My First Degree Is In Cabinetmaking, And I Was Featured In Our Alumni Magazine, College Advertising,

My first degree is in cabinetmaking, and I was featured in our alumni magazine, college advertising, and an article for the paper of the city the school was in for my work as president of the Women In Trades and Technology Club on campus. This is what I wore for a professional photoshoot as a cabinetmaker:

Cargo pants, polished leather boots, and a fishing shirt. There's still makeup there. You could *still* advertise makeup, have a feminine look, and yet be dressed appropriately for the task at hand. To that point, I was offered multiple modeling jobs because of this feature.

One of the most common bits of feedback I got from the college's public relations and marketing teams when they wanted me to do women's interests events, interviews, q&a panels, and outreach was the fact that I was always chic, appropriate, and safe while doing my work, while also being tactful, professional, and realistic about the challenges women face in the trades workforce.

Every time I see these women on Tiktok dressed in peasant dresses with their hair down and earrings that aren't studs to do DIY I shudder. You can do a pretty up-do, still be performing femininity, and then be safe while utilizing power tools. You can wear stud earrings, then still be wearing earrings and be safe. You can wear your rings around your neck on a short chain (16" or so, falling just at the clavical, not drooping down into a dangerous territory) or wear a silicone ring in a feminine style (vine engraved, blush plain, whatever) while doing this kind of work, and still have a wedding ring on your person with significantly lower risk.

When I was working in the shop, my rings would be in my right coin pocket at all times, I'd wear my safety glasses for all power tool work (I admittedly don't tend to wear them when doing finishing work or manual hand tool work) and there are some super cute safety glasses designs these days!

There are women's cut fishing shirts these days, or pocket tees with cute sayings on the Pockets and backs, you can wear fashionable jeans that look good and be safe as long as they aren't the kind with fashion rips in them. There are so many great women's workwear brands out there now, and if you're building your brand off of DIY stuff and you market yourself as fashionable and safe, you can then get brand deals with these companies.

I genuinely cannot think of any kind of reason that you would need to dress like this for DIY to obtain brand deals, even with makeup companies. You can be chic, fashionable, & feminine while still keeping safety a priority. I promise you, you do not need to be wearing a sundress and flip-flops to do DIY content that is successful.

For anyone reading this: If you aren't ready to give up makeup, or sacrifice style for functionality, I'm more than happy to discuss how to incorporate both form and function into your DIY outfits. If you're interested in what to do or wear to be safe around power tools or you have an interest in the trades as a woman I am also more than happy to answer questions on it.

This is an actual Maybelline ad trying to disguise itself as an empowering International Women's Day post. This person wants you to think makeup is empowering and it's actually super cool and feminist of you to wear it. Even at times when it's flat out ridiculous to wear it, like when doing manual labor (you're not convincing me Maybelline, I'd sweat that right off).

Makeup is a waste of women's money, time, and energy. It does nothing to build self-confidence. It is anything but empowering.