BETC Brazil & Havas Show the Empowering Effect of a Makeunder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so goes the old adage, but it doesn't take into consideration the empowering effect make-up can have on a woman's confidence.

In this new spot from BETC Brazil and Havas, local recruiter Mappit invited two women who were unemployed to undergo a makeover with beauty brand Jequiti ahead of their next job interview. But little did they know that they were actually receiving a makeunder.

The economic crisis in Brazil has resulted in fewer opportunities for Brazilians to get jobs with women in particular suffering most. Naturally, these circumstances have affected confidence levels among women with respect to applying for employment.

In this experiment captured by director Georgia Guerra-Peixe, Tamires Oliviera (25) and Leticia Franco (22) get excited as they sit in the make-up chair, ready to be primed and transformed in the professional make-up session.

Little do they know that really the artist removed their make-up, leaving them barefaced in front of prospective employers; something they would never do. The only catch to the experiment was that Oliviera and Franco were not allowed to look in the mirror ahead of their interviews.

Thinking they'd undergone a magical transformation, the pair exuded confidence and both excelled while under interrogation.

Once it was revealed that they'd performed well despite wearing no make-up, the girls were shocked. 

“Many woman wear make up as a tool to empower themselves," says Jequiti's Marketing Director, Monica Gregori. "But when a woman feels beautiful, powerful and confident, she realizes she only needs herself to overcome an obstacle."

The campaign acts as a reminder that beauty is not skin deep.