The glass ceiling — the unseen barrier that keeps women from rising to the top in the corporate world — comes in different shapes and sizes. In Japanese MNCs, it is called the Rice Paper Ceiling. In Hollywood, it is the Celluloid Ceiling. In religion, it is the Stained Glass Ceiling, probably from the stained glass in churches. (Pope Joan, who some say is mythical, did reign for a few years, but she must have had the balls to carry it off.)

The Pope Joan story shows that nothing is impossible. But it also demonstrates another truism: women can dress like men and get away with it. In the workplace, the opposite does not hold true. Imagine the straight-laced CFO coming to office in a salwar kameez. But a woman could get into his dhoti or three-piece suit (CFOs have traditionally been sober dressers) and go to office without raising an eyebrow. Of course, some minor repairs may be necessary depending on relative sizes.

So the ladies should not be complaining about dress codes (see box). The war is really at a younger age — in college, say, when regimentation meets rebellion. Once again, it’s the religious orthodoxy, often in positions of authority, which lays down the controversial rules.

The debate about dress has moved into the closet today, with makeup taking temporary centre-stage. The immediate provocation is a survey by Escentual.com, a beauty portal. The survey found that 40 per cent of British women (the poll was conducted in the UK) come to office with red or scarlet lipstick to impress their bosses. Two-thirds wear heavy eye makeup for similar objectives. Half defy dress codes with high heels and low-cut blouses. “A red lip is no longer a look reserved for a date or a night out,” says Emma Leslie, beauty editor of Escentual.com.

Only a few years ago, lipstick itself, far less screaming hues, was taboo in the workplace. It was as bad as having a dragon tattoo on your cheek. Restrictions (which were never really put down on paper) first went for non-customer-facing occupations. Now, it’s open house, though a tattoo can still be trouble.

The Escentual.com survey has raised hackles for another reason: women say they use red lipstick because it helps influence their bosses and get promotions. One understood that in most liberated workplaces the age of the corporate caveman was over. This seems to be a throwback.

“They must have surveyed only traditional industries,” says an HR manager at an Indian BPO. “Here I would start worrying if the men started wearing lipstick.”

She may need to worry soon. Says AskMen (“the definitive resource for men on how to do things the right way”): “It’s official. Men are now wearing makeup. Don’t believe me? Next time you’re at the mall, take a look at the cosmetics section, where entire shelves are now dedicated to men. Guys have gone from secretly filching some of their girlfriends’ moisturisers, to owning enough beauty products to make most drag queens blush.”

Can we use what is happening in the West as a guide to what will happen here? Yes. Makeup for women wasn’t a big thing in corporate India until air-conditioned offices became the norm. And if you are talking about men donning war paint for the office, it’s a growing phenomenon. The male fairness cream market in India was $20 million in 2009 and is close to $100 million now. According to a survey by KuicK Research: “More than 80 per cent of the surveyed male consumers was using fairness creams. Further, the majority of these men were spending between Rs 50 and Rs 100 on fairness creams every month and were willing to pay a premium price for creams especially available for men.”

There’s a new App in town. It’s called Facebook and helps men keep tabs on how their personal fairness projects are working. Beauty is measured in mini-Helens, so they will need a new metric — miniHairy, perhaps, or miniFairy. And with a largely masculine corporate workplace in India, there may be a new glass ceiling soon. Should we call it the Pretty Boy Ceiling?

LADIES’ SPECIAL

What women should not wear to work

• Any shorts (or any pants) that are less than full length

• Flip-flops

• Sandals of any kind; peep toes also questionable

• Tall boots

• Anything that is overly noisy in the hallways

• Denim, or items cut like denim

• Lace or sheer clothing

• Sleeveless tops or dresses (worn without a cardigan or blazer on top)

• Any item that can be worn to the gym (sneakers, yoga pants, terrycloth wristbands, large shapeless t-shirts)

• Anything too short, tight, or low-cut

Source: Corporette