By Francisca Vargas Ramos
Perhaps, like me, you've often fantasized about becoming an image consultant. However, many of us know that in Chile it's not very easy to study courses related to the world of fashion, and that it's a bit more difficult to find a career after specializing. Perseverance and patience can be key when starting out in this world, which—although It is still somewhat unknown - it is evolving.
Image consultants analyze all the aspects that define us and say something about us. They study the personal factors that communicate, analyze, and come to a conclusion about the image the person wants to project. They seek a professional image based on the client's job or aspirations. They also analyze clothing and style of dress based on each client's needs.
According to María de los Ángeles ( @emepetite ), a work psychologist and image consultant, “I try to make the consultation super comprehensive. For me, it’s essential not to mix it with the field of psychology, to know what they want, what their goals are, because each consultation is personalized and unique because each person is unique. It’s also important to know what image they decide to project, and from there you begin the suggestions so that the person leaves with the best tools that will serve them from now on.”
Gradually, image consulting has managed to position itself as a profession, slowly becoming more professional. Little by little, the range of courses and specializations is becoming more varied, and these types of professions are gradually reaching more and more audiences. "Here, we're recently seeing that Falabella is incorporating image consulting, or in my case, I'm working at an aesthetic clinic where very few offer this service. I find it incredible that girls who are about to leave with a different body, a different figure, who have psychological support and a physical therapist, also have this counseling. From there, obviously, I think there's still a long way to go in that regard, and indeed, there are many people who think this isn't important, and it is, even from the moment you go to a job interview, for example," says María de los Ángeles.
While this service is becoming more and more common, it is not a "basic necessity," which leads many people to question the associated values or to still be unaware of the significance behind the wardrobe. Often We don't stop to think about the role that clothing plays in our lives and it's probably related to a slightly more frivolous concept.
This distance we have with clothing or fashion is often a reflection of how a society understands this cultural expression since, according to the expert, "in the case of my clients, I believe there is a love-hate relationship, a lot of restriction. I feel that today we have to advance a lot in terms of self-knowledge, acceptance. In general, I have many girls who come in with self-esteem issues, and clothing, which is a way of presenting themselves to the world, often becomes a problem. Because no matter how much you like a style or the clothes the model is wearing, many people don't dare. I even think that very recently, Chileans are beginning to dare to wear more color. I mean, in winter, wearing green or pink was unusual, but now it's not. There's still guilt, self-restraint like, 'No, how pretty it looks, but not for me.' That relationship of 'it's pretty, but not for me' still exists a lot. With the girls in my counseling, we work a lot on that, that thing of daring, but not daring to dress up, but rather so that you feel comfortable in it." "Your same style, but incorporating new things that make you feel better. This love-hate relationship often occurs, and that's work that has to be done very slowly. Counseling gives you the push, but from then on, the person has to do a very personal job. These are processes, it's personal, it's unique, and there's no recipe. It's just that sometimes there are people who are much more daring and others who aren't, so you have to look at each one individually."
In Chile, the options for studying image consulting are limited. However, in Argentina and Spain, there are places like Condé Nast or Elle Magazine where you can find courses in image consulting, fashion communications and marketing, editorial productions, and more. Specializing requires an investment of time and money, and that investment continues even once you practice your profession. However, according to @emepetite, the prediction that this field will be highly valued in the future is, fortunately, not far from reality.