Image maker and business psychologist Irina Leonova, especially for our publication, answered some of the most common questions about building a personal image, about how it can help in moving up the career ladder and why we so often see completely tastelessly dressed stars on the red carpet.
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Stylists in Russia today pay more and more attention to psychology. What is it connected with?
On television and on the Internet, there are many projects aimed at transforming a person's appearance. Fashion experts select a new style for the participant, which should help him "reboot", begin to like himself and make the right impression on others.
At the end of such shows, the result, of course, is achieved, but there is still a problem: this effect is short-term. The heroine looks much better, she has beautiful things on, a suitable hairstyle and make-up are done, emphasizing her dignity. Only now the whole appearance seems to exist separately from the woman. This is exactly what should be expected when the style is selected without taking into account the psychotype of a person.
It is impossible to ignore this factor. We must understand that each person is unique and individual. Everyone has their own priorities, views, preferences, religion in the end. And all this can not be omitted, taking up the preparation of the wardrobe.
The mission of the stylist is to transform the client from the outside. The function of a psychologist is internal change. Using the services of someone who works only with a “wrapper” is tantamount to treating some kind of disease, drowning out only its symptoms. Therefore, it is important to approach fashion consciously, delving into the very essence of a particular person.
How will knowledge in psychology help anyone who comes to a clothing store to shop?
Often people blindly copy trends: they buy things that are now constantly flashing on social networks or glossy magazines, not focusing on their own needs. In this situation, a person usually experiences discomfort: he is dressed stylishly, but he feels "out of his element."
Fashion mindfulness helps to correct such situations. This term implies the concept of one's own inner world and the manifestation of individuality. Everyone's style is born inside, so knowing your psychotype, understanding your values and formed goals should take precedence over fashion trends.
Allowing yourself to be yourself and no one else (and this is pure psychology) will help not only in choosing clothes, but also in all other life situations. Our things are not just a dress or jeans. This is an opportunity to tell about yourself without words. People around us unconsciously read our image and draw conclusions about our personality from it. Clothing is a real means of communication, it says a lot about us.
Also, the elements of the wardrobe greatly affect our mood. These are not just pieces of fabric, they have real energy. Things can change our emotions, perception of the world, behavior. Therefore, it is so important to buy only what you feel really comfortable in, and not what is at the peak of popularity today.
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Is there any scheme by which you can create your own unique style?
There are diagrams of how to create a basic wardrobe, how to choose a suit for a business meeting, etc., but there is very little creativity in them. And your unique style is about creativity, about self-expression, about the transfer of meanings about oneself to society. And there can't be a blueprint.
When choosing clothes, one should be guided by the principle of inside out - from the inner world to external transmission. You need to understand yourself and know exactly what you want to convey with your appearance to other people. If, for example, in negotiations you constantly pull down an uncomfortable shirt, straighten a high-rise skirt, then others will intuitively read such actions not as your physical discomfort, but as your self-doubt or even a lie about the product or service you offer. Therefore, for the perfect wardrobe, buy only those things that give you confidence.
Fashion publications make detailed analyzes from the red carpet. And often we see how tasteless stars of the first magnitude can dress. Didn't they have enough good stylists?
A good stylist is empathic and trendy. And what we see on the red carpet should simply stick in our memory, cause resonance in the media, be discussed, even if tasteless, most importantly, discussed.
Celebrities are constantly under the gun of the press. Journalists meticulously monitor all public events, performances and watch how celebrities dress in everyday life. All embarrassments (even the most minimal ones) are necessarily submitted for public discussion and exaggerated on the Internet. Every failed outfit is sure to get into the failure rating on the platform of fashion publications. And for the stars, black PR is also PR. Therefore, in such situations, everyone is happy.
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You are an image expert and business psychologist. It is a well-known fact that many successful businessmen resort to the help of image stylists. Can you give an example of how a properly built image of a businessman helped him in his business?
There is one great example of how an image works. This is Elizabeth Holmes and her startup Theranos.
Elizabeth is an American entrepreneur who created the Theranos brand to develop innovative blood testing equipment. The company promised to create a miniature analyzer that, even with a drop of blood from a finger, could conduct its most complex studies. A technological revolution in medicine was brewing. Accordingly, the startup received a huge amount of investment and a high cost estimate. Forbes magazine ranked Holmes number one on the list of America's richest self-made women.
As a result, the analyzers were never put on sale. US regulators and journalists conducted investigations, which revealed that the work of Elizabeth Holmes and her partners in Theranos is nothing more than a fraud. The startup's shares plummeted, and the founder's fortune ceased to exist.
Despite the fact that this is not the most correct and successful example of a business, Elizabeth, with the help of the created image, managed to convince everyone that she is a genius from the world of technology. This woman is a copy of Steve Jobs. For example, like the legendary innovator, she constantly wore a black turtleneck. Holmes, in her own words, has been dressing like this since the age of 7, because "geniuses have no time to think what to wear."
Elizabeth also copied the movements and mannerisms of her idol. Throughout the performances and filming, Holmes tried her best to speak in a bass voice in order to sound more convincing. Only 10 years later, when the company reached a value of $ 9 billion, this bubble burst.
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It turns out that money and appearance are related? Is it possible to earn more by changing the image?
Certainly! There are many other examples when people multiplied their fortune by changing clothes and working comprehensively on presenting themselves to society.
According to the Harvard Business Review, a slender figure, regular facial features and a sense of style in clothes contribute to career advancement and increase an employee's income. Although lookism (a biased attitude towards a person due to his external data) is not often discussed in society, the benefits that attractive people receive in working moments have become the topic of scientific articles many times. HBR data suggests that beautiful employees earn, on average, 10-15% more than their unattractive counterparts in similar jobs.
But the concept of beauty is quite subjective. Therefore, for success in a career, it is not so much a model appearance that is important, but grooming, accuracy and a presentable appearance. Such realities are quite logical, because the employer perceives the employee as the face of the organization.
Image is what creates our image in the eyes of other people. It forms the first impression of a person. The ability to dress stylishly, together with the manner of behavior, the timbre of the voice, and gestures determine the opinion of others about us by 70-80%. Just do not be guided by the same Steve Jobs, who did not wear a jacket. 99% of the time you are not him.
What is the difference between an image maker and a stylist? Can a stylist create an image and vice versa?
Image is a complex: a general impression, an image of a person formed in the minds of other people. It consists of two main components: a visual image (style) and behavioral (how a person speaks, gesticulates, walks, etc.). Style is just a part of the image, although not a small one.
An image maker and a stylist are like a marketer and targetologist. They are engaged in a common cause (promotion of the company), but in different ways. The marketer promotes the company as a whole, and the targetologist only sets up advertising on social networks. A marketer can take on the functions of a target, while a targeter is only responsible for advertising campaigns. The targetologist is not particularly concerned about the brand image: advertising in social networks is spinning and that's enough.
An image maker is a psychologist, brand manager and stylist all rolled into one. A stylist is a person who creates only a visual image through clothing and accessories. It turns out that the functions of a stylist are only a component of the work of an image maker, which the stylist cannot fully replace due to the lack of the necessary skills.