Project Hera: Day 2

On today's agenda: walking and standing. And I have to say,  I am not entirely sold on the lessons in Seven Days to Sex Appeal. Part of it is my own fault: the book aims to help women increase their sex appeal first, and their confidence second. These goals are often achieved by looking vulnerable, helpless, or very... available, for lack of a better word. I am trying to use this book to become more assertive and confident, so a lot of these tips and tricks are overly sexual for my needs.

But regardless, here's what I have learned. When it comes to walking, you have to swing your hips. Step with one foot, swing your hip to that side, and then lift your other heel. I think. I tried this a couple of times (in heels, be cause they really do make your butt look fantastic), but I felt awkward. And not just awkward because I was trying something new, but awkwardness because I felt that what I was doing was obvious. This wasn't just subtly upping sex appeal, this was blatant hey-look-at-me sexy.

Not workplace appropriate...

Stance and hand placement is just as important as being conscious of how you walk. For my purposes, maybe even more important.  By putting all of the weight on one foot and resting just the ball of your other foot nest to it (with a little knee bend), you can then hold your hands behind you on the small of your back. This will automatically improve your posture, through your shoulders back and subtly raise your chest. Your hips are also push forward, minimizing the belly and rounding the bum. Nice and cute, attractive but not super sexy.The pose I like best is perfect for work, assertive but feminine. You again put all of your weight on one foot, but this time you place the second to the side, slightly past your shoulder. You do the same thing with the arms, but this look is more serious than cute.

You can also place a hand on your hip to emphasize the curves of your body, but hand placement is key. If you put your thumb on your hip and fan your fingers over your butt, this is a super-hot-come-and-get-me signal. Not something I plan on trying and time soon. But when you reverse it, thumb on butt, fingers curling over the hip, it's appealing but not vulnerable or delicate. 

What did I take away from this chapter? High heels (especially comfy ones) make you feel confident and your butt look...well, perky. And the whole business of stance and hand placement is useful to remember. The caveat (as always)? There's a fine line between what you can pull off on a date and what's okay for work...