Professional Athletes Vegans

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The Ultimate In Personal Expression

As of last month, I have a new appreciation of what it means to honor one’s personal style.  Why?  A friend and I went to see the Iris Apfel exhibit at the Peabody-Essex Museum.  Over the top doesn’t begin to describe her style.  Not even close!  If you ever worry that your outfit is bordering on flamboyant, just take a peek at her style and you will relax.  At 88, she has just now become a celebrated fashionista!

Iris Apfel is clearly no shrinking violet.  She has been known to wear bracelets the size of bowling balls – oh, sorry, they are bowling balls!  And, given the size and weight of the necklaces she wears, she must have neck and shoulder muscles that rival a professional athlete’s!  Thigh high boots were her trademark – often in outrageous fabrics and colors.  All in all, her outfits were more costumes than typical daily uniforms.

One look at her style, and it’s no surprise that she’s a big believer in self-expression.  I honor that belief myself and applaud her for bringing it to the forefront and walking her talk.  It is also impressive to note that she is not a walking mannequin.  She creates her own personal style and mixes and matches her outfits herself.  She loves exploring unusual sources for special “finds, ” and is known to pair haute couture with flea market treasures on a regular basis.

(One word of caution: Many of her outfits resembled a walking animal mortuary.  Sadly, she clearly has zero consciousness about animal exploitation and suffering as one outfit outdid the other when it came to exotic animal skins and fur.  Truly horrific!  The only saving grace is that she is nearly 90 now and many of these outfits date back decades.  We can only hope that she has more awareness and compassion now when she dresses.  I can tell you from personal experience that self-expression can run the gamut from quietly elegant to outrageous and flamboyant (and be cruelty free at the same time!))

The point here is that when you are deeply and thoroughly in touch with who you are your clothing becomes an extension of this.  While you do not have to wear 1970′s used flashcube bulbs as your earrings or ten necklaces at one time to make a statement, you can still use your wardrobe to express your own personal beauty and uniqueness. As Iris herself would say “Never take yourself or an outfit too seriously. ” And, my personal favorite, “Never fret about your age.”

And, let me add one a word of wisdom of my own — don’t ever let anyone impose their impression of who you are on you.  Personal exploration is great, coercion is not.  Stand out in your own delightful way. Own it!

About the Author

Over the past 22 years, Ginger Burr, believing that your image is about representing the best of you (not making designers happy), has built a remarkable career as an expert personal image consultant working with women from all walks of life. Whether it’s the “dynasty” shoulder pad era, the never-ending confusion of business casual, or the low-rise pant controversy, she has helped women navigate through (and sometimes completely ignore!) the styles of the season and feel good about how they look.

In 1987, Ginger launched her own company, Total Image Consultants, with the simple credo that a dynamic personal and professional image could be created without having to relinquish personal style or comfort. Today, Ginger offers private consultations and remarkable makeovers for women, brides-to-be and transgender clients. Ginger also directs corporate seminars and community education programs for some of Boston’s most prestigious organizations including Harvard Law School, Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels Law Firm, and Fidelity Investments and has been the media spokesperson and fashion expert for Rowenta, Inc.

In 2005, Ginger adopted veganism as a way of life and quickly realized that this personal commitment directly impacted her business. At a time when the terms stylish and vegan rarely appeared in the same sentence, Ginger’s mission became to prove that the two could happily co-exist. Her passion for health, beauty and her commitment to a cruelty-free way of life also led to her being selected as one of VegNews Magazine’s “25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians” in 2007. She now offers guidance, support and insight to her vegan (or just curious and open-minded) clients showing them how to dress fashionably and still be true to their values.

Ginger is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (a music major — who would ever think that would lead to a career in fashion!). She is also the Past President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) and has served on the AICI’s International Board as the Vice President of Member Communications. In addition, Ginger is a past President of the Boston Wedding Group.

Ginger recently launched her one-of-a-kind body image, self-esteem, and style home study program “Who Taught You How to Dress?” which allows women to overcome the obstacles and learn the skills they need to create a wardrobe they love all in the comfort of their own home! In addition, Ginger’s book, Fashion Secrets Mother Never Taught You is used today as a style and wardrobe consultation tool.

Vegan Celebs Pt. 2

The All-Pro Diet: Lose Fat, Build Muscle, and Live Like a Champion $3.58 A perennial Pro-Bowler, NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez has been an unstoppable force for all of his 12 years in the NFL. But for a long time, he ate like an average American: red meat, pizza, fast food, whatever was plentiful and convenient. Concerned about his long-term, post-career health, Tony decided to change his diet. With the help of Mitzi Dulan, nutritionist for the Kansas City Chiefs and the…