Image consultant Benaisha Kharas Dongre has tackled what it means to manage your ‘image’ and be authentic to yourself.
In a recent episode of Aleena Dissects, when asked about the different mindsets people have towards their self-presentation, Benaisha opened up about the complex reality of image management and its importance in our modern world.
“There is one personality that says, ‘You know what? I really don’t care, I’m going to do what I like’. And that’s fine,” she said. “Image management does not say that you have to follow the book. Image management does not say that everyone who works in banking and finance has to wear a suit, and a teacher has to always wear a salwar kameez, because that’s what people did back in the day and that’s what we know.”
Instead, the line between image management and authenticity is much narrower than one may think.
“Image management says that you need to be authentic, and it would be nice if you were attractive,” she explained. “Now attraction is very relative. Today, what I’m wearing can be attractive and it can be not-attractive to someone else. That’s absolutely relative.”
Using her own example, she added, “But if I’m coming here for your podcast, and I’ve [hypothetically] rocked up in pajamas, it’s a disrespect to you.”
In particular, image management depends on how one wishes to present themselves to their audience.
“How does [our image] really set the conversation, audience, mood, vibe of how we’re communicating?” Benaisha asked, highlighting some of the key elements that are shaped and enhanced by your ‘image’.
In terms of marketing, image management is especially important as it shapes what your investors and consumers think of you.
Using the example of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in his younger, lesser-known days, Benaisha explained how he specifically changed into a suit when trying to secure funds. Despite his discomfort, his autobiography revealed that dressing in such a way was crucial to get his prospective funders to take him seriously.
“Today, if you want to sell a product, you integrate yourself to your audience, and then you be who you want to be,” she concluded. “Till that point, you mingle with the system. When you’ve created the system, and you’ve become the system, you do what you want.”
However, this was not Benaisha Kharas Dongre’s only revelation this episode. Sitting down with Aleena, founder and CEO of Social Media Dissect, she shared unreliable insights about what one’s ‘image’ even means, the importance of dressing as a tool, diving deep into the complex reality of building confidence and the mindset of ‘fake it till you make it’. She also opened up about the reality of therapy, highlighting why it is so beneficial, why it requires people to be honest, and when you need to know if you are in need for professional help to manage your mental health.
For more details, watch the full Aleena Dissects podcast episode here:
About Aleena Dissects:
In the pool of content you see today, it has become extremely difficult to find the content worth spending your time on.
Which is why, Social Media Dissect, research and review the advertising and marketing industry to put the best content in front of our community of 3,00,000 followers with a monthly reach of 30 million users.
Aleena Dissects by Aleena curates the best thoughts, experiences and lessons by people across the media, entertainment, business, advertising space and more.
So Subscribe to this channel because we spent hours researching the content that you should be watching and dissecting content that you should be consuming so you don’t have to!
