I’m fighting the beginnings of a cold – FOUR DAYS before leaving on vacation. (isn’t that the way of it, sometimes?) But through the Lem-Sip fumes, I had one intelligent thought:
One theory about why we don’t see a lot of stunning women; generally speaking, human posture is pretty poor. Having taken ballet lessons for a few decades (my parents had high hopes), I couldn’t slouch if you put an 80 pound backpack on me, but that’s certainly not the rule anymore. Decades ago, a young man I was dating was absolutely CONVINCED that I was a trust-fund baby, largely because of my posture. Who knew: posture makes you look wealthy?
How’s your posture?
Posture is definitely a huge part of one's confidence and style. I struggle with it, and try to be mindful of it always. I've improved but know I can do better. I do believe that good posture trumps expensive clothes.
My officemate has the worst posture on earth. Every time I see her, I want to dig my knuckles right between her shoulder blades.
Oh, wait. You asked how MY posture is.
It's fine. I do yoga six days a week, and am always paying attention to my physical composure. My body feels sore if I don't.
Bummer about the cold. Sinus rinsing always helps me get rid of viruses quickly; you might try it.
Hi, just found your blog via a friend's recommendation.
I agree that posture is important. I always think of Tim Gunn's advice in his style book to keep your hips in "bistro position."
Posture is something I'm working on again–largely by channeling the ballet lessons from so long ago! One key for me is the right bag style–if that hangs well, then I don't have to compensate.
Get well!
My posture is pretty good at the moment, but slouching is something I've struggled with since I was a child. Being a very tall woman, it's not hard to imagine that I would try to minimize my height in my youth.
Throughout my 20's and into my early 30's, I thought I was 6'1". When I met my husband at 31, I started standing up straighter and taller – he is 6'7". It wasn't a conscious decision, it just happened naturally. At 32, I got a nasty case of chicken pox (total nightmare as an adult) from his 5 year old and went to a new-to-me doctor in his town. The nurse measured me and said, "okay, so you're 6' 2" and a quarter". I was shocked and asked her to measure me again. It was true. By standing up straighter, having better posture and walking "tall", I became taller! I can't say I was thrilled to magically find another inch +, but I was pleased to know that I had straightened myself out, so to speak.
Who knows how many women have hidden inches because of poor posture?
Hope you feel better soon. I find that taking a zinc supplement helps me get well faster once I've begun a cold.
I am just now in the last year trying to correct my posture. I've been hunching my shoulders in since I started to grow breasts at 10 years old. I don't think I ever recovered from it because it still feels weird to stick them out. It makes all the difference in how I feel. I hate having to think about it all the time though.
-Jennnifer
I SO agree with you! Models seem to have the worst posture with shoulders hunched forward and toes turned in. Having also studied ballet, I find the hunched up, pigeon-toed stance absolutely offensive. It isn't only models who have bad posture, but you'd expect them to stand well to make the clothes look good.
I think my posture is o.k. I think it was helped by a few years of ballet (which I took up as an adult, just for fun).
Based on snapshots I've seen of me, I know that I look thinner when I'm not slouching! So I try to remind myself of that when I catch myself slipping into a slouch.
Another thing that helps me is wearing a good, supportive bra. My better bras seem to prevent fatigue, making it easier to stand up straight. They also help me to feel confident because I feel that they create a flattering silhouette.
I had a photo shoot today, and the makeup artist commented on how good my posture was. Then again, she was only 24 years old.
One of the things I noticed about the differences between us (Americans/Canadians) adn them (chic Europeans) is posture. Good posture makes you look confident, your stance is determined, and your body looks better – especially if you weigh more than 100 pounds.
Poor posture evokes an image of cowardliness, shame, laziness, etc. – as if you are shirking away from your life.
I'm tall (5'10"), and good posture is a challenge in a world where you are trying to make eye contact with people who are mostly shorter than you. I didn't understand the importance of good posture when I was younger, but I am a committed tummy-sucking-in/shoulders-back girl now.