What mid-life blues? 40-plussers manage image to tide over ‘crisis’

Anish Rawat* had it all. He was the CEO of an investment firm, had a good job, great salary and power. A quiet, thinking kind, Pathak rarely spoke at meetings and wasn’t good at making public presentations.

Enter, a cocky 20-something with sharp communication skills, enviable self-confidence and a strong vision. Pathak lost his job to the younger man. The reason: he had the talent but poor image management skills.

Once applied for by the young who wanted an edge in the job market, image consulting is increasingly been considered by those who are 45 years and above, for reasons both professional and personal.

“The trend has picked up over the last two-and-a-half years. A lot of senior management professionals are becoming conscious of the way they present themselves,” says wardrobe and style consultant Varsha Bhawnani. The need for image makeovers and to keep updated comes from an increased competition from the younger lot, says Lata Goenka, image director, Maximum Effect, who conducts corporate training sessions.

An image consultant’s job begins with identifying what image an individual wants to portray, to whom it is to be communicated and educating how to communicate it. A few years ago, their services were sought by celebrities, the fashion conscious and the socially visible.

But people like advocate Rabindra Dokania, 54, were drawn to it realising its potential in everyday encounters. “I run my own company and as an advocate, I am constantly interacting with clients. It was important for me to know how to appear more approachable, yet professional,” says Dokania, who also sees his staff members taking the effort to groom themselves.

“I was impressed by how professional I could seem just by making small changes.”

Besides, looking and feeling young is the need of the hour. And image makeovers do wonders there, right from making changes in the wardrobe, hair and makeup to improving presentation skills, and personal and behavioural aspects.

“We communicate messages visually, verbally and non-verbally at all times, wherever we are; the total package we present to the world is vital in all aspects of our lives,” says Lynne Marks, 64, a Certified Image Master (CIM) and one of the founders of the Foundation, Advance and Business (FAB) course launched in India a few months back.

“The Gold Watch era is over, when longevity and maturity secured you a place in the company for life.”

Another set of steady clientele is women above 45, who want to feel young and impress their husbands. “This change makes them feel better and more confident about themselves,” says Bhawnani.

Take Chhaya Dalal, 55, a homemaker whose children are well-settled. “My son is abroad and I plan on taking a trip there, but not before I learn how to converse fluently in English,” she says, adding that a recent session in the basics of image training has given her the confidence to become more comfortable in mixing and conversing with people.

Given that this is a generation that has grown up with certain mindsets about work, relationships and even dressing up, transitions can be difficult. Yet, more and more are opening up to the idea of a makeover. For Goenka to get people to understand that even minor details matter is the most difficult part, like telling a particular group of corporate seniors that wearing suits and chappals isn’t proper.

“There are also some who find it difficult to take personal advice from someone much younger than them,” she says, adding that it usually takes a session or two to convince them.

With individual sessions costing thousands, this trend is largely an upper middle class, corporate phenomenon. But, by the looks of it, say image consultants, it is here to stay. “These people are settled in life, so money is not an issue for them. And when they make a decision, it is not impulsive but well thought out,” says Bhawnani.

(* name changed on request)