Visual Persuasion at Work, in the Courtroom or at the Ball
What should I wear to the Ball? When I was a kid, I thought that kind of question was reserved for cartoon princesses. But here in Charleston, one of America’s most historic and romantic cities, I would be asking myself exactly that. I had been invited to the Mayors Ball by my client, socialite Constance Lamoreaux. I found myself in a quandry. What does a professional woman wear to a glamorous, publicized event, where colleagues, potential clients, press and legal adversaries will be eying her every move? I’ve worked tirelessly to build a positive business reputation amid the avalanche of negative publicity I received following the filing of Lee Anne’s lawsuit against the police department. Many in Charleston see me as a carpet-bagging Gloria Allred. Folks already think of Lee Anne and me as relentless gold-diggers trying to game the system. So what impression do I want to make at the premiere social event of the year?
Let’s face it, we live in a society where what women wear is much more important than what men wear. Women have more choices. We are judged more harshly. We are expected to be beautiful, but not show off. I made peace with this fact a long time ago, and decided to use it to my advantage. When I was a girl in the foster system, I had court-appointed lawyers who made very little money. Many were over-worked, under-prepared, and frankly, they looked like it. I found myself thinking, even as a teen, that just looking sharp would make you seem sharp. Presentation and confidence are part of winning an argument. Juliet Huck, a top courtroom advisor who worked on Enron and other high profile trials, has said to me, “persuasion is visual”. People take in visual information first, verbal after. What I look like is part of Juliet’s “equation of persuasion.”
So before the Mayors Ball, I asked myself, how do I want people to perceive me? I wrote down a list of words. Classy. Elegant. Demure. Ladylike. In the courtroom, I play Diana the Huntress; I go to battle in my killer heels. In that arena, I want to be Wonder Woman, sexy, fierce, defender of right and justice, and a strong opponent. But the Mayor’s Ball was giving me a new opportunity to show Charleston a softer side of me; off the clock, I am a nice girl who wants to make friends in my adopted home. I ruled out a sheath dress as too vampy. Using the great southern novel, “Gone with the Wind” as an analogy. I wanted to be Melanie Wilkes, not Scarlett O’Hara. I wanted a Cinderella-at-the-ball kind of feeling, so I looked for a fitted bodice and flowing skirt, but nothing too voluminous. In keeping with my desire to look demure, I searched for a pale pink or pastel color, but then I saw it. With its jewelry detailing at the waist, the strapless top accenting one of my strongest assets, the shoulders, it was the perfect dress…old school glamour. Katherine Hepburn…or Audrey Hepburn…a mix of both in some way that seemed right. It was even on sale! Only one problem. It was red. Scarlett, in fact. Was it too showy? Was it too bold? I had to ask Vi. She told me that red, for a brunette, always works. If I wear my hair up and loose, if I tone down the jewelry to only lovely pendant earrings. If my make-up is simple, it can work. Nancy Reagan. Tiger Woods. They both famously wore red just right in big moments. I decided this ball was a big moment for me too. I bought the red dress. I have to admit, when I donned my gown for the ball, I felt comfortable, pretty, and excited. I knew I had made the right choice. Especially when I saw Roy Rayder standing across the room.
Photos: ©2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc; Writer: Dana Stevens, Reckless Creator
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