Image Matters
Your 40s Are Not a Crisis – They’re a Creative Rebirth!
This isn’t a midlife crisis. It’s a recalibration of power, purpose, and self. What if your 40s are not the end of something? But the first time you finally choose yourself?
Every workplace serves as a stage. Similar to how actors perform on stage for plays, we play multiple roles in every boardroom, client pitch, virtual call, and office party. And like all the other roles, every role has a costume.
But here’s the catch: in professional spaces, your “costume” isn’t just about formal attire or about ticking off checkboxes of the dress-code. It acts as the unvoiced narrator of your story. It demonstrates your approachability, decisiveness, and inventiveness. Style, in this sense, is far more than fabric, it’s a language we speak daily at work, often without even realising it.
Why is style at work beyond just blindly following dress codes?
Typical dress codes for most workplaces include Mondays in business suits, Fridays in business casuals, and power dressing for presentations. However, depending on how experimental and creative you are with your style, you still have the opportunity to tell your tale, within those parameters. Unless and until you wear it with your own energy, personal style, and a distinct purpose, a grey suit is just another grey suit.
In most professional settings, clothing should be chosen to support your objectives rather than to conceal your uniqueness. Whether it’s leadership, innovation, or approachability, your style should enhance your objectives in the workplace rather than mask your individuality.
Remember, stereotypes can exist in workplaces too – women being seen as “too soft” if they dress feminine, or men being “too casual” if they avoid suits. By choosing with intention, you can rewrite these narratives and own your story.
So, how do we go about crafting our workplace style story?
Here are some quick tips to sharpen your style at workplace right away:
As a soft skills trainer and image consultant, I observe professionals struggle not because they are incompetent but rather because their presence and style don’t match their goals. Their career path changes the instant they start using clothing as a storytelling technique to convey warmth in group situations, authority in presentations, and credibility in interviews.
Ask yourself, then, when you stand in front of your closet tomorrow morning: What story do I want my clients, coworkers, and business partners to read today?
This isn’t a midlife crisis. It’s a recalibration of power, purpose, and self. What if your 40s are not the end of something? But the first time you finally choose yourself?
Trends come and go. But personal style stays. So if your closet is overflowing and yet you feel like you have nothing to wear, read on.
Being quiet costs you opportunities. Being aggressive costs you trust. Here’s the middle ground. The most influential people aren’t the loudest in the room.
They’ve mastered the art of assertive communication.