Navigating Femininity in Female-Dominated Work: A Comparative Study of Women's Labor Experiences in the Japanese and American Beauty Industries

Beauty services are often perceived as feminine, with beauty consultants epitomizing this notion. This study examines the gendered nature of labor in the beauty industry, focusing on cosmetics sales consultants in the United States and Japan—the world's first and third-largest beauty markets, respectively. While the beauty industry has been portrayed as a realm where women can maintain long-term careers, recent scholarship has highlighted its precarious nature under neoliberalism. This research investigates how gender shapes labor experiences and strategies within this complex context.

Through in-depth interviews with 23 beauty consultants (13 in Japan and 10 in the United States), all female and working in urban areas, this study reveals three key findings. First, Japanese beauty consultants actively leveraged their femininity in their work, emphasizing shared experiences with female customers and the value of their personal beauty knowledge. In contrast, while some American counterparts agreed, many prioritized individual skills over gender-based attributes.

Second, a strong internalized norm of maintaining a youthful appearance regardless of age was evident among Japanese beauty consultants, paralleling expectations placed on younger colleagues. This pressure to embody perpetual youth emerged as a distinctive feature of the Japanese beauty industry.

Lastly, both groups acknowledged the increasing presence of male beauty consultants and identified a "glass escalator" effect facilitating men's career advancement. Notably, American respondents frequently mentioned that most male colleagues were queer or gay, leveraging their sexuality to build their careers—a perspective not prominently featured in the Japanese context.

These findings illuminate how cultural contexts shape gendered experiences in the beauty industry, contributing to our understanding of labor in feminized professions. The study offers insights into the complex interplay between gender, sexuality, age, and cultural norms in the global beauty industry.