Ep. 285 - Women's Beauty Bills Belong On Payroll
Should women demand employers to pay MORE to cover their beauty costs? Women are paying out of pocket to be seen as credible, competent, and professional at work. Hair. Skin. Clothes. Time. Money. Face lifts. All of it. Not to mention the societal expectation that women should remain youthful, polished, and "camera-ready" especially when in a visible position whether it's in leadership, on stage, or otherwise. Spicy, right?
In this episode, I sit down with Eleanor Beaton, powerhouse CEO and founder of Safi Media, to talk about why these costs are not vapid vanity, but part of the infrastructure of expectation and what is required to stay relevant, and why pretending otherwise keeps women underpaid and exhausted.
Listen, I pushed back HARD on how outrageous this idea is - but also, WHAT IF it could be a way forward for us as women? We chat about the economics of beauty standards, ageism in the workplace, and why professional women are stuck absorbing costs, financial and emotional, just to appear relevant and polished.
Eleanor peels back the curtain on why grooming, wardrobe upgrades, and even the ruthless battle against gray hair aren’t just personal choices, they’re part of a larger social infrastructure expected from women in high-visibility roles. We get real about the financial toll (think: $20,000+ a year!) and the invisible expectations that men just don’t face. If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or ambitious woman in a corporate setting, you’ll learn why it’s time to stop treating these “upkeep” expenses as shameful and start seeing them as legitimate business investments.
We also talk about negotiating for the true cost of visibility, dismantling patriarchal narratives, finding the right communities for support and strategic advice, and why transparency and discernment are superpowers for the next generation of female leaders. This episode isn’t just a conversation, it’s an invitation to step up, get strategic, and redefine what it means to show up powerfully in a culture that’s overdue for a change.
We talk about:
The hidden costs of female professional visibility
Societal beauty standards and aging
The gender wage gap and structural imbalances
Negotiating compensation as infrastructure
Emotional impact of relevance and confidence
The power of networks and access to information
Discernment in choosing professional communities
Timestamps:
00:00 Choosing Gray: A Personal Choice
03:11 Blind Spots and Relevance
08:16 Beauty Expenses and Tax Challenges
10:32 Accounting for Appearance Costs
13:03 Gender Stereotypes and Ageism Debate
19:07 Negotiating Workplace Costs
20:47 Negotiation Tips for Employment Logistics
26:24 Confident Women in Daily Life
29:36 Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
33:29 Structuring Success for Entrepreneurs
35:18 Discernment and Evolving Standards
Prefer watching on YouTube?
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To Connect With Eleanor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorbeaton/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/eleanorbeaton/
Website: https://eleanorbeaton.com/
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