# Shoppers 'put off' by pretty staff



## DirtyPlum (Aug 15, 2009)

Shoppers 'put off' by pretty staff - , - Latest news & weather forecasts - MSN News UK

INTERESTED IN HEARING UR THOUGHTS...?

Shops that hire attractive staff can put off female shoppers, according to an academic study. 

Researchers found that women were less likely to buy a product if they thought the shop assistant was better looking than them. 

Bianca Price, of the University of South Australia, said that many women viewed attractive assistants as "a direct social threat". 

She said: "Women are biologically competitive - if they consider that a female is a direct social threat, it may affect their behaviour in that context. 
"Retailers often think that beautiful is better. In the same way they use a celebrity to endorse a product, they hire a beautiful girl thinking that it reflects the brand and that other women will want to be like her. It doesn't always work like that - women may not consider celebrities a direct social threat, but they might consider the girl at their local shopping centre to be one." 

Ms Price studied the behaviour of a group of women aged 18 to 26 when confronted with an attractive or unattractive staff member. 
She found they were less likely to buy a product if they felt the staff member was better looking than them. 

Ms Price said: "Retailers need to understand that beauty can affect their bottom line. The solution lies in hiring women of all shapes and sizes, someone for each of your potential customers to relate to." 

The research was released in the week it was revealed that a student with a prosthetic arm won her case for wrongful dismissal by Abercrombie & Fitch. 
Riam Dean, who was born with her left forearm missing, claimed she was forced to work in the stockroom of the US firm's London store because she did not fit its strict "look" policy.


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## Mabelle (Aug 15, 2009)

someone should send this to buffalo and Abercrombie


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## gildedangel (Aug 15, 2009)

I think that the article is interesting. I don't feel as though I have ever not bought a product because I felt threatened by someone's looks, although I will do that if they are being rude or unreasonable. 
Although, I do think that it is wrong to hire someone based on looks unless they are directly in the modeling industry. Perhaps retailers should save the beauties for the promo pics and put hardworking, honest people out to sell the product, not just pretty people.


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## tarnii (Aug 15, 2009)

Great article and it centainly makes you think. 

I personally think it has more to do with the attitude of the person, if they look approachable and friendly (amazing what a smile can do) I feel comfortable regardless of what they look like. 

If however they look as if they think they are above the job they are doing then I will take a wide pass and find someone else to help me.


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## coachkitten (Aug 15, 2009)

I just want to buy from someone who is nice and knowledgeable about what they are selling.  Nothing makes me more mad than someone who doesn't know anything about the products that they sell.  Looks aren't really a factor for me in who I purchase stuff from.


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## user79 (Aug 15, 2009)

They must have polled some pretty insecure women. I couldn't care less what the salesperson looks like aside from basic hygiene. All that matters is their attitude and their willingness to help, or their knowledge on the product.


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## DILLIGAF (Aug 15, 2009)

What the person looks like isnt really a factor in my purchasing. However attitude most definately is! Bad attitude has definately stopped me from getting something. No matter how much I want it. I'll find it some where else.


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## frocher (Aug 15, 2009)

.............


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## Mabelle (Aug 15, 2009)

a lot of women are insecure and catty. im not too surprised.


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## elegant-one (Aug 15, 2009)

I'm just the opposite - maybe because I'm a very secure - if I see a very pretty woman especially if she is wearing product from the store I'm shopping in,  I always compliment them & ask what they are wearing etc. & usually having a nice short little conversation with them.


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## User27 (Aug 15, 2009)

****


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## hawaii02 (Aug 15, 2009)

If I like a product, I will buy it from whomever knows it and is knowledgeable of it. We all have flaws..even those that have "the look".


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## darkishstar (Aug 17, 2009)

Whether the sales associate is pretty or not, it never bothered me, all I know is she has access to MAC if I shopping at MAC if I need it or anything else I might need when I'm shopping elsewhere, so I'm not going to care what they look like if I wanna buy something I want. lol!

But damn, talk about insecure women!


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## Shadowy Lady (Aug 17, 2009)

Rude SA's or the ones with better than though attitude annoy me. i don't see why ppl would care if the SA is pretty or not :/


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## kaliraksha (Aug 17, 2009)

Although I don't feel like I make my purchasing decisions based on the SA's looks... I do like the idea of stores hiring people of all shapes, colors and sizes .

I've definitely gotten along better with SA's I can relate to and probably purchased more just because we talked more. But, part of what that was is that she was very very nice and not judgmental at all. 

I personally hate feeling out of place in a store because all their associates fit a mold... I obviously like their products too if I'm in the store looking to purchase and I want my interest to be represented.


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## blazeno.8 (Aug 17, 2009)

I guess for me that is a factor, but not as a whole.  It really has nothing to do with me thinking that the sales associates are "threateningly hot", it has more to do with "what image of beauty is this company trying to sell".  At MAC a lot of the MAs are very beautiful, sometimes in a very classic high fashion way and other times in a very unconventional way.  I'm a whole lot more likely to buy something from a company that has a variety of beauty rather than from a company with just one cookie cutter image.  I get the feeling that when you have a variety, people start to say "well that could be me" instead of "I'll never be like that so why bother?"


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## MrsMay (Aug 18, 2009)

wow, I find this really interesting considering I live in Adelaide, South Australia, and I even go to the University of South Australia!!!

I have no idea where this Bianca Price got these statistics from, but I'm presuming it was probably just from sitting in the mall (which is 10 mins walk from the Uni) and watching people...

Personally I dont care whether the SA is pretty or not as long as they are good at service and know what they are talkinig about


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## panda0410 (Aug 18, 2009)

I agree with Frocher - I'd like to see the stats and target demographic. Age isnt always the only important component. Sociceconomic factors in research studies are critical, particularly when it comes to analysing behaviour, and I would like to see the variables in the study.


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## LMD84 (Aug 18, 2009)

inetersting article.  however i know that i don't ever make a purchase based on somebodies looks! i buy something because i like the product - not because i think i'm hotter than the person selling it to me!


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## COBI (Aug 18, 2009)

I agree that it has do with the approachability of the person.  Someone "beautiful" people are very accessible (and I also agree it's usually a *warm* smile) while others often appear bitchy, unapproachable (sending a vibe that they have way better things to do than help you) and/or share an apparently *fake* smile. 

I am less likely to seek help/assistance from one of the latter, and it is possible that I would leave the store if there attitude was making me uncomfortable.



Reading the article, I have to wonder about the actual research and the conclusions drawn.  It would appear based on the way it is written that the researcher simply asked the question "did you think the saleswoman was more attractive than you?" and then compared it to whether they actually bought anything or not.  That is VERY different than asking "Did you not buy the item because you thought the saleperson was more attractive than you?"  Drawing the conclusion from the first scenario could be flawed on many levels.

I actually find it almost offensive and discrediting to women in general if it was just an assumption made that it was the looks that and "intimidation of social threat" that made the women not purchase.  How were attitudes and knowledge of salesperson addressed in the research?  How was need for product addressed?

Plus (agreeing with frocher and panda0410), what's a "group"? It could be 10 to 1000+.  But the use of the word "group" versus a number referenced, leads me to believe it is probably on the lower end.

I know I'm nit-picking the survey, but I've never not bought something (and I don't know anyone that hasn't) because I think someone is  prettier than me.


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## COBI (Aug 18, 2009)

This article indicates the age group; it also tells me that Ms. Price did not conduct her research unbiasedly as she started with personal negative experiences: Good looks no guarantee of good sales

"Inspired by her own negative experiences in the retail environment, Price undertook a study examining the purchase intentions of women aged 18 to 26 when confronted with an attractive or unattractive retail staff member."


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## Boasorte (Aug 18, 2009)

I don't care what the sales people look like, although the article is intersting.
That girl was right to sue Abercombie though, they are a little judgemental in the hiring process, I wouldnt wear their clothes even if I could fit them ( American apparel also does that)

although these women need to stop bitching about what the salespeople  look like, and worry about whether they're getting the products they came in for, who has time to go around looking at all the sales people? I'm too busy looking for a sale


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## MrsMay (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm gonna laugh if I get girl named 'Bianca Price' in my tutorial next semester.


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## MrsMay (Aug 18, 2009)

The other thing I find amusing is that article mentions Abercrombie and that this research was released at the same time as the court case, but we dont even have Abercrombie in Adelaide!! (well that I know of anyway lol)


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## Vixxan (Aug 18, 2009)

One thing for sure they didn't survey any MAC addicts because we don't care what you look like just give us the MAC.

I demand polite and knowledgeable service.  I refuse to purchase from anyone that can't answer questions about their products. Since it's so easy to be nice I won't deal with someone that can't be nice.  It really is easier to be nice than it is to be mean, at least in my experiences it is.


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## gigiopolis (Aug 18, 2009)

I know a lot of people are saying that they're probably not swayed by what a staff member looks like, but the truth is is that it's incredibly hard to tell how you react to things. There's a markedly big difference between how we wish ourselves to behave and how we _actually_ behave. There's no telling what your brain is actually doing as you make thousands of decisions every second, and every environmental factor sways your decisions in some way or another. As a result, I'm fully willing to believe in the _possibility_ that this study represents the truth. 

Not saying that y'all are shallow bitches that is; far from it. It's just that, consciously trying to behave a certain way that we think is moral and right is probably the best (and only) thing we can do until the brain unconsciously takes over most of our decision-making.

However, I still have a few questions to raise...like COBI said, what exactly is this group? How many people exactly? In this case I would think it's no more than 50-100 people, which is not nearly large enough a sample group to gather accurate results (~1500 would be the minimum). That's the first thing. The second thing is, correlation =/= causation. Are there other factors at work here? Maybe in the wording of the questions? Maybe in the ordering of the experiment (e.g. do the girls rank the SA's before meeting them, or vice versa)? Or maybe something else entirely? It's hard to know as this "study" isn't cold hard scientific truth. 

This is why I HATE reading about experiments and the like on the news. They always try to intrigue you by relating two shocking things together, and in turn A LOT of people end up believing them. But many of the "scientific studies" featured in news segments are absolute bull, trying to imply a causal relationship between two usually horrifying discoveries, whether it be consumer behaviour or medical breakthroughs. Which is why critical thinking always, _always_ prevails over what someone tells you.


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## LMD84 (Aug 18, 2009)

good points!  i actually thought about ranking of beauty. because everybody has different ideas of what is beautiful that could sway the results. it's an interesting article but i don't think there is much substance to it.


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## User27 (Aug 18, 2009)

****


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## RedRibbon (Aug 18, 2009)

I don't think that is true for me individually.  How pretty or non pretty someone is is usually not an indicator of whether or not I'm put off.  The number one thing which puts me off is bad customer service.  I've been served by some extremely good looking girls who had disgusting attitudes to match and that put me off buying anything from them. 

The way the person looks doesn't have much to do with it really.


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## laraVENGEANCE (Aug 18, 2009)

i dunno i kinda understand it, sometimes really beautiful people can be intimidating to some girls.


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## JULIA (Aug 19, 2009)

Thank the stars I'm not one of those girls, I would never get any shopping done in my city. Oh well, I'm not put off by pretty girls because I'm too confident with my looks for that kind of thing.


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## Tahti (Aug 19, 2009)

If someone is gorgeous or their makeup is impeccable, I'm not usually intimidated. The only time I feel kind of shy is when I'm having a bad hair/clothes/fat day.
I love it when the MAC counter (or whatever counter) girls look gorgeous, it means I can learn things from them if I ask, and get inspired by their style!


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## L1LMAMAJ (Aug 23, 2009)

if they're pretty AND stuck up, then i'm not shopping there. if it's just good looks, then i could care less.


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## gigiopolis (Aug 26, 2009)

Actually, I was just thinking...and maybe it's true that most of Specktra doesn't feel intimidated, and I can think of reasons why...

I've noticed that Specktra members have been some of the most supportive and encouraging people I've met online, period. And I really think that comes from being confident in yourself. Also a lot of you love to experiment with some wicked awesome makeup, which the average person would be scared off by but you guys have the confidence to rock it! 

So perhaps, Specktra members tend to be more self-confident than the average woman? After all, the average Specktra member is by no means the average woman in terms of makeup consumption, and maybe it's true for the average woman that she is "put off" by pretty staff. I mean, not that these women are any more shallow or have terribly low self-esteem, it's that they're in an environment that's not comfortable to them. It's new, it's strange...they don't know how to act when a perfectly made-up, beautiful SA goes up to them. I know we've all had that feeling (it's true for me when I first started out buying makeup!) 

I remember learning in my (intro) Psychology course (so don't go thinking I'm some expert in Psych or anything, haha, just something I came across), that when put under stress, i.e. a new environment, new experience, etc., and expected to make a quick decision, we'll often fall back on the "normal" reaction...oh there was a psych term for this that I don't remember! But you would react in a way that was "socially accepted", a way that you were taught over and over again, whether directly or indirectly, and often these would be more archaic or stereotypical reactions. In this case it would to be jealous of a 'physically superior' woman and to react adversely. 

So I think Specktra members are just really comfortable in the whole makeup world, and therefore don't feel threatened or uneasy about anything at all, which leads to them acting quite normally around beautiful SA's.

Sorry, another essay!!


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## User67 (Aug 26, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *gigiopolis* 

 
_So I think Specktra members are just really comfortable in the whole makeup world, and therefore don't feel threatened or uneasy about anything at all, which leads to them acting quite normally around beautiful SA's. Sorry, another essay!!_

 
I totally agree with this & that's probably why most of us can't relate to the survey. But, IMHO I think it's very true. From my own experience working in the cosmetics industry, I have definitely dealt with a lot of women with self esteem/inferiority issues.


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## DirtyPlum (Aug 26, 2009)

Me too - I had a lady begin to shake as soon as I spoke to her, the other day.  Once I got her in the chair and some Odd Couple on her eyes, she was cool.  Its good to hear that most people are not phased by it at all but I do think some people are.

I have spoken to friends about this and asked if and why they feel intimated or begin to make excuses for their bad skin/hair/MU days when talking to us MAs.  
On behalf of most MAC girls, I would just like to say WE DONT JUDGE customers.  I have never looked at anyone and thought wow she looks rough or her MU is a bit off least of all that they are unattractive.


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## User67 (Aug 26, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *DirtyPlum* 

 
_Me too - I had a lady begin to shake as soon as I spoke to her, the other day.  Once I got her in the chair and some Odd Couple on her eyes, she was cool.  Its good to hear that most people are not phased by it at all but I do think some people are.

I have spoken to friends about this and asked if and why they feel intimated or begin to make excuses for their bad skin/hair/MU days when talking to us MAs.  
On behalf of most MAC girls, I would just like to say WE DONT JUDGE customers.  I have never looked at anyone and thought wow she looks rough or her MU is a bit off least of all that they are unattractive._

 
I can't count how many times I have been helping a customer & they just start going on & on about what they hate about themselves. They get to the mirror & start saying how terrible they look & that they need a face lift, bigger lips or better skin & I am just standing there with the lipstick in my hand that they asked to try & I'm wondering how we got from finding a lipstick to this lady having a break down in front of the mirror. Or the whole time I am doing their make-up they are trying to compare themselves to me & are asking why their skin doesn't look like mine or why their lips aren't as full looking as mine even though they are wearing the same lipgloss as me or why their eyes don't look like one of the other MA at the counter. I try in a nice way to explain to them that they will never look like someone else & I am there to help bring out the best in *them*, not make them look like someone else. Some people really come to the counter with unrealistic expectations & you just can't please them.


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## User49 (Jan 8, 2010)

Personally I think that I'd rather buy make up from someone who inspires me and if they wear it well I'll feel inspired to try it too. Interesting artical!


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## Lady Gray (Jan 8, 2010)

I think this is really interesting. I do sometimes find very beautiful people intimidating. And I am super insecure, sometimes I have fleeting thoughts  like "is she thinking "this isn't going to make beautiful sweetie, nothing will"" but thats just me, although I supect I'm not the only one who sometimes feels this way.

But in general I think it's to do with the stereotype that beautiful people think they are better than the less beautiful, that goes along with the stereotype of the most beautiful girl at high school only being friends with a select few. I don't feel this way at all (only the way I mentioned in my first paragraph) but I do think there is a negative association some people make with beautiful girls in particular, that they must be stuck up, elitist and aloof


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## Lady Gray (Jan 8, 2010)

I think I shall also add that sometimes I think beautiful people (as well as not beautiful people) sometimes exude aloofness and others don't. Some are cold even as you approach the stand before they even open their mouths, and there do seem to be a fair few on beauty counters where I live for example and it is offputting. Bless the lovely AND beautiful girls at Benefit.


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## Makeup Emporium (Jan 8, 2010)

I went into MAC the other day with absolutely no makeup on and was feeling a bit self consious because all the girls were looking fierce!  When I went to the counter with my purchases I said to the girl (who by the way had perfect makeup of course) "I feel I should apologize for coming into MAC without any makeup on" and then sort of laughed.  Her response was absolutely perfect..."We love and respect all kinds of beauty here at MAC and that includes natural beauty."  I think that was the nicest thing that she could have said and I was totally at ease.  People for the most part are NOT there to judge you they are there to HELP you!!


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## paperfishies (Jan 8, 2010)

I will buy whatever, without thinking about the chick who's selling it to me.  I will admit I get treated differently in some stores.  I am NOT a size 2, I am not thin.  I have too much of an ass to wear clothes from Abercrombie.  I went into Abercrombie to buy an outfit and get a gift card for my little cousin who likes the store.  The girls in there gave me dirty looks, like, "why is she in here, nothing here fits her"  No one offered me any kind of help (but were quick to offer help to the thin girls who came in and no, they were not busy) When I finally did ask for help one of the girls went out of her way to tell me "our larges run really, REALLY small"  I was like, "look, the shirt I'm holding up is a god damned medium and I am obviously NOT a medium so OBVIOUSLY it's not for me, I've never been a medium top, I'm a 38DD, take your rude ass customer service and shove it up your boney little ass."  Then I walked out and just ordered my cousins stuff online.

We live in a society that treats not so attractive people (or people who just don't fit the social standard of beauty) like shit and social outcasts, while pretty people are put on pedestals and treated like royalty. I can completely understand a female feeling so self conscious about her self that she avoids interaction with females who she sees as attractive/more attractive than her.  People with low self esteem often feel as if the vast majority of people they come in contact with judge them.  The article really makes a lot of sense and is pretty interesting.


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## greengoesmoo (Jan 8, 2010)

I have never been put off by pretty store assistants. (Theres this indian girl with purple nails in The Body Shop in my town... <3 )
It's nice to have a bit of eye candy when you're buying face candy.. 

Perhaps this is society's way of encouraging men to go and purchase our make up for us?


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## Boasorte (Jan 8, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Makeup Emporium* 

 
_I went into MAC the other day with absolutely no makeup on and was feeling a bit self consious because all the girls were looking fierce!  When I went to the counter with my purchases I said to the girl (who by the way had perfect makeup of course)* "I feel I should apologize for coming into MAC without any makeup on"* and then sort of laughed.  Her response was absolutely perfect..."We love and respect all kinds of beauty here at MAC and that includes natural beauty."  I think that was the nicest thing that she could have said and I was totally at ease.  People for the most part are NOT there to judge you they are there to HELP you!!_

 
I stopped going to MAC without makeup on, simply because everytime  I did, the MUA wanted to get me a freaking lesson on how to wear shadow, how to apply, etc. Which I DO appreciate, but I'm not a noob


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## Meisje (Jan 8, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MissChievous* 

 
_They must have polled some pretty insecure women. I couldn't care less what the salesperson looks like aside from basic hygiene. All that matters is their attitude and their willingness to help, or their knowledge on the product._

 
This, exactly.


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## LatteQueen (Jan 10, 2010)

isn't that the same company who had problems with hiring blacks also?..discrimination ..


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## kabuki_KILLER (Jan 12, 2010)

This just goes to show that there has been an increasing number of women that have no confidence in their own inner/outer beauty as well as their flaws. If they all believed that they were awesome regardless of how the other girl looks, we wouldn't have articles like this.


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## User49 (Jan 12, 2010)

I think its interesting as well that people stereotype what is beautiful on a whole. For me the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is so important. One day I might fancy wearing no make, one day I might fancy black lipstick and another day I might fancy blue eyeshadow and soft nude lips. Each person I encounter during those days is going to have a mixed/different reaction to that look. For me they are all beautiful in different ways. But alot of people will find the black lipstick 'too much'. 

Classic beauty in society is interesting. What is considered in society 'beautiful' to the general mass. Culture playing a part of this in a big way. If you looked at America nowadays at the ideal of beauty there are so many mixed opinions. 

I love that make up has that power to create a reaction. Like art. It is an art to me. 

Off the topic slightly I also find it so strange that some people are offended by men wearing makeup. For me make up is just a form of expression.  I just love visual self expression.


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## sweetbabyblue (Jan 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Lady Gray* 

 
_ Bless the lovely AND beautiful girls at Benefit._

 
Why thank you 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I do think that it may be more to do with the attitude of the SAs than their looks. If a SA looks intimidating or glarey then I tend to chicken out and find another SA..I'm a wuss like that!

I used to feel the pressure to wear make up when I go to a cosmetic counter because otherwise I feel like they either treat me like a noob or they ignore me altogether.

A little sidetracked but it makes me a little sad when customers buy an eyeshadow palette after you demostrate how to do it on one eye and I suggest they do the other eye themselves so I can help them right then and there (there's no point if they go home and realise they're having trouble and then don't use it) and they say that they can't do it as well so they're not going to try today. I just prefer my customers to be more hands on with the products they're planning to take home?


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