Can you ever imagine seeing Anna Wintour as anything other than how you think of her?
Revered for her style and fierceness, she is often thought of as the most powerful and iconic figure in fashion. We only need to look at Merryl Streep’s performance in the movie The Devil Wears Prada to know how the world thinks of Anna Wintour.
That said, I’m not suggesting that you keep the same hairstyle for decades or be tirelessly perfectionistic and demanding of the people you work with. However, there’s definitely a great deal of power in Anna consistently showing us the same:
- hairstyle
- ‘sunglasses look’
- aloofness.
Year in and year out. For decades.
We don’t hear much about her personal life. To us, she is her brand. She lives her brand and she cultivates and guards her brand fiercely by not allowing other aspects of her life to seep into that brand.
Once we become famous in our ‘small pond’, thanks to our consistent brand building, we get noticed by those in our network and, perhaps, beyond. Wouldn’t we then think twice about jumping the queue, drinking one too many glasses of wine at a public event, making a social faux-pas etc? Do we ever think of Anna Wintour drunk at a party? And Anna wouldn’t do it because it doesn’t fit with the brand she wishes to portray.
Becoming known as a brand could happen sooner than you think. I’m not here to put (more) fear into you, but there’s a fine line between ‘being ourselves’ and damaging our brand.
Being a brand always goes with responsibility. What that looks like for you is something only you would know.
Sending you love,
