The Importance of Being an Icon

iconIn the past few years, Peter Marino has gone from being a very successful architect to an icon in his own right. The world’s biggest fashion brands are falling over themselves to have him design spaces and his work is becoming an attraction in its own right. It’s a good example of why developing an iconic persona can pay dividends.

A long career | Throughout history we’ve been obsessed with icons. Think of great figures from history such as Elisabeth I or Henry XIII. More recently we’ve had rock stars such as David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Madonna – all of whom created spectacular personas which were every bit as important as their music. These are all people who got a certain way in their careers through sheer talent, but made the jump to legend status by creating an iconic look which was instantly recognizable.

It also works in fiction. Think of Indiana Jones – he’s not half the character if you take away his trade mark jacket, whip and hat. Equally, when a studio decided to try and remake Superman without his cape, the project quickly fell on stony ground.

Change your look | So that’s all very well for the rich, famous and the fictitious, but what about the rest of us? Surely we can’t do the same thing? Well, we can if we put our mind to it.

The BBC journalist John Simpson once told a story of how he got his first job in journalism. He turned up wearing a rather tacky white suit to his interview. It might have been the only jacket he owned at the time, but whatever happened it worked. The interviewers remembered his jacket which helped him stand out from the crowd. From that day on he always wore the jacket as part of a uniform. It helped make him one of the more instantly recognizable reporters on TV.

Looks, in other words, matter. A series of studies have shown that women who succeed in work are more likely to be more attractive, taller and have a more youthful appearance. A landmark study from Cornel University found that when white women put on 64 pounds their wages dropped on average by 9%. Strangely for men the reverse is true – a study from the University of Maryland found that good looking men received fewer job offers, perhaps because they intimidated the less attractive male interviewer. Even so, it pays to be smart and well turned out.

Looking good | However, that is only half the battle. Whatever we’re doing in life, it’s going to be competitive. There are plenty of people clamoring for attention and one way to get ahead of them is to come up with a look which is both smart and striking. It’s not a case of being an icon – but if you can cobble together a style which is unique in some way to you – and is remembered – you could improve your chances of getting ahead in life.

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