Wearing glasses at work has become a touchy subject in Japan following reports that some firms have told female employees to remove them. Several companies have been confirmed as banning eyewear for female employees for a variety of reasons. Among them, some retail chains believe female assistants who wear glasses make a cold impression. The subject has sparked heated discussions on Japanese social media over dress practices and women in the workplace. The Nippon TV network looked into how firms in different industries prohibit women from wearing glasses. They included safety reasons for airline workers, or being unable to see make-up properly for women working in the beauty sector. It wasn’t clear whether the so-called “bans” were based on company policies, or simply reflected what was socially acceptable in those workplaces. Kumiko Nemoto, Professor of Sociology at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, said people in Japan are reacting to "outdated" policies. "The reasons why women are not supposed to wear glasses really don't make sense. It's all about gender. It's pretty discriminatory,” she said.
