Even Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, likes Gender Biases Video by Pantene that went viral. Have you seen it?

"Gender #Bias. How does it affect you?" asks Pantene

Whether you are a stay home mum or holds a full time job, surely you've come cross this issue or personally experienced this at some point in your life. This affects how you view wearing branded clothes, how a man or woman is viewed when either one exerts himself/herself at work, or even paying attention to personal grooming. Is it just a self-esteem issue or simply how it is viewed by observers?

Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

On a global stand, in recent months, #Pantene caused quite the stir with an online# video at #WhipIt tackling gender labels. It began with #Sheryl Sandberg’s global bestseller Lean In, which examined why women are still struggling to make progress and encourages women to overcome it. A recent study by Pantene in the Philippines revealed that 70 per cent of men still think that women need to downplay their personality to be accepted. Below is the video in question, which gone viral across the globe after Sandberg liked and sang its praises. This video was created from this insight into the Filipino culture, asking bold questions like Why is he called boss, but she’s called bossy?.

•       In a little more than a month, the video generated more than seven million views and thousands of comments around the globe even catching the eye of Lean In author and Facebook COO, #Sheryl #Sandberg, who shared the video on her Facebook page.

•       Today, #Pantene has earned 241,100,081 overall earned media impressions and 227,072,270 digitally.

•       #Forbes quoted the video for portraying gender labels effectively, while #Time lauded Pantene’s efforts to break down the sexist workplace stereotype in one ad.

•       Through pure organic growth and virality, the video has made waves in the United States, on programmes such as #ABC World News Tonight and even Good Morning America. 

Watch the Video

Click on the link #Why is he called boss, but she’s called bossy? to view the short video clip.

In Our Tiny World 

Sometimes, the answer does not lie with the gender, but how a message is conveyed or simply how the world perceives a woman or a man. Here are some anonymous comments collected:

1. When a boss puts his or her foot down at work, is he or she being perceived in the same way by subordinates regardless of gender? Would you say your female boss is a bitch when she does it, or that your male boss is just being professional and doing a good job? Or is it in how the message is being passed and the tone of voice used that dictates how the leader is being perceived?

Food for thought: In the United States, a Gallup poll was done recently and 40 per cent of women and 29 per cent of men preferred a male boss to a female one for various reasons. And in an article by Natalie Campbell, in Guardian (UK) dated 21 January, it was reported that 35 per cent of leaders in the UK public sector are women, although 51 per cent of the population in the UK is female. Is this poll result affected by gender stereotype or culture or are women trying poor leaders? 

Although local statistics are not available at press time, the brochure of the National University of Singapore for its Executive Education Women in Leadership course highlights that it is proven that "organizations with greater gender diversity in management tend to perform better, yet institutional barriers and the pressures to conform to gender norms make it difficult for women to rise to the top". Hence to  bring more women into the boardroom, there are now professional courses like this to equip women for boardroom success. In its course outline, one of the core focus of the NUS five-day course is "issues and challenges of women leaders in Asia", which reiterates the need to break the effect of the view of society and Asian culture on the performance of female bosses. Perhaps not by coincidence, but need that a similar three-day course being offered at the Singapore Management University called Leadership and Women addresses how women can overcome a certain self-limiting type of behaviour and mental models that we tend to adopt generally with tools like the right work-life integration and strategic network that leads to career success.

For me, most of my ex-bosses were female. I've come away having more respect for my female bosses for their fairness and professionalism, and ability to hold the team together.

1. Is this true? Yes/No.
What are your views? Please feel free to leave an appropriate comment in #Simply Beauty Comment Box below.

2. Is it really true that when men wear branded clothes, they are just looking smart and women are just being showoff as highlighted in the video?

There are a mix of views for these.  In general locals with a larger built feel that they are only able to find smart office wear that they can fit into from international labels, which cater to Europeans or Caucasians who usually have a bigger built, whereas local boutiques usually cater to the majority of the petite Asians.   

Regardless of gender, some interviewed say that one is just being brand conscious with extra cash to flaunt when one wears branded or designer clothes. And those who appreciate fashion trends, good cuts and quality fabrics, find that good fashion labels are known for their quality fabrics, workmanship, designs that flatter most body shape especially those with pear shaped body, and usually leave a person appearing smarter. However, we must add that small boutiques also offer quality designs at a steal if you know where to go. However, we must not forget upcoming local designers who also offer good designs. Unfortunately, their works do not have as much exposure as fashion labels from more established fashion houses in the international arena.

At the end of the day, is it taste that is important and knowing how to mix and match your clothes that count? Perhaps branded clothes by more well-known designers have been given more exposure with those seasonal international fashion shows held in fashion capitals in London, Paris and New York, which are often reported in the dailies and various publications every season. 

2. Is this true? Yes/No.

What are your views? Please feel free to leave an appropriate comment in #Simply Beauty Comment Box below.

3. When a man pays attention to personal grooming, do you think he is just being neat? On the other hand, is a woman vain when she takes pains to look her best for work, and spends an hour prepping before she's finally out of the door? Many makeup artists I've interviewed in the past decade say the same thing, which is best summarised by the Chinese saying that there is not one woman who is ugly, except for those who are too lazy to care about their outward appearance. Personally I feel that personal grooming is important as it makes one feel good oneself and is a form of respect for others. 

A paid research by Proctor and Gamble in 2011, revealed that women who enhance their appearance with makeup gives the impression that they are capable, reliable and amiable. However, in an article by New York Times, the author then went on to highlight that the use of right makeup colours to look professional in the boardroom is key to send across the right message to colleagues, associates and clients.

So what about one's crowning glory for surely one's hairstyle and hair condition completes the whole look. To go the other extreme about looking good and hair, well aware of the link between self-esteem and bad hair days, P&G holds an annual Beautiful Lengths Day in the United States since 2006 to encourage those with healthy long hair to donate healthy hair for the creation of real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair to cancer treatments.If one's coif does not have any effect in one's self-esteem, then up to September 2013 there wouldn't have been up to 28,000 real-hair wigs being delivered to female cancer patients in the United States, unless the demand is there.   

3. Is this true? Yes/No.

So what are your views? Please feel free to leave an appropriate comment in #Simply Beauty  Comment Box below.

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