Building on Arlie Hochschild‘s now famous conceptualization of “emotional labor” (which documents the gendered care work that is required but not requested in many occupations), a new literature in the sociology of work deals with what scholars are calling “aesthetic labor.” Aesthetic labor refers to the embodied performances subtly (and not so subtly) required at work.
So, just as Hochschild studied the ways that the job of flight attendants went beyond providing refreshments and safety information, scholars are now discussing the ways that certain aesthetic performances of self are required at work as well.
Increasingly, the questions “What does a [insert your occupation here] look like?” or “How does a [insert your occupation here] act?” matter as we consider how to behave, what to wear, and how to look in the workplace.
Inequality by (Interior) Design 