I am only *mostly* confused. Via inju @ Flickr.
Second of all: basics and caveats. N=40. All numbers were self-reported, and varied, according to those surveyed, between to-the-penny accounting and vast generalizations. Most, but not all of those surveyed are US citizens, and numbers were given in (or converted to) US Dollars. No data was collected on reporters’ incomes, ages, educational status or profession, all of which would have been interesting and worthwhile and useful additions, but I didn’t think y’all would share that data with an internet stranger (except for a few of you helpers, who gave me a few clues about that stuff; sorry I couldn’t use it).
Okey-dokey, gals, as promised, I got your digits (no, not those digits) and did some basic statisticky ju-ju with them. I don’t want to just paste up my Excel spreadsheet (although I could email it to you if you really wanted it, with names/avatars redacted, if anyone is a stats whiz and interested in stuff I am unqualified to do), so here are the basics:
The lowest reported sum total (for hair, makeup, hair removal, appliances, other products and services) was $50, the highest was $3780, making quite a broad range of $3730.
The average or mean was [$31,956.98/40] or $798.92. Yipes. That seems like a lot.
The median (number smack dab in the middle of the range) was $613.
There were three modes (the amount “most often occuring”): $50, $660, and $845. Each of these occured twice, which is hardly overwhelming. Modes aren’t terribly helpful here…
However, out of 40
3 of you, or 7.5%, spend < $100
14 of you, or 35%, spend between $101-500
14 of you, or 35%, spend between $501-1000
5 of you, or 12.5%, spend between $1001-2000
1 of you, or 2.5%, spends between $2001-3000
2 of you, or 5%, spend > $3000
So, we can fairly surmise that the majority of harpies–70%–spend between $101 and $1000 per annum on beauty costs. Those numbers fit with both the mean and the median.
As to what sucks up all of those HarpyBuxx (they’re not just good for abortions anymore!): our lovely, lovely tresses: 43% of expenditures go towards hair cuts, coloring, or other services. Make-up takes up another 29%. The rest:
Hair removal: 8%
Nails: 7%
Other products: 7%
Spa: 4%
Appliances: 2%
This is fairly representative, I think, although there are some variances, I know, in where some people slotted certain things: is sunscreen a cosmetic, or an “other” purchase? Different reporters indicated different things. What about cotton pads used for removing nail polish: under “nails,” or “appliances”?
(I made a graph, but I’ll be damned if I can get it out of Excel and into this blog. I’ll work on it getting it up when I’ve got the time).
Anyway, that’s what we’ve been spending. It’s worth looking at the numbers as-is, so we can see what beauty is really costing us, in dollar amounts. (I don’t think we can do a spreadsheet on what it’s costing us in terms of mental and physical health.) In the next installment, I’m going to think about what else you might do with that money.
A number of you expressed surprise at your spending, comparing it to X months of rent or groceries. It does add up: what else you might spend $613, or even nearly $800 a year on?
Agreed about it being a lot of money, although I would put things like soap+shampoo and sunscreen down as necessities, b/c none of us really want to live without the former and without the latter one risks get sunburns/skin cancer.
But yeah, that’s a lotta cash, and to belabor the obvious, very, very few men spend anywhere near that much on their personal appearance because our cultural (double) standards are so skewed.
Maybe we all need to take a haircutting class and then cut each others’ hair. I can’t find tuition information online though to see what this might save in the long term; you have to email requests for the ones near me, and I don’t really want to get Aveda spam for the rest of my life.
I was towards the lower end with 300 bucks or so, but almost half of that went to haircuts. Is my hair worth the average of $10/month to look okay? Sure. But if I had someone to do it for free, I’d still be happier.
. . .very, very few men spend anywhere near that much on their personal appearance because our cultural (double) standards are so skewed.
I’m inclined to agree with you about that, but a quick tabulation of my own beauty expenses says that may not be the case.
I probably get about 15-18 haircuts a year at $25 a pop, so we’ll go with the low end and say I spend $375 on haircuts. I get about two pedicures a year (rugby is hard on the feet), that’s another $80 because I’m obliged to tip big. I also love the fancy Kiehl’s face soap and shaving cream that keeps my sensitive skin nice, that’s about $100. I figure another $50 year on razors. That’s a total of $605/year, pretty damn close to the median.
Hill Rat, I definitely think you’re on the high end of the dude-grooming spectrum. But more power to you, I say. More men should get pedicures and take care of their skin/hair IMO. Crugly toenails and flaky skin/ratty hair is a DON’T for both sexes.
@Dangermouse. My sole experience with cutting hair was when I cut my own bangs at 5. My mom took pictures and still pulls them out when she needs a laugh. So you might not want to hire me.
When I was really poor (first job in NYC, $19k a year), I used to get my hair cut at the Empire Beauty School on Steinway Street in Queens. Beauty schools charge almost nothing (I think a cut was like $7 and a pedicure $5) and they generally do a pretty good job.
Hill Rat, I definitely think you’re on the high end of the dude-grooming spectrum.
There’s a racial/cultural aspect to my spending. Black men tend to get their hair cut more often than White men, I know a lot of brothers that get their hair cut every week. The barber shop isn’t just about grooming, it’s a place we go to to commiserate about work, family, and to network. We also are obliged to spend a little more on skin care as well because our fixation on ashiness.
Interesting, Hill Rat, I didn’t know about the ashiness thing.
I do think that beauty culture has bled over to men, recently, I have noticed a lot of them getting pedicures lately in NYC. Even with the recession.
Re hair: Every once in awhile I get frustrated and cut my own bangs and my hair person always yells at me for it later. But I want blunt bangs! And he won’t let me have them!
I think Hill Rat might be on to something. Most men get their hair cut a lot more often than most women I know. I get mine done 4 times a year for 40 each, while he gets his cut 12 times (or more) a year for 20 a cut. (We both have thick, straight, oily hair and I wear mine very long and he wears his very short.) Since he spends $240 a year on his hair while I spend $160, and I buy my cosmetics at the drug store, we end up spending about the same. When we were on a tight budget, I just didn’t get hair cuts (I trimmed my own bangs), but he couldn’t figure out how to spend less.
Ah, that makes sense. True for black women and their beauty shops too. It’s just not the same kind of community hub for whites.
I would say soap and sunscreen should fall under necessities. BUT, some women buy Dove whilst others buy super expensive, fancy stuff, y’know? And whilst everyone uses shampoo and (maybe) conditioner, I buy $15 bottles of conditioner for my curly, scraggly hair whilst other women might buy $3 Suave. So within the necessities category, prices still vary.
@Pilgrim Soul: Your hairdresser sounds like my last one. I always want to dye my hair red again but he would refuse to do it.
I am now considering just shaving my head again to cut way down on maintenance. But given my height, it tends to make people mistake me for a 12-year-old boy.
@Hill Rat: My ex-fiance finally got tired of all the haircuts and just shaved his head. But then he said he missed the community of the barber shop. He would drive 40 minutes every 2 weeks to go to the same place as his dad, but he finally just got tired of the maintenance.
One thing I miss about dorm-living: there was always someone willing to cut my hair for free.
I do shell out for high-end drugstore skin-care products, but I have very fickle skin. Maybe my expenses will go down now that I’m detoxing from shampoo and hair gel (inspired by that Jezebel thread). So far, my head feels like a greasy fire-hazard, but hope springs eternal.
I haven’t surveyed my Dude, but he uses more (and more expensive) hair products than I do. He loves his B&b.
I also haven’t taken into account where people live, and the various market rates for services. Certainly it’s more expensive, generally, to get haircuts in a NY or LA salon than in, say, Des Moines or Akron, and the “standard” of what is normal upkeep varies, too.
Thinking about other things I could get with the $700 or so I spend per year, and whether or not I think “beauty” is worth it, etc…
I think it’s worth it. I think I would really begin to question it if I ever got to the point where I felt I could. not. live. without. these things that I do for “beauty.” But as is, I haven’t blow-dried or straightened my hair in a week, and I’ve actually realized I like its natural texture, and I like saving time in the mornings, and yeah, maybe some days I will still break out the straightener, but I like proving that I don’t HAVE to have it. Same goes for makeup– every so often I go a few days without it, just to see if I can. I guess, to me, feeling like it’s stuff I do because I want to and not because I *have* to makes all the difference.
I was also thinking about what I spend vs. what my man spends, and he definitely spends about as much on his hair as I do when you factor in that he gets his hair cut a lot more often than I do (he of the luscious thick blond locks has to go to a professional who has thinning shears and knows how to use them, though he’s also been known to buzz his hair himself). He also uses face wash and moisturizer on par with what I use. I’d say the only expense area I’m spending on that he isn’t is makeup.
True for black women and their beauty shops too.
This makes me wonder, were any Black women included in this survey?
An excellent question, Hill Rat. I know of some black women who read here but who knows if they submitted info.
We are sadly lily-white ourselves.
I was actually wondering about the costs of the elaborate hairstyles I see on some black women. It has to be extremely expensive to get such intricate work done, right? One woman I ride the bus with seems to have a new hairstyle every week, and that’s some serious upkeep!
@funnyface: It is some serious upkeep. I’m no expert on the subject, but I’m guessing that if we’d asked a group of black women how much time/money they put into having their hair braided, permed, straightened or weaved, it would be significantly more than what us white girls spend on highlights, glaze, color, whatever.
I also didn’t ask about race/ethnicity. We have non-white readers, but I couldn’t even speculate about those who submitted data.
I’m glad I didn’t take part. Looking at HillRat’s, I would’ve come in as a non-committal dude. But I don’t even look dirty or ratty, I guess I’m just lucky.
Some people have housing expense rules-of-thumb that range from 20-35% of income. Then, food and clothing make up the balance to 50% of income. (Of course these are rough guides.)
There’s probably some little rule of thumb for these expenses too. I wonder if these stats fit them, and if not, does that mean that society is more obsessed with beauty than before?
The IRS seems to think that one person should spend $372 per year on “personal care products and services”. So I’m past double that expense.
http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/20090315/bci_data/national_expense_standards.htm
I am reaching for the phone to cancel my hair appointment on Saturday and stopping at the drugstore to pick up a pair of hair scissors so I can trim my own hair instead.
It also doesn’t help that I’m on a “saving money” kick and feel antsy and anxious about every penny I spend, even if it’s necessary! Haircut on Saturday is definitely not necessary. I’ll mebbe go in a couple of weeks.
@bittermik Yeah I stopped getting my haircut when I got laid off work. That was July. Just last week I couldn’t take it anymore. I looked like an unmowed yard.
Go get your hair cut if you want to.
I gotta say, I don’t feel badly about spending that much money. A certain standard of upkeep is expected in order to look professional in my field, and how together one looks plays a huge part in how people think of you. I’ve been stunned at how successful one’s own propaganda about oneself can be in the workplace, and makeup and hair are subtle but important parts of that. Yes, I think it’s more important for women than for men. But I’ve got aspirations, not to mention responsibilities (being a sugar momma!), and the money is an investment. I could do it somewhat cheaper, but that would also require more time, which has its own costs.
But what else could I do with that money? Buy a few more nice outfits. Get some more massages. Pay for more babysitting and dates with my husband. Fly to visit my family and friends a couple of times. (now that one is compelling)
Another aspect of this I’m wondering about is: what about all the TIME we spend on beauty? And if that time was priced the same way our work hours are, how much would that time be costing us?
Black woman here… the average I spend per week on my hair is about $50. And it’s money well spent, because my hair is healthy. I could learn to do it myself, but I’d most likely do major damage to it in the learning process. Besides, I don’t want to learn, because a) the salon is my weekly refuge, a place to catch up with some girlfriends who are super-busy career women like me that I otherwise might not ever see, and b) after a hectic week I like getting pampered by someone else. Same goes for my bi-weekly mani/pedis and monthly massages. You know how many books I would have never read had to not been for those hours in the salon? It’s worth the money to help maintain my mental health.
Also, I’m putting money in the pocket of the people who have the skills to provide these services. I’ve had the same hairstylist since 13yo and the same nail tech and masseusse for 3 years (all of them work independently of a salon/spa owner)… I’m sure they appreciate my business.
Spending money is not just about ME, but about the people I choose to spend it with.
My data is not in there (got here too late), but I’m at the low end of the spectrum for women and it’s mostly because of hair. I don’t colour it, and never use styling products or applicances (due to nothing but my own laziness).
I’m also not big on manicures/pedicures, so that’s the other thing that keeps my costs low.
[...] The Cost of Beauty, Part 2: The Numbers – As to what sucks up all of those HarpyBuxx (they’re not just good for abortions anymore!): our lovely, lovely tresses: 43% of expenditures go towards hair cuts, coloring, or other services. Make-up takes up another 29%…(tags: none) [...]
[...] because make-up costs women money and time that might be better spent elsewhere (although of course it does). I’m concerned about the message sent by requiring a certain, highly stylized form of [...]