I’m a new employee who would like to register with my face blurred because I’m worried about being recognized. However, I’ve read on this and other sites that having your face blurred leads to fewer offers, that you shouldn’t even attend the interview if you need blurring, and that because it takes extra time and isn’t worth the effort, only women in the Gold Class or above are accepted with blurred photos. So I’m starting to give up and think I should just forget it…

I’m Saito, a columnist ♪ Congratulations on starting your first job after graduation. I found your question very clear and easy to answer, which left a great impression on me. I’m guessing you must be a lovely person. Haha. Now, I’m currently an active male member, and I do make offers based on blurred photos as well. If you ask what I judge from a blurred photo, I’d say I mainly ask the staff what kind of person she is. As Takita-san said, starting in April will probably be extremely hectic, with all the newness and unfamiliar routines. Please make the most of your time now—enjoy yourself and spend time on your hobbies so you won’t have any regrets.

Maezawa answers: If our staff believe you’re the kind of woman who could receive offers even with your face blurred, they’ll mention that in the staff comments. So don’t give up—I'd recommend coming in once and seeing how it goes. > 1. What percentage of the women show their faces versus having them blurred? About 1.4% of the women have blurred photos. > 2. If a woman’s face is blurred, is it difficult for her to receive offers unless the staff specifically recommend her and quickly show her without the blur? (How often do men ask to see what a woman looks like without the blur?) I’m not quite sure what you mean by “unless the staff recommend her and show her without the blur.” Generally, we post photos without blurring. However, if a man is considering making an offer but says he can’t decide without seeing her face, we show him the unblurred photo. (Even if the woman requests that her clear photo never be shown, we can accommodate that. In such cases, though, men often say they can’t make an offer without seeing her face.) Even with this system, if you ask whether we receive many requests to see unblurred photos, I think most men simply choose from women whose faces aren’t blurred rather than going out of their way to ask. So it’s probably better to assume that inquiries of this kind are relatively rare. > 3. Are cases where women with blurred photos receive immediate offers or multiple offers honestly quite rare? They aren’t exactly common, but they do happen. Even with a blurred photo, you can get a general impression from the picture that a woman might be attractive. If the staff look at her and think a man would be satisfied with her, they may add a comment such as, “Her photo is blurred, but she’s actually very attractive.” That can lead to offers. > 4. Are there any women with blurred photos in the Standard Class? I checked, and there are. There are more than 130 of them. However, the total number of women who have registered currently exceeds 35,000, so 130 out of 35,000 is an extremely small percentage.