Reinventing to Look more Age-Appropriate, and More
Good Saturday Morning,
I've been so busy reinventing myself that I haven't paid attention to this blogsite.
For those of you that come around looking for a new entry, please come back. I'm back up to speed and will write several times a week.
So, what is there to say about ReInvention these days ... or better, what isn't there to say?
Have you seen the new Toyota ads? They are really reinventing their friendliness approach to buying their cars. As a nearly lifelong owner of Toyotas, I'm so disappointed in what I've been reading about them. Did making money become more important than driver safety? Were facts known and ignored? Who knows for sure. I do know that I loved their cars... had many. Since I live in NYC, I don't have a car. I actually don't intend to own one again unless I move out of this city... but I would have great doubt now about buying that brand.
About brands, I've been tweaking my brand.
Yes, each one of us has our own brand and it's made up of many components. For example, here are some of the aspects of my brand (and you can consider right along with me, what your brand components are.)
1. My name ... well, Ann Fry... that stays the same. Fry is my married name and I'm now divorced, so that could change someday if the knight in shining armor shows up.
2. My moniker ... my subtitle as a professional. As you can see from the web address above, I call myself .. The ReInvention Hotshot! It fits me. I help companies and individuals reinvent and I'm sassy enough to call myself a Hotshot!
3. My look. We all change our look now and again. My headshots are all over my webpages, my business cards. As a speaker, it's expected that people be able to see a picture of who they are talking with. Well, here is the current reinvention for me.
MY LOOK:
I've had to change my look due to a recent bout of breast cancer, which resulted in chemotherapy, which resulted in losing my hair. I've written of this before.
Well, chemo is over, my hair is starting to grow back in and it is very different from how it was.
First, my hair is coming in totally silver -- that's a straight out indicator to you that I've colored it for years... so now you know.
Second, although it was always sort of curly, it's coming back even more curly.
Third, I've been loving the "no-maintenance" style of wash and wear. In the past, I had to use all these special products, blow dry, flat iron, non-friz stuff, etc. If it was raining, I'd have a really bad hair day. Not to mention all the time it took. Not to mention when it cost to color and frost (2 process deal) to keep that look.
SO, I'm thinking I'm going to keep my new natural, simple look. I'm going to stay silver, keep it very, very, head-hugging short. Of course, I'll have to change my glasses and maybe some make-up shades ... and voila ... a NEW LOOK.
Now, lest you think this is a silly conversation, consider how such a thing impacts people in the workplace all the time. Do we not have ageism in the workplace? Is it considered distinguished for a man to have silver hair? But what about a woman? Is she just seen as old? So, there's a risk for me to stay silver white. Will my corporate clients look at me differently and reconsider whether to "keep" me onboard? OR, will they embrace my age and wisdom?
What am I saying here? Well, point blank... as I reinvent my look, will it create a huge risk? A possibility of a shift in business? Perhaps some will want to put me out to pasture (I hope not)... but others, perhaps, will rush to hire me ... respecting the Sage that I am. If nothing else, I've always been sort of edgy, sassy. I don't play inside the box and often I'm hired and respected for that. So, we'll see.
As I begin to "come out" and be seen as my new reinvented self, other people's colors will show.
Point: REInvention takes courage .. it's a risk. Are you willing? Do you sit back and NOT change for fear others will not take well to it? Do you remain in the status quo? Do you move forward? That is for you to ponder.
Truth: I am a "mature" woman ... I'm tired of pretending (as in coloring and punking my hair) that I'm less than that. I'm ready for the world to accept me as the real me. AND... I'm scared to death.
Thanks for reading.
Back at you soon.
ann
I've been so busy reinventing myself that I haven't paid attention to this blogsite.
For those of you that come around looking for a new entry, please come back. I'm back up to speed and will write several times a week.
So, what is there to say about ReInvention these days ... or better, what isn't there to say?
Have you seen the new Toyota ads? They are really reinventing their friendliness approach to buying their cars. As a nearly lifelong owner of Toyotas, I'm so disappointed in what I've been reading about them. Did making money become more important than driver safety? Were facts known and ignored? Who knows for sure. I do know that I loved their cars... had many. Since I live in NYC, I don't have a car. I actually don't intend to own one again unless I move out of this city... but I would have great doubt now about buying that brand.
About brands, I've been tweaking my brand.
Yes, each one of us has our own brand and it's made up of many components. For example, here are some of the aspects of my brand (and you can consider right along with me, what your brand components are.)
1. My name ... well, Ann Fry... that stays the same. Fry is my married name and I'm now divorced, so that could change someday if the knight in shining armor shows up.
2. My moniker ... my subtitle as a professional. As you can see from the web address above, I call myself .. The ReInvention Hotshot! It fits me. I help companies and individuals reinvent and I'm sassy enough to call myself a Hotshot!
3. My look. We all change our look now and again. My headshots are all over my webpages, my business cards. As a speaker, it's expected that people be able to see a picture of who they are talking with. Well, here is the current reinvention for me.
MY LOOK:
I've had to change my look due to a recent bout of breast cancer, which resulted in chemotherapy, which resulted in losing my hair. I've written of this before.
Well, chemo is over, my hair is starting to grow back in and it is very different from how it was.
First, my hair is coming in totally silver -- that's a straight out indicator to you that I've colored it for years... so now you know.
Second, although it was always sort of curly, it's coming back even more curly.
Third, I've been loving the "no-maintenance" style of wash and wear. In the past, I had to use all these special products, blow dry, flat iron, non-friz stuff, etc. If it was raining, I'd have a really bad hair day. Not to mention all the time it took. Not to mention when it cost to color and frost (2 process deal) to keep that look.
SO, I'm thinking I'm going to keep my new natural, simple look. I'm going to stay silver, keep it very, very, head-hugging short. Of course, I'll have to change my glasses and maybe some make-up shades ... and voila ... a NEW LOOK.
Now, lest you think this is a silly conversation, consider how such a thing impacts people in the workplace all the time. Do we not have ageism in the workplace? Is it considered distinguished for a man to have silver hair? But what about a woman? Is she just seen as old? So, there's a risk for me to stay silver white. Will my corporate clients look at me differently and reconsider whether to "keep" me onboard? OR, will they embrace my age and wisdom?
What am I saying here? Well, point blank... as I reinvent my look, will it create a huge risk? A possibility of a shift in business? Perhaps some will want to put me out to pasture (I hope not)... but others, perhaps, will rush to hire me ... respecting the Sage that I am. If nothing else, I've always been sort of edgy, sassy. I don't play inside the box and often I'm hired and respected for that. So, we'll see.
As I begin to "come out" and be seen as my new reinvented self, other people's colors will show.
Point: REInvention takes courage .. it's a risk. Are you willing? Do you sit back and NOT change for fear others will not take well to it? Do you remain in the status quo? Do you move forward? That is for you to ponder.
Truth: I am a "mature" woman ... I'm tired of pretending (as in coloring and punking my hair) that I'm less than that. I'm ready for the world to accept me as the real me. AND... I'm scared to death.
Thanks for reading.
Back at you soon.
ann
posted by Ann Fry, The ReInvention HOTSHOT! at
10:01 AM
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