“Never allow a person to tell you ‘no’ who doesn’t have the power to say ‘yes.’”
Eleanor Roosevelt
I’ve covered the topics of the mature woman and aging, their personal style, and feeling visible or invisible in a youth fixated culture. I thought it would be interesting to now look at the colouring & outfit choices of three important and powerful SA women – who by the way are anything but invisible!
The three women I’m covering are Julie Bishop: Minister For Foreign Affairs, and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.
Vickie Chapman: Deputy Leader of the South Australian Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney General and the Member for Bragg.
And Rachel Sanderson: SA’s Shadow Minister for Families and Child Protection, Social Housing, Youth and Volunteers.
All three are amazing women who would no doubt inspire other women for not only what they do, but also for their impeccable outward appearance.
In my job as an image consultant I have to inform people what they wear actually speaks volumes about who they are. We accurately send either positive or negative messages through the standard of our clothing and personal grooming. In a fast paced and demanding world we now find ourselves in, we’ll be judged almost instantly by others. This is even more important for the female politician who has a huge responsibility in gaining the respect and trust of the public.
Her day to day outward and overall appearance will either support or sabotage the image she desires to project.
Like their counterparts in business, long ago female politicians adapted the suit in order to fit into the ‘boy’s club’ of politics – it has however, been refined over the years.
And the once said, ‘you have to dress like the tribe you aspire to belong to,’ really does work because when they get it right you don’t so much notice what they’re wearing! And when they get it right in a ‘big way’ their credibility rises dramatically.
The Classic/Elegant Chic Styled Politician
Her clothing is impeccably maintained and will not date quickly. She posses a confident and professional appearance – her look is simple and understated and won’t change much from year to year. The female ‘poly’ can also, along with the classic style ‘own’ a slight feminine twist to her outfit choices. This would mean not only is her ‘look’ timeless but it’s never boring either. Her clothes are of high quality and traditionally stylish. They are never fussy with their personal style but always very well put together.
