I Gotta Feeling
I also admire Kim Kardashian too. It’s not because of the fashion and style icons they’ve become, although perhaps that moniker on one is debatable. It’s not because of the enormous wealth they’ve amassed. It’s not because of their interesting husbands. It’s because of something more mundane than that. It’s because they’ve mastered in an exemplorary way, something I haven’t……….
The ability to have a completely blank face. To not show one iota of emotion at any time. Not when faced with something joyous, funny or anger instigating, just a blank face devoid of any indication they are feeling or thinking anything at all.
Now one could argue that Ms Wintour does it to provoke fear in just about everybody and it seems to work. VB doesn’t smile she says because she doesn’t like her smile. A couple of times I’ve seen it and I’d say it transforms her entirely and I might add, takes about 15 years off her age. As for Kimmy, well she has perfected her sultry pose to a T and always manages to take a good photo regardless.
Me, well whilst my natural resting face is far inferior to my smiling one, it still manages to display all sorts of feelings, thoughts and general running commentary. And if I’m honest it hasn’t turned out particularly advantageous for me.
Even when I know I am just about to receive the most ghastly gift ever and am trying really, really hard to conjure up a “it’s perfect how did you guess” face. It betrays me with a “are you serious what the ….” face – quite!
And then of course there’s the friends’ toddlers who, let’s be honest here, is just a poohing, screaming, reasonably cute small person who probably won’t be the next Einstein, Gandhi, Princess Diana or Kimmy for that matter and can we move on please?
Those of you who are working in corporate life or have done so, will recognize the conflicting message often touted by Human Resources departments. The key to being a better manager, sales person, executive, rocket scientist etc is to be able to read your colleagues’ and customers’ body language. So being the slick Susan or Simon that you are, you can adjust your delivery, message and final point as you speak, in order to get a “win/win” for both of you! And yes even if you’re firing someone – ta da!
And yet encouraging demonstration of emotion is not often found in companies’ objectives, core values etc….. If we all hide our thoughts, how are we supposed to read anyone, and if we can’t read others then how can we adapt our behaviour?
HR professionals please do weigh in here, but only with actual strategies on how to keep a blank face.
So you see I am very admiring of aforementioned ladies because there is something a little mysterious about this too. Being unreadable, a little bit of an enigma, a bit Mae West. It’s that showing one’s ankles glimpse as opposed to your undergarments.
Unfortunately for me I am still trying, a photographer once suggested a resting photo then tactlessly said “hmmmn let’s go back to the smile” so maybe rather than try for a blank face, I should go for the crazy smiling face and take my chances with HR……
Look Gorgeous, Feel Fabulous – Sophie