I don't remember the first of my coworkers to purchase a ring light or halo light for the Zoom calls. Pretty sure it was post-pandemic.
All I know is that it breaks the first beauty rule, which is to deceive. Because I can see your fake lighting. Because you wear glasses.
Or, sometimes, even without the glasses. Look at this pupil.
That's the pupil of Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies.
He's clearly working, and he's paid to look like a rock star. I am not.
However, my duties have recently changed, and now I work a lot on Zoom. A ring light might soften my scowl lines, but it can't conceal the wattle which now accounts for a third of the real estate on my face.
And you know what else? I see that you all have your laptops stacked up on books to give you a flattering Streisand camera angle but I only do that when the zoom call includes the Bigwigs. I am keeping my laptop on my belly as I lounge in bed. This is what you get:
I once cared about the wattle, but now I see it as a second and third smile. And to be perfectly honest, I will brush my hair and change out of that t-shirt before work. And of course I'll add a Zoom background so I don't look as comfortable. But that's all you're getting, work people. At some point Ring lights can only do so much.
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