Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Except we do!

My book cover design was recently entered in a competition, which made me think about the whole concept of first impressions…

Of course, book covers are different to how people look. The cover of a book is designed specifically  to help the reader get an idea of the book’s content and whether or not it is something they would want to read. How a person looks is not quite so completely within their control.

We are told that we shouldn’t make snap judgements, especially based on how someone looks. Yet research has shown that we typically form an opinion of someone within the first few seconds of meeting them, and rarely change that first opinion.

But is that first impression solely about what the person LOOKS like?

Or is it about the feeling we get from the person, which is a more intuitive perception based on the person’s energy or attitude, the way they hold themselves, how they speak, and so on?

I believe that it is all these things that contribute to our first impressions.

So, firstly, let’s acknowledge that whether we like it or not, first impressions ARE important. Then, secondly, if first impressions are created by more than just how we look, we DO have greater control over how people perceive us.

We need to start with how we perceive ourselves, which includes our body image.

Body image is about more than our physical appearance. It is about our SELF-BELIEF and CONFIDENCE in ourselves.

A beautiful woman with a poor body image (and yes, there are many), will create an indifferent first impression. A less conventionally beautiful but very confident woman is likely to create a better first perception.

With BEYOND THE MIRROR, we use a creative multimedia storytelling process to help our participants develop greater self-belief and self-confidence.

Please join one of our FOCUS GROUP sessions to learn more about how this exciting project can change perceptions and positively impact those first impressions!