SPOTLIGHT: Workplace beauty standards have intensified
December 2025
Professional appearance expectations have escalated as accessible beauty technologies and treatments create new pressures on workers, particularly women navigating ageism in corporate environments.
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"… In a precarious job market notoriously frosty to older workers, what better to justify that investment than thinking being hot can advance your career?"
Modern tools including filters, Facetune, advanced skincare, GLP-1 medications, and high-end fitness options have made conventional beauty standards more attainable than ever.
Many professional women (and men) increasingly feel like taking advantage of these tools is not just an option, but a requirement for career advancement.
According to statistics cited by Business Insider, the “number of people using injectables like Botox has nearly doubled between 2019 and 2024, from just over 5 million to nearly 10 million.”
20% of people age 45 and older said they "would consider Botox or fillers to look younger if it improved their chances of getting a job or promotion," according to a recent UK survey by the Centre for Ageing Better.
If people think that they can get further in their career by throwing some Botox in their forehead, they're going to keep doing it. The sad part is, in many ways, I think they're probably not wrong."
GLP-1 weight loss drugs have "furthered perceptions that people can and should be thin," according to experts. Recent research by SHRM found that 11% of HR professionals said "an applicant’s weight has played a role in decisions their organizations have made during the job application process."
Elaborate beauty routines that may have once been reserved for professionals with "pretty people jobs like modeling and acting" are now "touted by regular people with 9 to 5s all over TikTok, where office workers sit before the camera and show themselves doing multi-step skincare routines and complex makeup and morning routines," according to Business Insider.
Being hot is now a job requirement."
Experts say the "increasingly competitive job market may be fueling renewed interest for men" in pursuing plastic surgery "because it offers an opportunity for men to improve their confidence."
One Beverly Hills plastic surgeon told The Wall Street Journal he "has seen demand from tech guys increase fivefold over the past five years."
Plastic surgery among men "boomed" after the pandemic, in part due to the "general uptick sparked by people staring at themselves on Zoom." The rise of remote and hybrid work also enabled the downtime that such surgeries demand, experts say.
Profile pictures used on hiring platforms are a "design choice that can impact hiring and matching outcomes," according to research published in a 2022 study. Candidates who "look the part" were "more likely to be hired," despite the lack of a "strong correlation between “looking the part” and job performance."
LinkedIn users choose profile photos that let recruiters see how a candidate looks when recruiting for "roles that, in theory, shouldn't rely on looks at all."
Job seekers now have the chance to take advantage of services that utilize AI to create "well-lit, flawless AI professional headshots," something previously out of reach for most job seekers.
Now that job seekers have the tools to enhance their own photos, the pressure is on for everyone to do just that.
Over half (53%) of more than 800 hiring managers surveyed by ResumeTemplates.com said they make hiring decisions based on physical features.
Many hiring managers said they look up a candidates' photos before interviewing them, and 40% said they “would choose a conventionally attractive candidate over a more qualified one."
Female candidates are likely to be judged "more harshly on physical traits like attractiveness, weight, and age," according to ResumeTemplates.com' survey.
It is so dispiriting to see the drastic steps that older workers are forced to consider in order to get a level playing field in the workplace. But it is also understandable people are taking drastic action given that age and experience is so often viewed negatively and held against employees and job applicants."
"Being hot is now a job requirement" via Business Insider
Survey: 1 in 5 Hiring Managers Favor ‘Great Genes’ Over Great Resumes, via ResumeTemplates.com
Why Tech Bros Are Getting Face-Lifts Now, via The Wall Street Journal
Confronting Weight Bias and Discrimination in the Workplace, via SHRM
Look the Part? The Role of Profile Pictures in Online Labor Markets, via Marketing Science
Older workers would consider cosmetic procedures to get a job or promotion, via HCA Mag
