What is Style?
By Martin Marietta
People are intricate things. Thoughtful things. Awkward things. Or perhaps people are
completely smooth and tight instruments of perfection. The truth is probably somewhere in
the middle of it all, and this place can only be seen through the eyes of the beholder.
You might know what you are like, others can only guess. A person’s style is the most
immediate conveyor of their message.
What are you trying to say?
Everyone is unique and different in some way or another, and the perceived images that
others hold of an individual is a sum of several parts. Style, of course, is made up of
decisions. It isn’t as simple a matter, however, as what you wear. When a person
chooses a garment, it is one of the most visually apparent ways to express his identity,
but, while first impressions remain important in almost every type of setting, other
factors of style become obvious very quickly. Personality is a factor which affects almost
every detail of human to human contact, but because the possibilities here are endless,
this part of style can be set aside for now. We all know a huge variety of different
personalities and our reactions to them are just as varied. Poise, however, is not such a
variable.
Poise refers to a person’s ease of manner, their self-assurance, and their composure.
If two people who appear similar in most ways wear the same clothing to a similar event,
will they have the same effect? Probably not. You might look completely different than
everyone else, but if you feel confident that you know what you are doing, it will show.
Standing, moving, or speaking, how comfortable are you with yourself and the way you
appear? Sometimes, this is all that counts. When people are unsure what to think about
you, your opinion may be the first and most obvious one that they see.
In a world where images are thrown at us thousands of times a day, the average human
becomes pretty darn effective at recognizing the obvious details of a picture. What sort
of picture do you make? Are you trying to convince a business contact that you are the man
for the job? The person to be entrusted with responsibility and therefore the money that
comes with it?
Are you trying to let a social contact know that you are unique and fun; someone who is
worthy of time well spent exploring the world and all it has to offer? Hopefully, the
styles that you portray attract the type of people that you desire to share empathy and
success with. Many empowered relationships start with a mutual vision of basic ideas.
There is a time and a place for almost every type of style (fashion, poise, personality)
and fortunately every human is capable of choice.
Life is all about choices, and watching another person’s choices is one of the most
common activities around. It happens so many times in a day, that most people probably no
longer think about it. Observing others is how we learn to do almost everything easier and
better. In the process of inspecting others, we subconsciously rate them on their ability
to perform whatever it is that they are doing. This, of course, holds true when people see
a person’s style. Many people might ignore the idea that they are judged not only on
the words that they speak and the actions that they perform. Your persona is such an all
encompassing part of your message, that it cannot help but be a major influence on
personal productivity. How many fewer uphill battles might you need not fight if you were
already thought of as competent and together?
An important side issue in the question of style is integrity. Everyone has the option of
choosing between an image that honestly portrays their positives, and an image which
deceptively hides their negatives. It is pretty obvious which of these images is perceived
as real as opposed to fake. Have you ever heard someone referred to as "real"?
Everyone has a style whether they know it or not. Hopefully, the style that you portray,
shows others the honest positive images that are you. Perhaps your style is Avant Garde
Bohemian with a flair for good taste, or possibly you are the intellectually stimulated
philosopher with a knack for organization. Whatever your type of style is, be real and
have fun.
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