SA21 A - U Lookin' Good, Man

Mia Ahorro | Miguel Kalagayan | Jeff Soterana | Dianne Tapia | Kali Vidanes

VIOLATED NORM

The group violated the norm of makeup as being a women’s product by having men test out makeup at different makeup shops.

THE EXPERIMENT

Three makeup stores in UP Town Center were visited by the group. In each store, a pair of boys from the group would test out makeup and engage the salespeople. Only one type of makeup was requested by the pair in each of the stores they went to. Specifically, they requested for Concealer when they were in Metro Department Store, Lipstick from Watson's, and Mascara from The Face Shop. Meanwhile, one incognito group member observed the reactions of the salesperson during the transaction, and after the transaction, when the pair of boys have left.

The pair of boys who engaged with the salesperson facilitated the exchange in the same general format. Boy 1 would ask the salesperson what selection of makeup they have, depending on what he is looking for (Concealer, Lipstick, or Mascara). He would then request to sample the make-up, and ask boy 2 what his opinion is. They would also ask the salesperson what her opinion is, and would proceed to end the transaction saying that they will browse through other shops.

THE EXPERIMENT: REACTIONS

Metro Department Store

The saleslady of Metro Department Store who attended to Kali and Miguel assisted them comfortably. She did not have a judgmental look on her face as the group would have expected, nor was she questioning why the boys were requesting for concealer. When Miguel was struggling to place concealer on his jaw, she gladly took over and applied the concelaer to him herself. After Kali and Miguel have left, Jeff proceeded to interview the saleslady in a discreet manner, asking her what the exchange was about. The saleslady explained that she had thought Kali and Miguel were stage performers looking to buy make-up, which would probably explain why she had thought the transaction was completely normal.

Watsons

Kali and Jeff went to Watsons and attempted to try out Lipstick. Jeff and Kali, pretending to be cousins, had Jeff try out lipstick (which was Jeff’s supposed lifelong dream), and they ended up asking for help from a clerk. The clerk was very kind and open in assisting the both of them, although holding back giggles, was able to assist Jeff in picking out a lipstick that she thought would match his skin color. While she went to the backroom to fetch another tester, our incognito observer saw people staring at Jeff and Kali from afar, most noticeably another clerk just trying to hold back subtle laughter. After the clerk returned, Jeff tried the lipstick on, with the clerk smiling throughout the ordeal. Kali was asking the clerk if the lip color suited Jeff and she chuckled and agreed. After that, Kali and Jeff politely bid goodbye to the clerk and thanked her for helping Jeff with his lipstick. The two left the shop, while the clerk was smiling.

The Face Shop

Miguel and Jeff went to The Face Shop and browsed through a selection of Mascara. They requested for the cheapest one, and the saleslady gladly obliged. However, she began to have a puzzled look on her face when jeff requested to try out the Mascara. At first she was hesitant, wondering if the boys were really serious. As she applied the make-up on Jeff, she had a poker face on which was a mixed signal between slight anger and indifference. Most probably because she did not think the boys were serious about buying anything, and was just wasting her time. The boys left the store with the salesperson giving a curt nod, and proceeded to go back to the counter.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEMES:

The most apparent theme present in this sociological experiment is gender roles and how make-up is traditionally known to be a women's product. As a result, the group found that in two of the three stores they went two, they were met with odd looks and supressed giggles. In part because of the absurdity behind men trying out make-up, in part because they hinted that they won't be serious about such transactions. However, the reaction of the saleslady in the first store proves to show that the gender stereotype behind make-up isn't all absolute and that it evolves with the changing times. Of the three shops, she was the only one who acted as if the transaction was completely normal. That even among men, looking to conceal blemishes on one's face, at least to her, may completely be part of the norm.

REACTIONS FROM THE GROUP:

The group was mainly okay with doing the experiment. Of course there were reservations about going into a makeup store and trying on makeup for the men, but that is another sociological norm that our experiment has broken even within the group. It was hard for us to put a straight face on and act through the whole ordeal, but seeing the norm being broken, and the clerks’ reactions really was a huge thing for us as we were able to see what it was like to breach and shatter a norm in public.