As Girly As It Gets - The Dress Code - Part 5

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Terry and Moira were escorted into the hair salon area of the facility.  Terry was uncomfortable in this obviously feminine place.  While he had been near such salons before, this one was clearly a step above anything he had seen at the big mall or in the strip malls.  They were each introduced to their stylist.  Moira had a woman who regularly did her hair.  Terry didn’t want anyone to do anything to his hair. Terry noticed a folder on the counter that said, Terri Moran.  These people were crazy.

He just couldn’t muster the nerve to complain.  He wasn’t even sure whose fault it was.  How could they not know how to spell his name?  Terry found the process of having his hair washed and conditioned very relaxing.  The technician chattered on about the weather and local events.  He just tuned her out and enjoyed the scalp massage.  Terry laughed to himself as he thought of all the times his mom used to go get her hair done.

Once he reached middle school, Terry developed an unnatural fear of salons.  Since Terry always kept his hair fairly long, his mother made sure he washed and took care of his hair.  She also demanded that periodically he accompany her to the salon to get his split ends dealt with.  Terry never let them wash his hair.  As he enjoyed the massage, he regretted missing all those opportunities to get his scalp massaged like this.

Eventually, his head was wrapped in a towel and he was moved to a station.  His hair person, whose name was Summer, turned the chair away from the mirror and examined his face.  “Terri, I understand you want some volume so your hair does not seem flat and dull.  You want to keep the length and nothing fancy.  Does that sound right?” Summer was looking at him. Terry tried to understand what she said.  Not flat or dull; that’s good.  Volume; maybe.  Keep the length; yes.  “I think that sounds right.  Natalie is my advisor and Moira is also helping out.” Summer looked at the notes in the file.  “Great then we have a plan.

I’m going to eliminate the split ends and even things up.  A little layering here and there for shape.  Then I’m going to roll your hair to just give it a little volume.  Nothing outrageous.  You are going to love it.  You trust me, don’t you?”  Summer raised her eyebrows.  And with their already high arches that were no simple task. Terry acknowledged, “Yes, I trust you.”  He wasn’t sure why he trusted her.  But, it felt right.  And he just did not want to argue with her about hair. Summer snipped here and there.  She jumped from side to side and Terry had no idea what she was doing.  Next thing he knew, she had these large rollers and she was putting his hair in curlers.

Terry started to ask a question and she just said, “Trust me.” Terry sipped some more of the tea.  He was not normally a tea fan.  But the tea was pretty good and he had felt great all day.  Besides, they never let his cup go empty.  Soon, Summer put some liquid on his hair and rolled him over to a dryer.  Summer handed him the latest issue of Cosmopolitan and two nail technicians appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his hands.  Moira was under the dryer next to him and neither of them could read since people were holding their hands.  The technicians kept shaking their heads and looking at him with looks that said he was not taking good care of his hands.

They buffed and worked on his cuticles.  After shaping the nails, they applied a clear coat of nail polish to each finger.  As it dried a second coat was applied.  The ladies had moved to his feet and they started with a wonderful foot massage.  They then performed the same ritual on his toenails.  Funny his toenails seemed to almost have a pink hue to them instead of clear.  But they were pretty far away and who would ever see them.  Terry was almost asleep under the dryer.  Summer returned and the technicians were standing on either side of him.  Summer turned off the dryer and told Terry to hold still.  As he did, he heard popping and felt a sting on both ears.

That was a weird way to wake him from his relaxing nap.  Why did they pinch his ears?  The technicians were walking away and Summer was guiding him back to her station.  The curlers were soaked with a new substance and soon thereafter Terry was returned to the wash basin to have his hair cleaned again.  He did not understand why.  But, Summer kept telling him to trust her. Summer worked his hair and used her scissors to perform some more shaping and then broke out the hair dryer.  Terry did not understand this process of wash cut dry soak dry wash dry.

He was going to have to ask Moira to explain it to him. Terry was leaning back in his chair and Summer and another woman began looking at his face.  A pair of tweezers appeared and some hairs above his eyes were pulled.  At this Terry balked.  “Summer, I think there is a misunderstanding.  Can you get Natalie for me?” “Sure, Terri.  I’ll be right back.”  Summer had no idea what was the matter.  But she knew Terri was an important client and she needed to keep Terri happy.  “Natalie, that corporate lady, her name is Terri.  She would like to talk to you.  We were just getting to the point where we were plucking the eyebrows and preparing for make-up.”

Natalie assured her she understood and went to talk to Terry.  She asked Summer and her assistant to step away while they talked. Natalie smiled as she approached Terry.  “How can I help you, Terry?” Terry whispered like he was telling a secret.  “Natalie, they think I’m a girl.  They were pulling my eye hair out.  Next thing you know they will get out the make-up.” Natalie leaned in a little closer, “Terry, they were supposed to pull out some of your eyebrow hair.  It looks ridiculous.  They are not giving you thin lines or high arches.  They are cleaning up your look.  Making your eyebrows distinctive.  That is their job.  Now about the make-up.

They were going to match you with lipstick that is the same color as your natural lips.  In addition, they were then going to select a color for when a person wanted more than a natural look.” Terry just stared at her.  “I don’t need lipstick?” “Again we have a problem with the wording in the rules.  The rules say employees wearing nail varnish shall wear appropriate lip gloss or lipstick.  Like with the nails, there is a section saying only professional colors are allowed.

As with your nails, you can either wear colored lipstick or one which is matched your natural lip color or a clear lip gloss.  The problem is that lipstick in whatever form it is used wears off.  So you are going to have to remember to check it and reapply it when it has worn off.  Either way, you will be wearing something on your lips if you want to keep your job.” Natalie continued, “After that is done, the technicians will select a full-color palette for you in a full range of make-up.

Why you want to ask?  The reason is the company pays us to do it.  I don’t care what you do with it.  But we will do the job and give you the product.  Wear it or not.  When you leave here today, you will have the make-up and you will have been instructed on how to wear it to provide a professional image.  Got it?” Terry leaned back in the chair defeated.  This was so unlike him.  For some reason, he had trouble getting mad or upset.

He resolved to himself that it seemed Natalie had all the cards.  “Yes, I got it.” Natalie signaled for Summer and her assistant to get back to work.  They took a picture of Terry’s face before they did anything.  The makeup technician applied lipstick that was almost exactly the color of Terry’s natural lips.  The lipstick smoothed his lips out and gave them a uniform color.  He told himself that no one could tell he was wearing lipstick if it was the same color.  Summer cleaned up his eyebrows and thinned them a little bit.  The ladies then began lessons on how to apply different foundations and colors and why certain colors were more professional.

They stressed that less make-up was almost always better.  Terry tried to absorb everything.  After they made up his face, they took another picture.  Terry’s hair was held back from his face by a headband to expose all of his faces.  The pictures, therefore, showed primarily his face.  And the difference was breathtaking.  They had a picture of it before.  The second picture was just with the lipstick.  The last picture was with his face made up using the minimalist method they had taught him.  Terry was really impressed.  He was scared to death by what he saw.

But, he was really impressed that so little could have such a great impact.  He was speechless.  They gave him the make-up and make-up remover along with tubes of colored lipstick in a subtle reddish pink, a tube in his natural lip color, and a clear lip gloss.  Included in the package was a simple black compact with just a mirror on the inside.  With that phase completed, Summer finished Terry’s hair and prepared for the unveiling.  Summer was very excited about how Terry had turned out.

She called Natalie over and Moira arrived at the same time.  Summer explained to Terry, “Now Terry, I understand that you like a simple look.  So when you are at the office, you can wear your hair in a ponytail.  The volume will make your hair look more alive and it will have a little wave to it.  In the evenings or for other looks you can just let your hair down.  Run a brush through it and you are ready for a night out.” Terry was scared to death that he was going to look like some blonde bimbo.  What had he let them do to him?  Terry stood up and prepared for the worst.

Terry was stunned when they had him turn to the mirror.  Moira had a huge smile on her face.  So did Natalie and Summer.  Terry was the one in the middle with the stunning look.  His hair was gorgeous.  It was curly and had a body curled down to his shoulders and framing his face.  His face was the same as in the picture only now it was even more feminine.

He was unsure what he was supposed to say. Summer sensed his concern and concluded Terry liked the ponytail look.  “Terry, don’t get all worried.  Look, I gather your hair into a ponytail, and voila, it looks wonderful.  Isn’t it great?  Your hair is so wonderful, I think you should consider wearing it loose.” Terry had to admit that in a ponytail it looked much better.  His hair looked healthier.  The make-up was probably the disconcerting thing.

Terry tried to imagine himself with his normal face.  Yes, he thought, I am worried about nothing.  The problem is the makeup.  Terry looked at Summer and said in what he hoped was a nice way, “I think this will work.  I just have to get used to the new look.” Moira gushed about how much she liked the new cut and approved of everything Summer and her team had done.  Moira had never realized until today how long Terry’s hair was.

And, after his new hair cut his hair was spectacular.  Most of the women in the office would kill for hair like Terry’s. Summer took this as full approval of everything and breathed a sigh of relief. Terry, Natalie, and Moira returned to the dressing area.  Natalie explained that Terry should keep the briefs on as they were a gift each time someone visited.

Obviously, they did not want people sharing such personal items.  “Yes,” she said, “most of the girls in your executive offices are probably wearing our briefs many days of the week.  Since they all visit us often, they probably have quite a collection.  Right, Moira?” Moira blushed a little and nodded.  “Yes, I have a drawer full of the briefs from your salon.  They are wonderful.” “If you wear the briefs, I can show you how your slacks will hang differently.” Terry agreed and he and Moira retrieved their things and dressed in the dressing room. After getting dressed, they returned to the lounge.

Terry walked over to the mirror and was looking at his pants.  Moira and Natalie were observing him.  Natalie began, “It’s obvious to us.  Your pants hang perfectly.  There is no bunching and what you have on underneath is a secret.” Terry was concentrating on his pants and was willing to accept their assessment when he began looking at his entire image in the mirror.  Suddenly, he stopped and approached the mirror.  “What the hell?  Someone put earrings in my ears.

Are you people out of your minds?” Moira couldn’t believe he didn’t realize what was going on when it happened.  How could he have missed it when he looked at his new hair?  Natalie just shook her head. “Terry, Terry, Terry.  Why must everything be an accusation?  No one is out to get you?  The rules require you to have pierced ears.” Terry shook his head.  “No, they don’t.”  He knew he had her this time. Natalie looked at a piece of paper, “Employees wearing make-up will have their ears pierced to maintain a professional look and will have no more than two piercings per ear.  Both the first and second (if needed) piercings will be in the lower ear lobe and nowhere else.  The salon will take care of ear piercings and ensure they meet the company code.”  Terry was clearly upset.  “You have misrepresented what that says.  It is an option.”

Natalie shook her head, “No Terry.  The dress code says if you are required to wear a bra then you have to have manicured nails.  If you have manicured nails then you have to wear lip gloss or lipstick.  If you wear make-up, and lipstick is make-up, you ‘WILL’ have ears pierced to maintain a professional look.  It says you can’t have more than two piercings per ear. And the wording makes the second hole optional.  But, you have to have pierced ears.  And we pierce your ears during orientation if they are not already pierced.

Therefore, your ears were pierced during your salon treatment as required by the dress code and associated rules.  I am giving you a sheet with instructions on how to take care of your new earrings to prevent infection.” Terry was dumbfounded.  It was like a perfect storm.  He had devised this crazy set of dominoes to get the chairman what he wanted and now due to some health fluke, he was caught in the hamster wheel and the dominoes were catching up to him.  Terry sat down on one of the chairs. And put his head in his hands.

He was shaking.  “This is crazy.  I can’t do all these things.  I’ll be a laughing stock.” Natalie and Moira sat next to him.  “Terry I disagree,” Natalie began.  “I have shown you how you can meet these rules without being flamboyant.  You just have to be careful.  The reality is that 95% of people never really notice what anyone is wearing.  They know a person and they assume that the things they expect are present.  In fact, a person that knows you as a man would not notice if you were wearing all women’s clothes.  That assumes you selected the correct clothes.

I am not suggesting that is what you should do.  I am trying to impress upon you that people see what they want to see.  Wear plain or clear lip gloss.  Wear simple man-styled shirts.  Keep the clear polish on your nails.  Hell the chairman gets his nails done by one of our technicians that goes to his office.  Many executives do that.  Take a deep breath.” Terry was trying to calm down. Moira jumped in, “Terry, I’ll be there to help you.  We are going to get through this.  You have breasts and now you have to change a few things.  And I’ll tell you something.

If anyone at the company says or does anything to you because you are trying to meet the dress code requirements, the company is going to open itself up to a massive lawsuit on your behalf.” Natalie nodded and added, “Remember what we talked about today.  Do what Moira tells you to do.  I’m sure this will all seem like a lot of worry over nothing.” Terry was starting to feel a little better.  Natalie produced a document for them both to sign indicating they had completed all steps in the company program.  Each of them signed and returned the documents to Natalie.

Natalie walked them out the door.  Terry felt better just getting a breath of fresh air.  Maybe things weren’t so bad.  He had overcome problems in the past.  He was a survivor.  Natalie bid them farewell.  And as they approached the car she reminded them, “have a nice weekend, and don’t forget, I’ll see you two for your regular appointment next Friday.” Terry was getting in the car and Natalie’s reminder sucked the wind out of him.

Moira walked Terry to his door when she got him home.  They sat and talked about things for a few minutes.  Moira told him she would run out to the stores tomorrow morning, Saturday.  She planned to get some professional shirts (blouses) and some of the other items Natalie had suggested.  Moira was confident that with a little help from her, Terry would have a professional wardrobe that was as good as or better than any other bra-wearing employee at their company.

Of course, Terry would probably be wearing clothes from many of the same designers. In the meantime, she wanted to ensure that Terry took the lipstick requirement seriously.  “Terry, I am worried that you will not wear the lipstick or lip gloss that is required.  So I have a way to help get you in the habit of checking and fixing your lipstick.  Are you willing to try something?” Terry was pretty drained but he agreed to give it a try.

Moira explained, “I have loaded two applications on your cell phone.  The first application will randomly generate a special ringtone on the weekend and outside work hours during the week.  Whenever you hear that ringtone, you need to check and fix your lips.  You can go to the bathroom to check.  You can also use the compact they gave you at orientation.  However, I know that might be embarrassing.  So I added a second app.

It’s called I-mirror.  Basically, it uses the camera on the screen side of your phone to show you what your face looks like.  Just like a mirror. That way if you are in a room with others you can just look at your phone.  It will look like you are reading an e-mail or message on the phone.” She showed Terry how it would work and explained that he had to listen for the tone.

If he slipped up and was not wearing lip makeup, he was risking his job and that might also affect her job.  She triggered the ringtone and Terry looked at his phone.  He then touched up his lip gloss.  Terry showed him that if he was somewhere where he did not want to be obvious, he could run his finger across the gloss or the lipstick and apply it to his lips using his finger.

While they were talking, she triggered the ringtone on her own phone and each time Terry would give her a look and then go through the steps of checking his lipstick.  She did not tell Terry that each time he used the mirror application it would send her a picture of him.  That way she would know if he was using the app and she would see if he was actually wearing the lipstick.

Terry reluctantly agreed with Moira that to get in practice, he needed to wear the lipstick all weekend.  Moira turned the software on and assured him she would be back on Saturday with the clothing items he needed for Monday.  After Moira left, Terry turned off the lights and headed directly for his bedroom.  Exhausted from the day’s events, he dropped his clothes on the floor, wrestled his bra off, and slipped his pajamas on over his new spandex briefs.

Saturday morning Terry was relaxing in bed trying to understand everything that had happened yesterday.  Suddenly, his cell telephone chirped an unusual ringtone.  He remembered that this was for the lipstick.  Of course, since he had not gotten out of bed, he had not put the lipstick on.  However, he reluctantly got up and applied the lipstick while looking in the bathroom mirror.  Terry’s entire body felt alive after his spa day.  His pajamas felt better than ever.

He found it a little disconcerting to see his curly hair and the earrings in the mirror as he applied his lipstick.  The entire concept bothered him.  Running his hand on his chin, he was surprised to realize he did not need a shave. While he was eating breakfast, his phone sounded again.  He reluctantly got up and went into the bathroom.  His lipstick was not as evident.  Probably because he was eating.  He applied another coat of the natural-colored lipstick like Moira had told him to do.  He cleaned up the kitchen and was going through his mail when the chime sounded again.  Terry slowly got up and went to the bathroom.  Since he had eaten more food, he again needed to reapply the lipstick.  He did not realize that the lipstick had disappeared so easily.

If he was going to have to wear something on his lips this was not going to be as easy as he thought. The chimes seemed to come a couple of times an hour.  As Terry ate lunch, he simply pulled out the lipstick and applied it when he was done.  When the chime sounded, he felt like he had beaten some contest by not needing to reapply his lipstick.

He finally took off his pajama pants and slid into some sweatpants.  Many of his favorite jeans were not fitting comfortably due to his recent weight gain.  The scale did not seem to see the weight gain.  But his clothes certainly did.  He quickly pulled off his pajama top and donned an old t-shirt.  He dressed quickly since he wanted to avoid looking at his breasts.  He ran a brush through his hair and gathered it in a ponytail.  Moira arrived mid-afternoon. She entered carrying several bags.  Terry was apprehensive about her shopping for clothes for him.