An important part of inequality in New Zealand is the gender pay gap, I wanted to explore this further. Society is conditioned to think that women have to ‘look the part’ for work, by wearing makeup. For many female roles, this is compulsory, with the average women putting eight dollars of makeup on a day, adding up to three hundred thousand dollars throughout their lifetime. I felt that this unspoken issue had to be addressed.

To do this, I wanted to use a metaphor by using a pill containing makeup which is ‘prescribed by your doctor’. Implying that it is vital to wear makeup to live up to your boss’s expectations for the job, also insinuating how degrading it is for women as there is an embarrassment around the stigma of taking medication. I wanted this symbolic narrative to communicate the need to stand up against the expectations around women’s appearance at work.