Personal style and personal brand

The pandemic's era of online communication has forced many people to create a personal brand. Teachers, coaches, entrepreneurs, freelancers of all kinds, and more—practically all of us are forced to "sell our faces," whether we like it or not. In the styling community, one often encounters a contrast between personal stylists, who focus on harmonizing one's image, and image consultants, those who create a desired image while practically ignoring one's physical features.

In my opinion, it is impossible to oppose, but rather to combine.

Each of us plays a role on the stage of life—the role of Self. Whether online or offline. We all meticulously craft our own image to convey to others; we all have a need to be noticed and appreciated—such is the essence of being a social being. Therefore, we believe it is completely ineffective to separate personal style from image. Style without image will be beautiful, but uninformative. Image without style will be disfiguring (and beauty, as we know, lies in harmony) and will perform poorly.

The example of Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson comes to mind. It's clear that in recent years, her chosen looks, to put it mildly, have been unflattering. Instead of a charming, fresh, and memorable woman, we see a woman who is still just as beautiful, but world-weary and somewhat lost:

It's all about archetypes and linearity. Soft, warm, and alluring, Scarlett perfectly embodied the Mistress archetype, and it was precisely this image that "made her way" into Hollywood in the 2000s. But times are changing, and global trends, unfortunately, don't play into her hands. Mistress-heroines are no longer in demand, while strong, independent female heroes are. The tough, blunt Hero/Warrior archetype, while providing Scarlett Johansson with roles, is completely at odds with her appearance. It's not for us to judge whether some kind of compromise was possible in her situation; we only care about the illustrative aspect.

The ideal personal brand is born when external data and the necessary archetypes are painlessly combined with each other.

And this happens when you choose your career from the heart—I'm convinced that personality archetypes are "written" on your face. Actors call this a type of role—the type of role they're suited to. All that's left is to tailor the overall aesthetic to your combination, and that's a matter of technique and practice. Perfect magic is born when your personal image is echoed by nonverbal communication, voice, brand web design, print, and business environment.

As an example of a harmonious personal brand, I'd like to cite Natalie Ray's blog about street style for Thumbelinas. Natalie's facial features aren't as naive as one might like, but she compensates for this with her makeup, hairstyle, petite stature, and charisma—she looks more at home in motion than in stillness. Thus, she fits the Cheerful image type, complementing it with a strong Innocent/Child archetype. The color scheme, cute details, background objects, and photo editing all contribute to the image's effectiveness.

Interestingly, it's the slight disharmonies in her face—her naturally large nose and chin—that make her look even more memorable. But using such nuances as highlights is a whole other story for another article.

I sincerely hope that you found this article interesting. ♥

Peace between the outer and inner to each and everyone!

Thank you for your trust, and until next time!