How we our personal image is more important than how others perceive us. We are nearly always our harshest critic; we are more judgemental of ourselves than anyone else. Frequently our sense of identity and self worth is intrinsically related to our visual image. We worry about the view of ourselves that we present to the world. Why? Because instinctively we know that others form opinions about us based on the way we look. And, the vast majority of people want to be judged positively, people like to be liked.

It’s a liberating and comforting place to be when we reach a stage in our lives when we are happy in our own skin. A few people come to this point very early in their lives; they are usually independently minded, strong personalities, perhaps innovative and creative. They are exceptional. They are happy with whom they are and if the rest of the world doesn’t agree, it’s not their problem.

There are those who strive to be happy with their own visual persona by creating, over time, an image that they like and that they feel accurately represents them. This usually takes a little longer to achieve and women may be in their 40’s or 50’s before they have arrived at a point where their inner self matches their outer self.

There are however, many women who never ever feel satisfied with their visual image. Their dissatisfaction stems from a yearning to look and feel good but not knowing how to achieve it. They may say that they don’t care how they look. They remain dissatisfied with their appearance for a raft of reasons. Some of these include:

• they think they can’t afford to do better
• they don’t recognise the positive attributes they have
• they focus too keenly on negative aspects
• they don’t feel worthy of change
• they don’t know how to change

One of the greatest pleasures for an image consultant is the chance to help women step out of the visual rut they have been stuck in and discover their true potential. It is wonderful to be able to demonstrate to women that they don’t need the perfect figure (whatever that might be) or the classical features of a Hollywood movie star to look wonderful. We are all delightfully unique and each one of us can look fabulous, regardless of our size and shape.

So, does our personal image matter? Absolutely! Our personal image is very often the visual shorthand others will use to engage with us or not.  This has implications for our professional, social and romantic lives. Our personal image should accurately express our attitudes, values, aspirations, personality and worth. Sight is the most significant sense human beings possess, we rely on it above all other senses. Dogs will lick you or bite you based on how you smell; humans will engage or dismiss you based on how you look. In the fast paced society in which we live, people have become even more reliant on visual clues to make judgements about others. It is in our best interests to develop a personal image that honours us and does us justice.