Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: This study aimed to synthesize domestic and international research on childcare workers’ appearance （Clothing, Hairstyle, and Make-up） and to clarify its functions and challenges in early childhood settings. Major databases and reference lists were searched for publications from 2000 to 2025, yielding 12 Japanese studies. Content analysis structured the findings into six categories: （A） interpersonal and professional awareness, （B） awareness of institutional culture and norms, （C） awareness of student evaluation and training, （D） functional awareness, （E） awareness of interaction with children, and （F） awareness of personal characteristics and values. Appearance was shown to function not only in impression formation and responsiveness to parents, but also as a means of professional self-expression, as a medium through which institutional culture and conformity pressures operate, as a source of psychological burden, and as a resource mediating children’s emotional engagement and exploratory behavior. At the same time, rigid appearance norms may contribute to appearance-related anxiety among student teachers and novice childcare workers and potentially undermine their intention to remain in the profession. In the international literature, few studies specifically targeted the early childhood education and care （ECEC） sector, with most focusing on other occupations in relation to aesthetic labour and grooming standards. Overall, the findings suggest that appearance standards for childcare workers should be reconsidered through in-house dialogue and consensus-building, maintaining nonnegotiable requirements for children’s safety, hygiene, and cleanliness while allowing flexible, diversity-sensitive rules regarding clothing, hair colour, and makeup.
DOI: 10.20669/0002000385
Authors: 白取, 真実, SHIRATORI, Mami
Language: Japanese
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7207664936