Skip to main content

Of Palace Maids and Housewives

THE PALACE MAIDS

How does physical appearance effect you? Is it important to be well groomed especially at work?Does it affect how others see you? Does it make you feel more confident?

Shortly before I became a stay-at-home mom, my hubby made a remark on the palace maids (in Korean dramas) that had stuck in my brain till now.

One day, while watching Korean drama, he casually said: Ah! The palace maids are so well groomed. Why don't you become a housewife who dresses prettily everyday as you carry out your tasks?

Haha! I brushed it off with a laughter. But deep down I thought: Why not? If I were to become a housewife (I was still working at that time), I would make sure I do not dress like a maid. I would groom myself well and look presentable at all times. If the maids of the elite families or the royals should be well groomed, I am sure being a well groomed housewife would be necessary.


Hmm. Which is better?
WHY  BEING WELL GROOMED IS IMPORTANT

It is a FEEL GOOD FACTOR

and that feeling brings about a higher level of confidence

that could (might or may) result in better work performance.


Once, an ex-colleague's mother told me that she asked her daughter why she preferred to dress professionally to work instead of casually since our line of work allowed us to dress casually. Her daughter's reply was: I want to look professional so people would take me seriously.

She was right. Our attire and our look matters. Especially for first impressions.


TRYING TO BE MORE PROFESSIONAL

When I started putting on make up to work (after I gave birth to my first born, I decided to have a change), I noticed that the managers and superiors somehow, saw me differently. I had a feeling that they took me more seriously. In other words, I felt more noticed. And no, they were not male colleagues. They were all females. SO, outer look does play an important part in making things or breaking things for us... I guess.

AND...

eventually, I became a stay-at-home mom.


A typical housewife's "on the job" look.

Of course, there were many, many times when I couldn't care less about putting on makeups or the attire that I put on, especially when my children were much younger.

HOWEVER...

once they started schooling,

I had the chance to groom myself a bit as I need to make sure that I look presentable when I drop them off to or pick them up from school.






See the magical powers of makeups and hairdos?


I love the feeling of being...

A "professional housewife and mom"! 😮




Note: Looking good doesn't equal to wearing or using expensive or branded goods nor does it require me to have a wide selection of clothing and accessories. To me, it has always been "quality over quantity". A good piece of good quality wear makes a lot of difference.










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mongo Plant vs Garlic Plant

A few years ago my son was into growing plants and asked if he could grow some flowers. We did not have any flower seeds at home and I suggested that he plant some mongo seeds instead. The other reason I told him to grow mongo seeds is that they grow very fast and kids are not very patient at waiting for results.  So everyday, as we leave the house for school (he was attending kindergarten then) he would look at the plants and say, "Mommy! They are growing!" A few days after we planted the mongo seeds, I suggested that we plant some garlic. This time, unlike the mongo seeds that showed some growth immediately on the following day, the garlics showed none.  Two days after we planted the garlics, we went on a short vacation and when we returned, he saw some changes to the garlic plant and shouted, "Mommy, look! The garlics are growing!" Two weeks after that, we found time to do some detailed observations on the plants. We compared the roots and ...

Stress Free Mode

Now, as I typed on my laptop, my 5 year-old daughter sits in front of me, doing her own work. She is doing something on her own. Something that no one tells her to do. It is 100% at her own will. She is copying from a storybook. It is a Malay storybook she borrowed from school. And she is trying to read as she copies.  She is smiling as she tries to read the words and although she still struggles with many of the words, she is smiling while she tries. Once in a while, she would ask me how to pronounce a certain syllable.  And now, she is singing out the words she copies.  _________________________________________________ This scene, right in front of me, is the result of an important lesson I learnt a year ago.  I learnt that, for effective learning to take place, the learner should be in a "stress free mode".  And for them to be in that mode, it most probably has to be something they find interesting or rather, something they w...

A Different Kind of Love For Food

I love food! Who doesn't, right? But I don't just love food. Anything related to food would always catch my attention. From street food to hotel food, from food menus to food art and craft. As such, I am sure you could guess my favourite department to shop at the mall. The grocery section! My son inherited my love for food and he is more open to try new food and he really enjoys his food. On the other hand, my daughter is a picky eater. She is very particular with tastes and textures that sometimes left me wonder what went wrong during the cooking process that she wouldn't even eat the food that she would usually eat. Like scrambled eggs for instance. If the quality of the egg is not so good or perhaps too much soy sauce or perhaps the heat wasn't high enough when I pour the eggs in so it changes the output. Anyway, instead of being annoyed with it, I learnt to take it as a challenge for me to improve my cooking which also includes being consistent at all times. Phe...