What lies beneath …

An essential part of any professional woman’s business kit …

What’s an article about bras doing on a site called Speaking Well In Public?

Does it matter what we look like? Doesn’t what we say matter so much more?

Well, first impressions count. We’re influenced by what we see, and take so much information from each other not only from what we say but from how we say it, what we do and what we look like. Body language, expressions, gesture and dress all contribute to creating these non-verbal impressions that are so important in human communication.

According to Trinny and Suzannah the majority of British women are wearing the wrong size bra, which can affect comfort, posture, stature, confidence and impact, can cause pain – and attract the wrong kind of attention. Escaping straps, a poor fit, insufficient support or ‘coverage,’ especially in a chilly room … you may end up creating an impression rather different from the one you’d intended.

If you’re standing up in front of a meeting, a classroom or an audience, if it doesn’t fit – people will notice. And while they won’t say anything to you, they may well mention it to each other.

So get fitted and listen to the saleslady – and accept that ‘but I’ve worn the same size since I was sixteen’ doesn’t work! What about the two babies, the diets, the twenty-odd years in between … there will have been changes, and your size will be one of them. Ask her to use your phone to photograph you in your own bra and top, then try on a bra in your correct size and your top for another photo. Now compare the two. The question is – which look would you rather was standing up there on the podium addressing the audience?

Now it’s time to go shopping – a selection of completely plain, smooth [not lacy] flesh-coloured [not white] bras in the right size should form the foundation of any professional business woman’s wardrobe; the basic essential for an elegant, sleek and confident finish.

And that’s why an article about underwear belongs in a site dedicated to personal presentation, confidence and impact!