I Wish I Could Show Every Woman the Beauty They’re Hiding

Adorned in the most solemn business suit and the smile of a cat who caught the canary, I enter every interview with the confidence of a dominatrix compelling total submission. How can I possibly say such a thing? Because I know something you don’t know! That’s the mindset my mother gave me as I entered puberty, and she taught me how to dress from the inside out. “If you feel pretty on the inside,” she’d say, “you’ll feel pretty on the outside.”So many trips to the mall were about learning how to “dress to flatter your figure” and what “proper undergarments” were needed under what apparel. It was the training my mother received from her mother, a 1940s Hollywood glam gal and the girl next door. We were raised to be the consort of a king, knowing how to handle ourselves in any company from pauper to prince. It saddens me to say that at least the last two generations have been raised as a commodity and not as a treasure to be cherished. Working parents, too tired to invest in their children, hand over the credit card and drive their kids to the mall to shop for their own school clothes. These kids have never had a parent explain how to tie a tie or why a slip and pantyhose can smooth lines under a pencil skirt and entice the eye of a sucker for silk and lace.

I know something you don’t know!

“Anything Goes” Is Not a Fashion Choice

Femininity used to be a prized asset in society. Now, the Karens of the world have belched out their greasy, selfish hate and attacked the ladies who embrace what it means to be a woman. Instead of a light glaze of makeup to accentuate one’s natural beauty, girls (and now guys too) spend fortunes on contouring makeup and false eyelashes that radically change how they look.I shudder to think of the poor schleps who wake up the next morning hungover and horrified at what they did the night before, devoid of the glory of the beer-goggle view. In all honesty, I find myself pitying today’s brides as so much of contemporary style demands sheer bridal gowns, showing off to all wedding guests in attendance what she should be saving for her beloved. It looks to me like these girls have stumbled upon the beauty of undergarments and don’t have enough sense to keep them covered up.Layers of clothes used to be worn every day all over the world by women in favor of—and those also opposed to—modesty. It was the style society demanded to be “decent.” Now “decent” is a dirty word, and today’s style says, “Anything goes!” But it really doesn’t. If it did, style and fashion wouldn’t be the multimillion-dollar industry it is today.

I Helped My Friend’s Wardrobe and Her Confidence

I confess to hating shopping.Because millennials and Gen Zers haven’t been taught how to dress to flatter their figures, almost everything in the department stores has the same cuts, the same crappy (elastic or polyester) fabric, a lack of quality lining and nothing more than sexy bras and sex-kitten lingerie. Slips and girdles must be ordered online, and pantyhose are hidden in the “granny-panty” section of the women’s department. I mean, really, how many girls today realize that a bra that fits properly can create the illusion of losing 20 pounds or more the instant she pulls down her shirt?I once took a colleague from work shopping for her 21st birthday. She was notorious for wearing baggy blouses, pleated skirts and canvas tennis shoes. We started in the lingerie section and she blushed crimson when I insisted she try a black bra and panties. She felt naughty and looked beautiful. Perfect start! But the process took us hours, tears and frustration beyond words. She begged me to go home. Why? Because she had quite the pooch in her lower tummy section and every straight skirt she tried on was filled with disgrace and body-shaming agony. That is until she tried on the last skirt I handed her with pockets and pleats at the waist, leading into a straight skirt that stopped just above the knee. It was lined and had a kick slit up the back. The pleats hid her pooch perfectly. We found a blouse in a deep plum color that electrified her eyes and fell over the pleated skirt as if it was a tailored suit. Then we finished off the outing with a jet-black pair of pantyhose and four-inch stiletto heels. My friend just glowed. She showed up to work the next day with an updo and drop earrings and wowed every man she passed in the halls of the hospital.Guys who never noticed her asked for her number, and she spent the day giggling like a schoolgirl. All because she learned how to dress to flatter her figure. She was a new person. Confident. Happy. Her mother even sent me a thank-you note.

She was a new person. Confident. Happy.

Wearing the Right Clothing Can Do Wonders

I wish I had the opportunity to do this for every young lady I’ve met who just needed a boost of confidence—to see the beauty she was hiding, a beauty that no one ever taught her how to polish up and present to the world.When you know something they don’t know, it’s amazing how dominant an unspoken confidence can sweep across the room.