How much to spend on keeping up appearances?

Young women can spend a fortune on cosmetics, clothes and treatements all to project the illusion of success. But how much is too much?
I was at a Thai restaurant with some girlfriends on Saturday night when we started talking about getting our hair permanently straightened. My friend Kate had just had it done in the city, at a “bargain” of a place ... for 300 bucks.
Kate’s started getting her manicure and pedicure there too, because they do it a little cheaper than her ordinary beautician - although she still confesses to a mani-pedi habit that costs her around $800 a year. She gets a spray tan once a month or so for special occasions like the races or a wedding for $40, gets her legs waxed and her eyebrows shaped, her hair highlighted, wears nice jewellery, gorgeous perfume, looks after her skin, has a typical girl’s makeup stash, has a couple of good handbags, and is eyeing off a pair of boots for winter - and wondering if she can afford them at just under $300.
Thing is, Kate’s not an unusual for a city girl, and she’s certainly not overly primped and preened. She likes the latest fashions but she doesn’t wear designer head-to-toe. She’s never had botox or an expensive spa treatment like most of the girls we know, and she gets the bus to work.
Kate and I gave up somewhere around the green curry working out how much she spends each year on looking pretty much the same as every other woman working in her office, at a law firm in the CBD. Kate joked that every time she gets a pay rise, there’s another new piece of essential ‘upkeep’ that’s conspiring to keep her broke, and a long way from putting a deposit down on a unit - something she’s been trying to save for since she graduated six years ago.
Thing is, I think Kate’s drama is a common one. We’re now expected to spend so much looking good, that we almost have to work to keep up the illusion that we’re successful. Because now, success has a ‘look’. And it’s an expensive one.
Now I know what some of you are thinking. Just give up on all the expensive trendy beauty and fashion trappings, girls, and save the spoils? You’re just copying Hollywood, Kate, surely professional city girls here don’t have to spend a small fortune to simply keep up appearances? You might be half right, but the awful truth is that there’s an enormous amount of money per year that goes into keeping women looking good enough for them to feel confident and secure in their workplace. I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying that it has never been more expensive to be a professional woman in this town.
It’s no wonder men are more likely to own property younger. And die with more money. They’re not dropping $150 every time they see their hairdresser.
Jo Townsend is a broadcaster, reporter and TV producer. Check out jogirl.com for more from Jo.
How much of your income do you spend on your looks?
Do you feel under pressure to keep up with appearances?
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