Ladies, ever wonder how to get people to take you seriously, to believe you are a competent member of society? A new study conducted at Harvard University seems to have the answer: pound on the make up! (Note the sarcasm.)

The New York Times reported on Oct. 12 that Nancy Etcoff, Harvard professor and author of ‘Survival of the Prettiest,’ was the lead writer of a study that found women who wear makeup in the workplace are more respected by their coworkers and are also deemed more trustworthy and likeable. The article also says this is the first study that proves people assume a woman to be capable and reliable based on her makeup.

The evidence as a result of this study is problematic, and the way in which the information is framed and analyzes contributes to this idea that women wear makeup for their own self-pleasure. Meanwhile, there’s really a deeper meaning behind that surface-layer of foundation.

Professor Etcoff argues that there has been a shift in ideals about beauty and self-perceptions, including that of makeup. She said, ‘Twenty or 30 years ago, if you got dressed up, it was simply to please men, or it was something you were doing because society demands it. Women and feminists today see this is their own choice, and it may be an effective tool.’

Not everyone is so keen on this idea, however. Analysts are talking and writing about the results of this study in a problematic way by failing to acknowledge the reasons why women choose to wear makeup, and who it specifically benefits and empowers.

A common, post-feminist argument is that women partake in stereotypical feminine things like wearing makeup or hypersexual, raunchy culture because it’s supposedly self-empowering. ‘Women do it for themselves,’ the saying goes. ‘It’s a choice.’ But ultimately, it’s crucial to think about whom that choice really empowers.

Deborah Rode, a law professor at Stanford University featured in The New York Times’ article, disagreed with the results of the study, saying that she doesn’t want to spend her valuable time applying makeup because it unjustly affects common perceptions and assumptions about female workers. ‘The quality of my teaching shouldn’t depend on the color of my lipstick or whether I’ve got mascara on,’ she explained. ‘We like individuals in the job market to be judged on the basis of competence, not cosmetics.’

The fact of the matter is that the systems at play and in charge remain patriarchal and oppressive in the root of the problem: traditional feminine standards of beauty. Yes, plenty of women wear makeup for themselves, in theory, because they exude more confidence and like to feel pretty for their own sakes. But the logic behind this decision stems from ideals and priorities that are perpetuated in a male-dominant culture.

Etcoff and other researchers can use the results of this survey as a moment to shed some light on why women decide to wear makeup ‘for themselves,’ and the inner struggle to attain a sense of validity from the outside world. Both females and males — who, at the end of the day, all exist in a male-dominated culture — cultivate beauty standards. It’s important to examine the reasons why women are choosing to take part and the implications behind it in the first place.

I’m not saying that makeup is bad, and I’m not saying that I don’t wear it every once in a while. But the general public needs to be aware of the underlying reasons why makeup feels empowering and come to a realistic conclusion about the male-dominated culture that makes us ‘feel pretty’ when we slab on lip gloss and mascara.

Krystie Yandoli is a senior women and gender studies and English and textual studies major. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at klyandol@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @KrystieLYandoli.