I’m a little curious about the job as well (the career, not the BJ).
In the law firms where I’ve worked and those that I’ve engaged as my own counsel, it wouldn’t matter to me one iota whether the litigator’s lips were thin or full. I really can’t see that as being a necessity to bring business to the firm, quite honestly. Come on, admit it- you did it for you, and it has nothing to do with your job, right?
If so, that’s OK. Do whatever makes you feel good about yourself. I just find it a little disingenuous to claim it’s to bring business to your firm.
OP, don’t feel bad about the selling your appearance point-- I get it. Sure, we are hired for our skills, but it would be foolish to suggest that people don’t make value judgments based on the appearance of the people they meet with. Is it fair? No, absolutely not. Does it happen every single time? No-- but it happens. The fact is, we still have to sell ourselves and our services, closing is always part of representation.
I did a little informal test once-- I kept track of how many closes I got with no makeup, medium makeup, and heavy makeup. For me, I would think that if you were hiring a tax representative (somewhere between an accountant and a lawyer), you’d want someone that. . . well, looks like an accountant. You know, less makeup, more serious, blah blah blah.
I don’t have the numbers handy, but let me tell you- after a few months, it was abundantly clear that I do much, much, MUCH better closing when I have a shit ton of makeup on. I’m not talking black eye shadow or anything-- but false eyelashes, lip gloss, black eye liner, the works. I closed like, one sale without makeup, a few with a little, and a ton with a lot. This goes against everything I would have believed, but there’s my experience. Now, this could be any number of factors- maybe I carry myself better more made up, blah blah blah- but for me there is definitely a correlation. Same thing goes for my hair-- if I have it teased up and done all cute, I have way more closes than if I just have it slicked back in a traditional, more “serious” pony tail.
I don’t dislike having it done, but I wouldn’t spend my money that way if there wasn’t a work benefit. I’m a lawyer, a partner in fact. I doubt I am in Rand’s income range. I do insurance defense.
There’s a lot of insurance defense lawyers. But I actually litigate and try cases. Even then, there’s a lot of us. No one would ever choose me or my firm because of my lips, but to actuallly talk to and meet with important clients there has to be a reason for them to bother to talk to you.
There’s also many young women who are stunning and lawyers used to lure clients. The problem is is you’re inexperienced or not better than run-of-the-mill then if tghe client is a man there’s some droolage and then on to the next real lawyer. If the client is a female and you’re Ellie Mae she might gawk, laugh and move on.
But…if you’re attractive, put together but not too threatening, all the male clients give you a c,hance to sell your skills, and the women I want to work for will come talk to you, find out if you’re sharp and put on your permanent file “vapid” or “shark.”
Looking slightly more pleasing to the eye is going to work for me for about another 3 to 4 years and then I’ll need another angle. But I have chops, charisma and ability to move a file and that’s why clients keep talking to me.
That’s the way much of the business world works if it involves marketing.
In about a week my lips will feel just like mine again. The nerve endings all will feel normal. Kissing will be and feel normal. No one not close to me ever can tell or will guess I have done it. Other than my face is evened out it doesn’t change anything other than I actually have an upper lip.
I’m not a big fan of facial and lip fillers- I find that they can make the face look completely unnatural and immobile. Do you have problems moving your lips when they’re augmented? See Joan Rivers- totally immobile. And freaky-looking.
That said, there are studies that show that people think that people with thin upper lips are not trust-worthy. Do you notice any difference in how you are treated?
I have to say that I am all in favor of people augmenting as they see fit, rock on with your bad self. If it’s tastefully done, it helps your appearance and it helps how you feel.
However…this thread definitely gives me the pain heebie jeebies and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go through with stuff when I get older. Your face has little sensation for a week, and it’s not because you were in an accident or got caught in the middle of an MMA showdown in the street? Sounds crazy to me. I see my mom going through it right now - she has great skin for someone 55, truly incredible, she looks 47ish despite the fact she smoked for a dozen years. But she sure could use that one forehead line filled in, and she has loads of money she just…has the pain heebie jeebies!
Well, that was unexpected. I work for a civil defense firm and I can think of few industries where it matters less what you look like. We’re (well this office) in a good looking town, too.
Have you given any thought to what your new angle will need to be in a few years? And will you still get your lips enhanced once you reach a point where you don’t believe it is helping your career any longer?
I’ll go on record as saying… yes, I am the target audience. Assuming equal qualifications and similar billable rates, I am going with the blond hot lip lady over the balding guy. Sorry balding guys.
After having just seen the first episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I think the phrase “lip augmentation” is the most nausea inducing one I can think of.
Untrue. No women ‘naturally’ goes from this(etc, etc, etc) to this after 12 years of aging and a weight loss of at least 20 lbs. As a young woman she had naturally plump but normal-looking lips (fuller on the bottom), then she started to get roles around age 19 and ever since has had various degrees of trout-pout.
I’m going to go ahead and disagree with you. I don’t know why you point out ‘normal lips, fuller on the bottom’ first of all. Some lips are fuller on the bottom, some aren’t, but in her case, she had some big lips, top and bottom in those younger pics. Now that she is older, I do not notice her with any trout pout. I always notice trout pout. It NEVER looks natural to me (I know, the natch looking ones are the ones I don’t know are injections). All of those stars who have it always look like ducks to me and it is hilarious as hell. But Jolie and Scarlette Johanah have always had big and juicey lips that look natural. Jolie’s younger pics look like she had full plump lips and her older pics look like her lips have the wrinkles of age, but are still lush. I could be wrong though. What the hell do I know.
If you can’t see a huge difference in the shape of her mouth and size of her lips in the pics of her before she was famous - I sure can’t blame you for disagreeing.
Here, she was only in her early 20s. I spend an unhealthy amount of time scrutinizing people’s faces, so I stand by my convictions on this subject.
Megan Fox doesn’t have really ugly, obviously fake lips either, but they are doubtlessaugmented as is the entire rest of her face IMO, those two pictures don’t look like the same woman to me. It’s hard to find any woman, no matter how young, who is having some sort of success in Hollywood and hasn’t had surgery and procedures to enhance their looks.
I don’t see any significant difference in those photos you posted, sorry. If Jolie has had her lips augmented, I want to be referred to her doctor because it looks very natural.
Also, Heather Locklear’s plastic surgeon. She looks fantastic.
