Opinions are like armpits, everyone's got one...or two...

Okay, so this one will probably be mostly funny, but kinda serious, and just a little off my normal course :-).... After an appearance on TV this week someone called the agency office to criticize my top 10 list of "First Impression Faux Pas". (click here to view: Women's & Men's) Now I am not certain WHICH of the top five that I discussed this person took issue with as he was too busy criticizing me personally and that is absolutely his right. I wish he had called when he knew I would be there instead of when he thought I would be at the station taping LIVE. (Everyone is 6'9" and bulletproof when they block their phone number and they know the person they are attacking isn't going to answer the phone :-) ....The call came in 3 minutes after my face went off the air.
First, I was criticized for wearing "pedal pushers" (for those of you under the age of 50, or who haven't purchased your digitally remastered copy of "I love Lucy" on DVD, that is what they used to call any sort of cropped pants) LOL, and a deep cut V neck (apparently I am too old to be wearing this- though he had to demand to know my age from my assistant before making this assertion) Also, a woman shouldn't tell a man how to dress.

Okay, for any other of you out there who may like to know "who the heck I think I am" for putting myself out here, I guess I can tell you: I don't think I am anyone at all. I am just a gal who LOVES fashion and all things beautiful. Oh, and I just happen to be in that business (or those businesses if you want to count my Interior Decorating business). For the record I did go to college for Fashion Merchandising over two and half decades ago (but seriously folks- nothing I learned back then is all that relevant to what I say or do now), I have been a model on and off now for 28 years and I have coordinated dozens of fashion shows for over a decade. I subscribe to countless magazines on fashion and home decor thus keeping current on what's hot and what's not. So style is my thing. People call me and ask me my advise and they tell me I look nice. Outside of that, I am just a regular gal that loves to dress up and put on pretty stuff. :-)
Heidi Klum has project runway, Kathy Ireland and Cindy Crawford have lines of furniture, Daisy Fuentes has a line of clothing, Iman has a line of make up, my friend B. Smith has a line of home decorating goods, furniture, TV show and restaurants, Nikki Taylor has a Fashion Boutique. And who is that other former model that has the magazine, the TV show, books and the mega merchandise lines- oh yeah, Martha Stewart. There are many more, but you get the idea...
There is a lot of cross over when it comes to Beauty, Fashion and Style. These things are often mutually inclusive. It is no accident that some people end up in these fields. It is almost like there is no place else for them and I am just one of those people. So for those of you who like to visit my blog, I am sorry I have neglected it. I will try to do better. For those of you who enjoy watching the TV segments THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
I am not perfect, I am just a gal who likes pretty things and who likes to share what I know. Truth be told- most of the reason is I am sharing at all is because people ASKED me to! Many, many people have asked me over the years to teach them, give seminars, speak at their schools, on TV etc. I was and still am humbled each and every time that I am asked. While I do think I have something to offer, I do not think I am the be all and the end all of know-it-all's. There are still people that I go to and say: "Do I look stupid in this?"

I will add this: I am never mean spirited- it is not who I am. I can instruct someone on the correct way to do something with out demeaning them. (Seriously, there is plenty I don't know how to do- just ask my accountant!) I will use humor and I will show the correct way but I will not make someone feel small. I was the ugly duckling as a child and the odd one out, It is something you keep with you always no matter how much distance you put between then and where you are, somehow there it still is. I wouldn't change it though- it gives me a certain empathy. I am still an underdog at heart- I just have better teeth, contact lenses, and straighter hair.

I don't respect or admire people who are mean spirited. If someone has a contrary opinion to mine I welcome it, but it in polite society there are ways to make your opinion known without being a bully or being insulting.
Being a model has given me thick skin so I can take a hit or two, there is just a time, a place and a way to do it so that everyone is heard and can respond. If the person who called my office would like to actually talk to me or write to me, I would still love to hear from him or anyone else.... Style and civility are not mutually exclusive ;-)