Dirt and Mud Fashion never Looked So Good
I must admit at times, I find myself getting caught up in the world of marketing and false realities that come from some of today’s fashion magazines and their advertisements concerning what looks great must also make the wearer great. You know the comment, The Clothes Make the Man.’ Well that statement is so true in the story I am about to tell and I hope it helps you understand what is really important when it comes to your image. As an image consultant I am hired by my individual clients to assist them with creating, sharing, and in many ways promoting their own ‘Personal and Professional Brand’ to the world around them. I can assure you that fashion, no matter how good it is, how expensive the clothing or how trendy it appears, can never replace true character especially when it comes to LOVE and Loyalty!
Allow me to share why Dirt and Mud fashion never looked so good and how all women would take the mud over the fine apparel and professional suit any day of the week. Over the last year I have met and shared with several families that are struggling as the men in the family have lost their jobs due to economic reasons beyond their control or other personal challenges. In one week, I visited with two clients and listened to their stories and how they hoped I could help them change the image of their out of work husbands and prepare them for interviews in new career fields. In the first home, I spoke with the wife for several hours prior to meeting her husband and we had a “Stories from the Closet” moment as she finally shared that her husband had the best suits, everyone thought he was so successful and that their marriage was the picture of perfection. Truth was, once the suit was taken away, their marriage was struggling, he had been unfaithful and even while out of work he was unwilling to take a job that did not reflect the professional position he felt he deserved – even though they were going broke and were about to lose their home. I also met another family later that week and while I did not have a lot of personal conversation with the wife of my potential client, she beamed with joy as she told me how wonderful her husband was. I asked what he was currently doing for work since he had lost his executive job and she smiled, well he is doing construction work and manual labor. She said it was not quite the job he was used to, but he was willing to do whatever it took to provide for his family. When the husband arrived, he pulled up in the driveway in a nice sedan car and I expected to see one outfit when instead I got something else. He was covered from head to toe in mud and dirt, a towel was in the seat of the car and plastic was the floor mat. Thankfully the dirt was all over him and not the car. This woman ran to him and introduced me and said “Honey this is Mila, and she is going to help you create the best image for your upcoming interviews; she is going to make you shine.” Admittedly, I can be a huge sap so of course, a tear came to my eye. The picture they painted was one everyone wants when the tough times come, which they will, they had each other and were willing to work. She has a man that loves her, is loyal, and will do whatever it takes to provide for their family – when it comes to creating the right image, I can say that dirt and mud never looked so good.
So what is my point? Image is about reflecting who you really are, and in this case I was so excited to help my new muddy dirty friend, as who he was on the inside was truly a joy to reflect on the outside. Character counts and what you wear is not character, but character can be defined in many ways by the actions one will take when the people they love are hurting and in need. I just wanted to share, that sometimes… Mud and Dirt never looks so good!!!
Don’t get lost in the fashion, but examine the heart. True success is not determined by the clothing but rather by the character of the person who wears them.
Please keep me in mind if MODA Image Consulting can help you create and share your Personal and Professional Brand.’ Sometimes that may mean mud and dirt!
Photo Source: www.istockphoto.com
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Mila@modaimageconsulting.com | www.ModaImageConsulting.com
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