Many people think that image is fluff but they would be completely wrong.

We’d also prefer to think that we should not be judged by our outward appearance, but by who we are, how we think, and the work we do.

But it just doesn’t work that way.

Nothing makes me happier than hearing from someone who is working with me about how his or her life has improved.  It happens all the time.  One such experience happened recently that perfectly illustrates why it’s wrong when people think that image is fluff.

A client I’m working with had a very typical looking wardrobe.  Nearly every piece looked like it was bought in haste.  They didn’t cohesively tell a story that represented who he is.  Some clothes no longer fit his body.  Others didn’t fit his persona.  Still others appeared to be too conservative and businesslike for the business-social culture of his company.  Collectively, the wardrobe failed to represent his position, abilities, and aspirations.

I never asked him, but based on what comprised his wardrobe, he could easily have been one of the people who think that image is fluff.

We work together, first talking about who he is and who he wants to become.  Together we realize that he’s got a lot to live up to, at work, as a husband and father, and as a friend.  Over time, I develop a cohesive capsule of clothing that becomes his new wardrobe that is intended to support him at work, at home, and socially.  We review it together so he learns and knows how to create combinations that carry special messages to himself and to those around him.

This particular client has a large number of reports at a big technology company in Silicon Valley.  We saw one another recently, and the first thing that he said to me was, “Joseph, you’ve changed my life!”

How can something so profound be fluff?  It’s so easy to take for granted the power of dressing, something that you do day in and day out.  You get into a routine, and then you get in a rut.  You may not even enjoy the ritual of getting dressed every day.  It doesn’t inspire or motivate you.  It’s meaningless.

Dressing yourself should be full of meaning.  It should inspire and motivate you.  When you no longer avoid thinking about your image and do things to improve it, the results that come from it are anything but fluff.  Having your life change by developing your personal image is not a fluffy outcome, and it is within your reach.

My client exclaimed that our work together changed his life because he has greater confidence.  By becoming more clear and certain about what motivates him and about how he wants to be perceived, his confidence level, which wasn’t significantly lacking, went to a whole new level.

His ability to lead was already in evidence.  Now he looks like a leader, and not merely for the sake of appearances.  He wants to be the best manager he can be so that his reports step up their own performance and can be helped by him in the advancement of their own careers.  Having a breakout image development has helped to show others non-verbally what he really shouldn’t have to say with words.

He’s happy and excited in the morning to make a good wardrobe selection on the basis of what he’s doing that day and with whom he’s having meetings.  At the office, he brings this good attitude with him and people can’t help but notice by complimenting him on how great he looks.

At home and on the weekends, he’s able to leave work at the office, and to literally “hang it up” in the closet by having other selections of clothing to wear that serve more elements of his personality and help him to be either more active, relaxed, and even more appealing to his family.

The point about people taking note of your appearance can’t be emphasized enough.  You may not want people to focus on this, but what is the world around you supposed to do – behave as if they are blind?  It doesn’t work.  Even people who are blind can sense things about you that you wouldn’t believe.  So rather than pretend that your image, appearance, and wardrobe don’t matter, take on a healthy mindset that they do and work to make positive changes.

It doesn’t surprise me that people think that image is fluff.  But now that you know how it could make a significant difference in every element of your life, you’d do something about it, too.  And you can.  If this sounds like something you know you need to explore but don’t know where to start, contact me and let’s talk about it.

Image is an experience that emanates from within and results in a real visual manifestation.  Image isn’t some kind of fluffy outer expression.  You can’t make people see you differently if you’re unwilling to challenge yourself to see and become your full potential.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs transform their self-confidence by improving their personal style.  Get Joseph’s free report that helps you know which “7 Ways Your Image Is Leading to Low Performance” at josephrosenfeld.com.

A cool example of a fashion stylist’s commercial work.

As the New Year begins, people interested in improving their appearance wonder whether working with an image consultant or stylist will help them achieve their goal.  Before making that determination, there are a few key things to know ahead of time.  The most important thing is to first know your goals, as this will have a lot to do with the kind of professional you choose to work with.

Stylists have become the darlings of a number of recent “reality” TV shows.  Think Rachel Zoe, Tim Gunn, or Stacy London.  These shows could easily cloud and ultimately skew your goals.

A stylist is focused on delivering a finished “product.”  This could be the perfect red carpet look, or it could be the ideal style for a photograph.  This type of project could be done in collaboration with a fashion designer, a photographer, a publication, a model, or with a private individual.  A stylist primarily concerned with a subject’s physical characteristics and with fashion trends.  Stylists typically have no credentials or formal training.

In contrast, an image consultant, typically will have received a good deal of education and will take a holistic approach to help a private individual visually exude his or her inner strengths and balance them with physical characteristics.  Through self-discovery, a person’s brand message is enhanced and confidence is enhanced.

These key differences lead to how an image consultant or stylist goes about marketing their businesses.  This affects the way people think about their goals and how they hope to achieve them by working with either an image consultant or stylist.  So how do you know which is the perfect fit?

Well…

If you’re looking for a quick fix to a short-term issue, a stylist may be just who you need.  If you have an event to attend and need help preparing for it, a stylist can do that for you.  If you need to have your photo taken and need help getting a “look” together, a stylist may be able to help you get that job done, too.  These are quick projects that are the focus of stylists.  If these are your kinds of goals, then a stylist is going to help you and you will most likely be pleased with the results.

If your goals are more about personal growth, they are most likely to be longer term.  Your overall goals may be to look and feel better about yourself and to project more confidence.  Maybe you want to wear clothes and accessories in the styles and colors that communicate your strengths and goals.  While there isn’t a quick fix to these kinds of goals, turning to an image consultant can help you create a plan to get there.

At the start of a new year, I felt it was time to highlight these differences because, whether you work with an image consultant or stylist, it is most important to consider your goals.  If you’re thinking about your appearance and the way you want to visually communicate to the world around you, think carefully about what you want to achieve so that you find the ideal professional to work with.

For more guidance on setting goals related to your personal image development, click the words “goal setting” below the end of the post. You’ll have access to numerous posts I’ve written related to the subject.

I offer very specialized, highly personalized levels of service for discerning clients who want to work on their personal image development.  This allows me to take in a client’s big picture, while attending to all the small details.  If you’re looking to improve your image from the inside out, and at this level of attention, we should have a conversation when you’re ready. Maybe what I have to offer is the perfect fit for you.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Just walking along, I spotted this amazing work of utilitarian art: a Rene Lalique glass door.

A deeply satisfying conversation with a dear friend led me to take a journey of personal recollections.  As we bring one year to a close and start a new year full of promise and plans, it seems appropriate to share some of the thoughts with you.

My friend wondered where and when my artistic eye developed.

The question came at me the same way I enjoy watching Charlie Rose interview his guests.  So it took me by surprise that my friend had asked such a thought-provoking question.  It also surprised me that I had to think about it with her.

What I got out of it was how important it is to our lives that we all plan to take a journey.

In answer to her question, absolutely part of my artistic ability is just intrinsic to my being.  There is something about my aesthetic eye for beauty, uncultured and uneducated, that instinctively deals with style artistically.  But in no way was that the whole answer.

I’ve always been attracted to studying art, artists, and history, all of which have a great interplay on how we look at style from both historical and modern-day contexts.  But it wasn’t until I planned to take a journey to Paris in February 2007 when my instinctive eye started to get a serious education.

My mom had passed away six weeks before this trip, and I had ambivalent feelings about fulfilling the plan to take this particular journey.  But I went, and it forever changed the way I visually receive information.

Seeing some of the world’s greatest art made me appreciate the art, and how that art represents various styles.  Impressionism and contemporary art grab my eye the most, a visual feast of subjects, colors, textures, and contexts.  It was never satisfying through a textbook, but seeing artworks hanging on museum walls in Paris gave me a profound desire to learn and to not rely on instinct.

Most significantly has also become the chance to experience fashion in contexts outside of our local environment.  Fashion comes from inspiration, being able to walk the streets, seeing how people are living, and what’s happening in other places.  This gives way to fresh ideas that affect the way we want to live.

Ever since that trip, I’ve gone on to plan and take many more journeys back to Paris, and to many other wonderful destinations, so that I could continue learning and exploring, expanding my horizons.  Inspired to live to my personal best, these journeys help me work at a very high level as an image consultant.

Opening up my sense of curiosity about life, people, and culture was an imminent outcome of such great experiences.

A journey can be something you experience by plane ride, or it could be another exciting experience.  As the New Year is upon us, I hope you will plan to take a journey of some kind in the coming year.  Do something that opens your eyes, challenges your thinking, and helps you grow and achieve your goals.  Should one of your journeys involve me as your image consultant, just know that it will be filled with curiosity about how you want to live your best life.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

After attending the Annual Fashion Conference in New York City this past weekend, for the second consecutive year, I am convinced that people are more confused than ever by the differences between clothes, fashion, and personal style.  As an image consultant, my role is to be a personal gatekeeper who controls the access you have to clothes, fashion, and the information about them so that you develop a taste level, and ultimately personal style.

As much as that’s a lot of responsibility, I’m just the man to fulfill that role in your life.

Attending the conference reminded me that there are significant differences between clothes and fashion.  Even though the conference theme was about the color red, which I will write about and share in depth and detail next week, the topmost thing that struck me is how, back at home in Silicon Valley, there is an information vacuum about style.

For example, just how do you take in say, a magazine spread in Gentry?  Do you view it so that it informs you as to what the hot color of the month is?  Are you supposed to look at photos of Silicon Valley tech titans to see what zippered hoodie to wear to the office to look like a twentysomething billionaire?

When browsing through a store in search of YOURSELF, what exactly are you looking for and at?  You may be looking at clothes or at fashion while in stores, in magazines, catalogues, or online.  But the two are not the same. Clothes serve a practical function, whereas fashion feeds and fulfills an emotional desire to look current.  Clothes chosen with intention convey a personal style.  Clothes chosen without intention only convey negative messages because it shows that you don’t care about how something looks, fits, or even if it is in fashion.  To dress in a way that is considered fashionable means to wear styles that are presently popular.

Locally, our fashion system is out of whack because people think they should emulate how other sloppy, rich, young people dress.  This is plain wrong and lazy.  Even sloppy, rich, young people will also have to look like they left their college years behind and grow up, too.  Moreover, looking good and taking care of yourself has absolutely nothing to do with being listed in the Forbes 400.

Who declares what is popular?  Fashion designers have the responsibility of cultivating a sense of what is and will be popular.  But in an area of the country where many people don’t focus on fashion [we’re not like New York, and we are a far cry from France that truly created and lives by a true fashion system], people still seek direction.  This is also why it is so intimidating to go into stores and to look for fashionable clothes that are a reflection of your personality.

This is why a pretty discerning group of people decides to work with me.  One common point they all realize is that if they can’t see the difference between clothes, fashion, and personal style, I will show, teach, and help them develop their own aesthetic judgment.

As was relayed at the conference over the weekend, Diana Vreeland [pictured, at right], former Vogue editor-in-chief, a lover of all things red, and a true gatekeeper of clothes, fashion, and personal style, was quoted as having once said, “It’s not about the dress you wear.  It’s about the life you lead in the dress.”  When you have carefully, intentionally selected something fashionable to wear that works for the life you are living, you now have an item worthy of personal style.  And if you need a gatekeeper to help you see your way through it all, I’m here to help get you there.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

The number one barrier is thinking you should be able to develop your own self-image.  It’s true, unless and until you get stuck.  Getting stuck is really no fun.  If you’re in you’re stranded somewhere in your car and need your battery jumped, you call for help, get your battery recharged, and off you go.  But as I just wrote about, there are so many considerations that go into your personal image, why try to go it alone when you can work with an expert?

The second issue is about being fearful about revealing weaknesses and possibly that those weaknesses will be taken advantage of.  Effective and holistic image consulting gets to the heart of who you are.  But the focus of that work is on identifying and highlighting your strengths and attributes, not your weaknesses!  You do have to be open to being coached and mentored, and to the positive outcomes that come from that kind of relationship.  When you stick with your fears, because it’s what you’re conditioned to do and because that’s what you have known to do, you fail to realize how to grow beyond your limitations.

The third main issue is about money.  And when it comes to money, it cuts evenly two ways.  First, you have to be able to afford the investment it takes to update your personal image.  It’s worth planning it out and budgeting for this sort of project so that you get the kind of result you want to have.  If you’ve put off your self-care for years, this kind of expenditure would not be ordinary, and it would feel unnatural to make a large investment in yourself.  You might think of it as being selfish, and that leads to the second element when it comes to money.  You have to see that you are worthy of investment.  Many people have seen the makeover shows on TV.  But what people don’t realize is that, you have to pay for that expertise, and you have to pay for the wardrobe, the hairstylist, and the makeup artist.  You have to maintain what you start.  It’s got to be affordable for you, but from the beginning, you have to realize that you are worth it.

If you have issues with these key fears and barriers, and you work with me as your personal image consultant, I can help you through these rough patches.  You’re not alone in experiencing these barriers, but getting help with your personal image doesn’t have to be so difficult.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Last week, a woman eyed me while I was shopping for a client in San Francisco at Bloomingdale’s.  I was coordinating items in the store with a number of other items that were already selected and also photographed and loaded onto my trusty iPad.  I also had my client’s color palette in hand as well as I made my way through the department.  The woman perked up and asked if I happened to be a personal shopper.  “No,” I replied and went on to explain how I help clients develop and manage their image and wardrobe, to which she replied, “Well, that’s quite a luxury.”

In the meantime, she also told me how her closet rod full of clothes had fallen down and was dreading putting it back up and reorganizing all of her clothes, and that she doesn’t even like to shop that much.  She asked for my card.  It seems that she could really benefit from working with me to help her get better organized and to refine her wardrobe so that she has the best clothes for her lifestyle, and that it’s not such a luxury after all.

So is working with an image consultant really a luxury?  Better to ask the client I was shopping for if working with me is such a “luxury.”  I guarantee she would say, “No,” because she could not have put together an entirely new wardrobe in a week.

Some weeks back I met with a prospective client who lost a significant amount of weight and needed to shop for a new wardrobe that would fit his new physique.  We met in my studio, discussed his needs, goals, and how I could help him achieve them.  We talked about the need to create a wardrobe from the inside out, so it not only fit his body, but also his mindset.  Authenticity is crucial in the work we do.  Weeks went by without hearing from him.  When he did contact me again, it was to say he’s still considering working with me.  I don’t push people to work with me because I can’t force people to see their own self-worth.  We are not yet working together.

It’s ironic because my goal and purpose is to help clients become more of themselves: aware, assured, and confident – actually whatever aligns with their goals.  Even the most outwardly happy and successful clients want the same outcome as those who are up-and-coming either in business or socially.

I’m totally dedicated to my clients and their victories are our mutual successes.  Just the other day a client told me in an email that she realizes how grateful she is for my services.  And the reason we’re working together is not only because the investment is affordable [an important consideration], but also because she knows she’s worth it.

Another client, whose closet I was “curating,” told me before the second session even started that she had been feeling so great about herself and achieving her goals since the first session.  She called this new surge of good internal vibes “the Joseph Effect.”  It’s a humbling compliment, but she’s tapping into her self-worth through our work.  Though she delayed starting to work with me for a few months, it’s really paying off for her now with a healthier self-image that’s propelling her to reach other personal goals.

How long it takes to get the courage to take that first step, or to continue your journey, really comes down to seeing that you are worth working on your self-image.  Investing in your image is as important as the investment you made in your education.  Intelligence may also be a quality others find attractive in personal relationships, yet it is an invisible trait.

There are countless stories I could share about clients’ experiences in working with me, each as unique as the individual clients.  But after 10 years of working with private clients, I know that those who have experienced total transformation went through an entire program because they each knew that they were worth it.  Are you?

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

The emotional and physical responses I was having to this movie were reminders of how important it is to keep sharing experiences and be a voice to help put an end to bullying.

It’s true that a lot of attention has been paid to kids bullying other kids because of their sexual orientation.  Jamie Nabozny and I have that experience in common.  Yet everyone who experiences bullying experiences it differently.  As I watched his movie and thought of the childhood memories I wish could be forgotten, I rewound those mental movie tapes and realized how the teasing experiences began way, way back and increased in intensity and led to outright bullying.

As far back as age 6, I remember being in Miss Maxon’s first grade classroom with the curliest blond hair.  So many classmates teased me about my very curly hair that I remember Miss Maxon telling me how many women pay a lot of money to have their hair made to look like mine.  To this day, I remember having to remind Miss Maxon, “But I’m a boy!”  That was the first time I can recall having my physicality feminized, and it was by a teacher, no less.

My parents knew about my constant “bad hair days.”  They absolutely loved me, and my curly blond locks.  I really did have great parents.  Though beyond unconditional love, it seems no one had knowledge to pass on to help me build character as a six-year old.

What began as heavy teasing for the curly blond hair, led to being tormented for being Jewish, for being left-handed, for being short, for wearing eyeglasses, for being ugly, for being a nerd, for being smart, for not wanting to fight, and ultimately for being every gay slur you can possibly think of.  Sharing these experiences makes the point that being bullied doesn’t just happen because a person is LGBT.  In fact, though anti-gay bullying does happen to straight students perceived as gay, according to a 2009 GLSEN survey, LGBT students are harassed three times more than the general student population, and are twice as likely to be depressed and think about or attempt suicide.

Still, what left me yearning for more discussion with other viewers of the documentary was how to create a shift in the social consciousness of kids who would be bullied.  That’s right.  So much attention is paid to creating more rules and laws to control the bullies that we’re forgetting how important it is empower the softer kids with self-esteem building tools so they aren’t bullied and develop more successful relationships at earlier ages.

I know hindsight is 20/20, but if we can use my past experiences as a way to learn from what went wrong, can you imagine what more could have gone right in my life had my first grade teacher given me a self-esteem building tool to help me learn how to better interact with my classmates so that my curly hair was neither feminized [by her or by them] nor a negative subject.

On the other hand, those “bad hair days” likely led me toward image consulting, and you get to reap the rewards today.

I’m going to keep talking about how to change the behavior of bullying because we need to change the conversation.  If I only knew as a kid what I now know I’d never have been a victim.

What pledge can you make to create better self-esteem in the lives of children?

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

I’m all about the pursuit of perfection.  So when our friends Peter and Ed put us to the “challenge” [as if this would be such a tough job] to taste as many different Mai Tais as we could along famed Waikiki Beach, no one was more willing.

At some point, while in pursuit of the perfect Mai Tai, and thoroughly enjoying the challenge, I realized that, in a way, I was “shopping” for the best Mai Tai in Waikiki – maybe even in the world – as I put my shopping skills to their best use in pursuit of the finest Mai Tai ever.

And I found it.

Peter, who was born in Hawaii, and Ed visit Honolulu very regularly.  They wasted no time in taking us directly to the Halekulani Hotel’s popular dining and gathering spot, House Without a Key.  There, I had the finest Mai Tai ever!  In fact, the fabulous concoction arrives with a marvelous aroma, as a top of the line Mai Tai should.  It was, in fact, one of the best mixed drinks I’ve ever sipped.  I’d fly back there for one of those drinks, as long as we all got to be together.  All of us hanging out together enriched the entire experience.

Just because we had experienced the finest Mai Tai right away didn’t stop the tasting of others during our trip.  After all, you have to try others to know you’ve really had the best, right?  So we went to the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the famously pink hotel along Waikiki Beach.  The setting is tops, but you can’t be fooled into thinking the Mai Tai’s are better just because of the bar’s name.

We tried local eateries, too, and they weren’t bad.  We even tried the new Trump International Hotel on Wakiki.  Just because it’s Trump, they have to do things differently than the other hotel bars.  The bar itself is wonderfully urban, providing skyline views toward Ala Moana and downtown Honolulu.  As for the Mai Tai cocktails, whereas a classic Mai Tai is served in a double old-fashioned sized glass, theirs is served in a towering glass, as you’d expect from the builder of skyscrapers.  But it wasn’t as tasty as the others, in my opinion.

What if our taste in Mai Tai’s differed from Peter and Ed’s?  We didn’t know for sure we had the same taste or that we had experienced the best until we tasted all the top choices.

When you’re on vacation and have nothing but time, being in pursuit of the perfect Mai Tai, or whatever your pleasure, is a lot of fun.  But back home where you have many responsibilities demanding your time, shopping for the perfect thing is harder to make a reality.  Even being led to what is presumably the perfect thing for you may not be as easy as it was for us to find the perfect Mai Tai because different friends tend to have varied tastes.

That’s why it’s valuable to know that when it comes to your wardrobe needs, you don’t have to do it alone.  In fact, you don’t even have to do it at all.  Because I get to know your tastes and likes, and guide you toward making the best possible choices, you don’t have to shop to update your wardrobe unless you want really want to.  Now doesn’t that sound as relaxing as sipping a Mai Tai along Waikiki Beach?  When you work with me as your image consultant, it’s a breeze.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Italian ready-to-wear clothes are best exemplified by traditional, non-trendy pieces that mix and coordinate well together.  Italian ready-to-wear is always modern, respects the body’s proportions and contours, and employs just the right embellishments so it doesn’t look overdone.

Milan’s northern climate and proximity to mountains provides especially great autumnal inspiration.  It’s no wonder that this season’s fashions are a resplendent celebration of outdoorsy influences, but also of high city life.  Many of the fashions this fall seem to be at once a reminder of the birth of contemporary ready-to-wear from the 1970s.  The looks represent a high-spiritedness associated with freedom.  Yet, I sense designers also looked to the 1990s, which represented a time of austere fashions, reflecting peoples’ economic and practical sensibilities.

Today this duality recurs in our lives and in fashion. We want to dress in a way like we are free of restraint, and that we live comfortably again.  We want to show that we are successful and having fun again.  But maybe we’re not quite there yet and need to think practically.  This is exactly what made the Italian designers create fall collections that are a wonderful study in contrasting behavior.  Should we be exuberant or restrained?  Somehow the Italians are masters of achieving a balance of doing both at the same time.

Military-Safari
Etro shows militant restraint with this buttoned up and belted khaki suit.  The colorful booties and cape are just the right embellishments that make it hardly typical.  It’s classically camouflage in Prada’s double-breasted men’s coat, showing that it can be campy fun to go military.  Ferragamo is all chic safari in gorgeous suede and olive boots.  Note how the exotic skin belt, neck scarf, bag, and sunglasses could be great for exploring Milan or moving and shaking around Menlo Park.

Sweater Dressing
Ferragamo mixes analogous colored, shiny and textured fabrics for a highly wearable outfit that is also not what you think of when you think “sweater.”  Etro’s cardigan jacket style is not your daddy’s sweater.  Worn with tonal colored flat-front trousers, the look is sophisticated, modern, and youthful.  Prada’s cable knit with coordinating skirt is a great retro-styled approach where the textures and proportions are flattering, without the need to overdo it.

Structure & Ease
Bottega Veneta’s amethyst fluid frock with structured boots and bag is a fine example of subtle power, focusing on a less-is-more approach to dressing.  The dramatic jewel tone of the dress and the dark colored accessories are just enough to convey that she’s a woman to watch.  His Etro structured patterned modern jodhpurs are offset by unstructured outerwear.  Giorgio Armani’s ensemble features totally structured shoulders offset by totally fluid black velvet.  Add high contrasting tones and the tension between structure and ease is heightened to the max.

Green is Greed
If you hadn’t guessed, green is the season’s “it” color.  These examples from Bottega Veneta, Gucci, and Giorgio Armani showcase the color that, this season, symbolizes more than money.  After more than a couple of years of not making enough of it, everyone wants more.  By having tapped into these deeply saturated jewel toned greens, the designers seem to be responding to how we may have been feeling a recent loss of personal freedom.  But when we wear this range of green we want to focus attention on our own needs, and hopefully that means looking gorgeous this fall! [photo credit: style.com]

It’s one thing to see great examples of the latest fashions, but it’s another to know which are the right ones for your personal brand and style.  That’s why I help many highly successful individuals amp up their appearance with just the right clothing.  Similarly my design colleague Valentina Cirasola of Valentina Designs & Interiors does the same by renovating peoples’ homes. Check out her coordinating blog post about trends in modern Italian home design.  Enjoy.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

As an image consultant I am a student of human behavior.  I can be in an exclusive shop, walking down the street, driving along in my car, sitting in an airport or in a restaurant and I’m going to be looking at whoever is in my line of vision.  Observing people is just a natural part of human interaction.

Body language is a crucial factor of human behavior.  It says an awful lot about his overall comportment and leads an onlooker to form instantaneous decisions about his presence.  As an image consultant, it’s natural to study non-verbal communication of corporate executives and politicians and the foibles that foil their careers and campaigns.

But I just don’t understand, being the man I am, why men in general, feel the need to grab themselves and give themselves a public readjustment.  Do they think that no one is looking?  Do they just not care?  Is this another case of mine is bigger than yours?

I have so many questions about why this behavior exists, but the final answer is that this public readjusting is just r-o-n-g wrong.  The image consulting profession is a female dominated field, and I cannot imagine almost a single one of my colleagues tackling this sensitive subject with a ten-foot pole.  So I feel it absolutely must be addressed.

It has been bothering me for some time now, this notion that men just fix themselves like they’re freshening up their hair.  Even in Europe recently I found this to happen – and in every city we visited.  This is a global issue of incivility.  It’s rude to grab yourself in public, gentlemen.  If you need to adjust, excuse yourself like a proper person and take care of your business.

I remember an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show from many years ago when she interviewed Michael Jackson and asked why he grabbed himself.  As I recall, he claimed it was purely reactionary to “feeling the music” he created.  He was a unique individual, and if that excuse could be used by anyone, he got the pink hall pass to use it.

I don’t care if you call it your music maker or your money maker.  I don’t care how big it is or how twisted it is.  If you grab it and rearrange it in public you are rude and inconsiderate.  We are supposed to be moving forward as men, not acting like stupid ass cavemen.  Act with some discretion.  People are keeping tabs.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.