Image Advice

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My job as an image consultant often leads people to ask, "What sort of people come to you for a image advice?" They often assume it must be rich people or those in high positions. There really isn’t a simple answer of a type of person who comes to see me. I see people from all kinds of situation, all kinds of jobs, male and female and all ages from teenagers to octogenarians!

Often the people who come to see me for image advice do have some sort of profession - solicitors, accountants, teachers who realise how important their image is if they want to maximise their chances of promotion instead of being overlooked. They want instant respect from their clients, junior staff and bosses. But I see many others who don’t particularly need image advice for work but more for their personal lives: the woman who works in the local café and is fed up of her sister-in-law looking down on her at family gatherings; the woman whose husband has left her for his secretary and wants to make sure she’s looking utterly fabulous when he calls to collect the children; the women and men that have hit a milestone birthday and are wondering if their clothes still look appropriate (often worried of the mutton-dressed-as-lamb effect).

The list goes on. Almost everyone could do with some advice at some point in their lives. Imagine, for example, a doctor’s surgery. Doctor A is around 50 years old, he sits tall and straight and wears a crisply-ironed light blue shirt with a contrasting bright blue tie and smart charcoal trousers. His grey hair is cut short and neat and his shoes look clean and shiny. Doctor B, however, is also in his 50’s. His grubby, brown, tweed jacket looks as if it could be as old as he is and the pockets bulge with the contents he’s forced into them - phone, wallet, handkerchief. His brown lace-up shoes also look as if they have seen better days and his greying brown hair is scraggly and unkempt. A smattering of dandruff sits on his shoulders. Have you decided which doctor you would book an appointment with? It probably won’t surprise you to know that it’s difficult to get an appointment with Doctor A whilst Doctor B usually has spaces free. They have the same qualifications and roughly the same experience but image is spoiling Doctor B’s credibility. People trust Doctor A’s opinion as he looks professional, efficient, clinical and approachable. With a little image advice, Doctor B could easily achieve this too.

Often, there are people that I would like to 'get my hands on' that don’t realise what a difference an image makeover would make. I love to go clothes shopping in the city and although clothes shopping is the best way to be spending my time there’s often a little time for a break with my next favourite pastime - people watching! Occasionally, I see a lady. It’s hard to put an age to her and hard to tell if she’s slim or larger - I have a feeling she may have a great figure which is concealed by a buttoned-to-the-neck white blouse, an ankle length navy skirt and a baggy white cardigan. Her fringe is straight and a long plait hangs down the centre of her back. She is the stereotypical Christian and as she preaches on the street, people hurry by ignoring her message. Before her words hit their ears, the passers-by have decided that at best she has nothing relevant to say and at worst that she is a nutter! At the other end of the high street a young, black group of youths with braided hair, funky t-shirts and skate-boarding shorts are preaching and rapping the same message surrounded by a crowd of people!

I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out! If you have to speak at conferences, in the classroom or lecture theatre, to promote yourself or your opinions you will get a much better response if your image is appealing to your audience. You will also come across better if you are confident about how you look.

There isn’t a type of person that needs image advice. An image makeover can make you look more credible, professional and appealing whoever you are. If your image is letting you down, why not find out about getting some image advice if not a whole image makeover?

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: if embedded links are NOT accepted** Christopher Scarles is the Managing director of Colour Me Beautiful. Colour Me Beautiful offer image advice throughout the UK and Europe. Please see www.colourmebeautiful.co.uk/ for more info.