Exams are not very hard. People find them hard because they don’t work — it’s just a matter of labour. Once you actually start doing it, it’s like cracking eggs. You don’t need to be smart. As everything is in life, it’s about concentration
— Lawrence Osborne (b 1958), British novelist
In the midst of the COVID gloom surrounding all walks of life worldwide, Japanese businessmen are especially grooming themselves to overcome the challenges posed by the ever-advancing Coronavirus pandemic. But first, the facts as reported by the Associated Press and carried by The New Indian Express (21/4/21) – and excerpted here:
The Coronavirus pandemic has pushed many businesses in Japan to the edge of financial ruin, but Takumi Tezuka, who owns a makeup and hair salon for men in Tokyo, has seen his customer base expand. Japanese businessmen in their 40s, 50s and 60s who had little interest in cosmetics before the pandemic, are increasingly visiting Tezuka’s salon hoping for a better look to sport during online meetings. A large personal care company, Shiseido, says that one of its male makeup lines has seen double-digit growth since the pandemic. Company officials give a similar reason: Men, confronted with the sight of their faces repeatedly during online meetings, want to improve what they see.
“Before, most of our customers were males in their teens and twenties, but thanks to remote work, we now have more businessmen,” said Tezuka. Unlike many younger men, who want a drastic makeover, older businessmen want to show a slightly better version of themselves by using makeup, he said. “Men in their 40s, 50s and 60s come to our salon because they feel they must wear make-up,” he said. Tezuka said that it’s because businessmen who work from home have more opportunities to see their own faces during online meetings and have thus started to care more about their appearance.
How does this relate to students or the young readers of Edex? It pays to be vigilant, especially in the context of online communication or and zoomed-in conversations.
One Indian Supreme Court lawyer was caught on Zoom in underpants and had to apologise to the court to escape from contempt-of-court charges. In Canada, one Senator was caught naked on Zoom and had to apologise, saying that he was dressing up in his formals for the Senate session. So, Zoom calls need to be attended with caution, especially at a time when important work meetings and discussions have gone online, much like everything else. Be ready and spruce yourself up before the target time of every meeting, lest you be caught with your pants (dress) down!
