and my life. The frugal filter helps focus my funds on the places where they’ll do me the most good. (As a freelancer, I’m paying for my own health insurance and my own retirement.) Making the smartest buying decisions means money left over for life’s pleasures.
“Don’t look at this as deprivation. Think of it as directing your dollars toward the best possible outcome. Maybe that’s buying your next car with cash, starting your own business in a year, or saving for a down payment on a home.
“You work hard for your money, so you should be fully aware of how it works—or doesn’t work—for you. A frugal filter is a good start.”
My daughter, who blogs at I Pick Up Pennies, also recently had a post up at Women & Co. In case you missed my Facebooking and Tweeting of the piece, it’s called “How a ‘saved savings’ account supercharged my finances.” You should go read it.
Frugal-hacking the dollar store
Finally, I’ve got another piece up at Grandparents.com. “9 deals at the dollar store: What to buy, what to skip” should ease your mind about shopping at these frugal emporia.
The major chains are cleaning up their acts after tainted toothpaste scares and the like – so much so that even Consumer Reports now thinks they’re a good place to shop.
The post highlights hacks that will make your dollar-store purchases even cheaper, and possibly free. The Coupon Mom website matches coupons to products and recently listed 16 gratis products and others that cost 75 cents or less. A few examples:
- Crest toothpaste for 50 cents
- Johnson & Johnson Band-Aids for 33 cents
- Hall’s cough drops for 25 cent
Had you shopped from that list you would have been able to get the following items for free: Alka-Seltzer Plus Allergy, Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste, Triaminic cough syrup, Flintstones vitamins, and makeup from L’Oreal, Cover Girl and Rimmel for free.
I’d be interested in your thoughts on these articles, either in the comments section below or at the sources.
Related reading:
- See a penny? Pick it up!
- 8 tips for living on your own
- The boiling bag
- How I saved more than $100 last night
Donna, I’m just under five feet, I work in the public service (not in the U.S.).
When I was on the management team at the place where I worked, every suggestion I made was completely ignored. If someone else made the same suggestion (five minutes later, this actually happened) suddenly, it was a great idea! I eventually voluntarily left the team, there was no extra pay and I could do without the aggravation.
Double trouble: Short and female. Sigh.
I was doing something frugal like taking the catsup packets not used. My friend begged me not to do so. I laughed and stuffed them in my pocket. She said that I made her uncomfortable by taking packets when I should be able to buy catsup. She never did understand that I can afford catsup and usually have a bottle in the refrigerator. Her attitude is still a mystery to me.
I had a boss who complained I wore too many black clothes. The other women in the offices wore sheer, sparkles, sandals, sequins, and things I was taught were never office attire. This was an educational establishment, but not a school. Children were present part of the day and could see the peek-a-boo pushup bras under sheer blouses.
I never wore solid black!
I think the catsup packet is a good thing! Why waste something that was given to you? I was brought up “Waste Not ~ Want Not”. We are just brought up in a throw away society!
I wear a lot of black and feel that it is a color of the time and seen as professional. I agree that sheer and bling have a place but not in the office.
Myself, I’m only wearing black until I can find something darker. 😉 And yes, why not rescue the packets? Wouldn’t some places throw them out if they’re left on the table?
Your friend would prefer to have wasted the food? The packets would have been thrown away, otherwise. Yay, more stuff in the landfill.
What Cathy said.
I think it depends on the type of employment. Of the three major jobs I’ve had as an adult, two of them I was hired after a phone interview (one out of state and one out of country).
My current position did involve an in-person interview, but this short, stubby female was still hired. They have not been sorry, (indeed, they are terrified that I will leave sometime…)
Maybe scientific academic people are different??
Could be. In some places appearance is everything, i.e., they want a conventionally attractive person as the “face” of the company. I also wonder whether other people’s unconscious (or maybe conscious) prejudices mean they don’t work well with someone who’s overweight or whatever, but somehow it winds up being that employee’s fault. Sigh.
My take has always been, “When the winner of Miss America is a woman who graduated with a double STEM degree at the age of 18, is incredibly poised and articulate, plays Rachmaninoff flawlessly and just happens to weigh 275 pounds, then I’ll believe it’s a ‘scholarship pageant’. Until then, don’t make me laugh.”
You just made me laugh. Out Loud!
I have always considered myself lucky that my interests coincide with my inclination. I can’t imagine how happy I would be had I gone into a more “need to be socially presentable” type of work…
I know for a fact there is workplace prejudice against overweight people, as well as age. Difficult to prove, of course, but unfortunately, it happens.
On another note, Donna, thank you for directing us to other articles you’ve written. I appreciate being able to read your work on other sites. I especially enjoyed your “13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others” and was amused, to say the least, at some of the comments afterwards. Some people just don’t understand or are able to embrace frugality.
Thank you for all you do, Donna. 🙂
Thank you — and thanks to everyone else — for reading. Otherwise I’d just be shouting into the void.
I once had a former division head, a trim well dressed attractive guy, make a comment about the ugly people, referring to members of the division. Oddly enough they were all low grade employees.
But it depends because a different division head was a short, old and very obese woman.
My brother in law’s girlfriend was hired as a manager, but the company told her that she needs to weight loss. At first, I couldn’t believe that there are some companies that required workers to lose weight.
“Body type” is not protected. Although I expect you could make a case if only one person (or sex) is told to be at a certain weight. When I was researching that piece I read about a barista who was told not to wear Wiccan jewelry, even though some co-workers were wearing crosses. The judge ruled that the standard was being applied unfairly, i.e., her religion was not permitted expression whereas another one was.
This reminds me of one of my relative’s work place. Each year when their group insurance comes up for renewal, in order to qualify for $100 off the monthly premium, they must pass 4 out of 5 items at their annual physical. A very specific weight level, good and bad cholesterol, blood pressure and one other (non tobacco use maybe?). What a way to ensure your staff is adhering to a certain physical standard!
Some of us inherited a tendency toward high cholesterol. Bummer to miss out on the $100 discount.
I can certainly identify with the anti-frugality bias. Folks simply do not understand my thrifty ways. There’s definitely a degree of distrust/anger against frugality and the frequent refrain I hear is “you should treat yourself.” And I think, well, I am treating myself, by saving 65%-85% of my income and planning to retire at age 33! Alas, I also don’t wear make-up, partly because it’s a hassle and partly because it’s so dang expensive!
Agreed. And agreed.
In my old industry (telecommunications) I saw many, many examples of how differently women were treated based on their looks. When an attractive redhead was hired, our slime ball (married) vice president walked by her desk, stopped, warmly welcomed her to the company, and told her to please let him know if she had any questions or concerns. In fifteen years of working there, my friendly “Good Morning” when we met in the hallway was only ever met with a cold look of disdain. Another time, an attractive girl was hired who immediately began trying to flirt her way to the top. Many male managers from whom I expected better made fools of themselves giving her public accolades for absolutely nothing. Eventually, she was fired for basically only showing up when she felt like it. But, by that time, she had taken several of the male employees for several thousand dollars each.
I think you are 100% right, and sadly, I think it starts in grade school. I’ve been lucky that I’ve had several jobs that didn’t discriminate against my looks, but now that I’m older, I see it a lot more. It could be my looks, but more likely my age. It took my neighbor almost two years to find a new job after her last job ended when she was 55.
The last outrage I had over this was a woman who was fired from her dental office job because the dentist thought she was too attractive and his wife couldn’t trust him to keep his hands to himself. So you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t!
I made it a point to wear make up to a few of my more recent jobs because I looked about 14 without it, but after the job aged me a few decades, I just stopped. I got my raises and promotions but maybe my later trend of lack of makeup was why my newest manager decided that I wasn’t long for that job and tried to push me out 😉
Sigh, it’s pretty ridiculous. And I’ve been lucky, probably, being short, female, and so slight of build I generally resemble a child.
I don’t really understand bosses who think what color you’re wearing makes any professional difference though – how does that impact your performance, again? I couldn’t possibly recall what colors or styles my staff ever wore, I only remember if they were good performers or had crap attitudes.
I had to laugh a bit at one thought that came to mind related to the short problem: it certainly shows that Fox news is following a contrarian approach in yet another way. Half the women over there are so short that in many cases, depending on the set, they even put lifters of some kind under their chairs as well as their feet to bring them up to the level of their guests! If you are short, and want a top level job you now know where to apply.
It’s my impression that TV anchors are hired for facial beauty. Who knows: Maybe being a short woman is a plus over there, i.e., they don’t want physically imposing women who might threaten their conservative viewers by being taller than Bill O’Reilly.