MODULE 3 - Your Professional Image
MODULE 3 - Your Professional Image
Chapter
Your
Professional
Image
Chapter Outline
Why Study the Importance
of Your Professional Image?
Appearances Count
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Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
Key Terms
Page number indicates where in the chapter the term is used.
ergonomics personal hygiene physical professional image
pg. 41 pg. 37 presentation pg. 38
pg. 40
Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
3
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
F irst impressions matter a lot, and because you are in the image
business, how you look and present yourself has a bigger than
usual impact on your success. If you are talking about style,
then you need to look stylish; if you are advising your clients about
makeup, your makeup must be current and beautifully applied. If you
are recommending hand care services, your hands and nails should be
well groomed. When your appearance and the way that you conduct
yourself are in harmony with the beauty business, your chances of
being successful increase dramatically!
Of course your personality and abilities also come into play, but how
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you look is the first and most important clue that leads potential clients
to decide that you can make them look great. Add your behavior,
the attitude you project, the way you interact with others, your
communication skills, and how you physically hold yourself, and you
create a complete, professional image (Figure 3–1). Ideally, you should
present a great total package.
Being well groomed begins with looking and smelling fresh. This
is especially important in the beauty business where practitioners
are frequently only inches away from their clients during services.
Personal Hygiene
It is a given that you should shower or bathe every day, use
deodorant before going to work, and generally be neat and
clean. Beyond that, though, there are special considerations
when working in a salon.
One weak moment of drinking coffee right before performing a
service, for instance, or wearing something that needs laundering
because you did not plan ahead, could spell disaster. Rather than telling
you that you smell offensive, most clients will simply not return for
another service. Equally distressing, they will typically tell three of their
friends about the bad experience they had while sitting in your chair.
Personal hygiene is the daily maintenance of cleanliness by practicing
good healthful habits (Figure 3–2). Working as a stylist behind the chair,
Personal Grooming
Many salon owners and managers view appearance, personality,
and poise as being just as important as technical knowledge and
skills. One of the most vital aspects of good personal grooming is
the careful maintenance of your wardrobe. First and foremost, your
clothes must be clean—not simply free of the dirt that you can see,
but stain free, a feat that is sometimes difficult to achieve in a salon
environment. Because you are constantly coming into contact with
products and chemicals that can stain fabric, you should invest in an
apron or smock to wear while handling such materials. Be mindful
about spills and drips when using chemicals, and avoid leaning on
counters in the work area—particularly in the dispensary.
Some salons require employees to wear aprons at all times, while
others have dress-code rules, such as anything you wear must be a
combination of black and white. These requirements are your first
clue as to the culture of a particular salon, and how its stylists dress
for success. However, whenever mixing chemicals, using haircolor
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Figure 3–3
Be guided by your salon’s dress code.
Posture
Some guidelines for achieving and maintaining good work posture
include the following:
• Keep your neck elongated and balanced directly above the shoulders.
• Lift your upper body so that your chest is out and up (do not slouch).
• Hold your shoulders level and relaxed, not scrunched up.
• Sit with your back straight.
• Pull your abdomen in so that it is flat (Figure 3–6).
Figure 3–6
Good physical presentation.
© Milady, a part of Cengage Learning. Photography by Yanik Chauvin.
ACT ivity
Practice these quick exercises, which will help you relieve stress from
repetitive movements or from standing or sitting in one position for too long:
For Wrists
1. Stand up straight.
2. Raise both of your arms straight out.
3. Bend your wrists so your fingers point upward and hold for five seconds.
4. Hold your wrists steady and turn your hands, so your fingers face the
Chapter Glossary
ergonomics The science of designing the workplace as well as its equipment and tools to
make specific body movements more comfortable, efficient, and safe.
physical presentation Your posture, as well as the way you walk and move.
professional image The impression you project through both your outward appearance and your
conduct in the workplace.