My most favorite Edward Degas painting, “Dancers in Pink,” is a treasure featured in the Living Room at the Hill Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut.
With the constant use of face masks in public, the art of smiling with your eyes has become perfected as our adapted manner of communicating without facial smiles being visible! I think of a smile as a kind acknowledgment of someone’s presence. Now, my eyes have to perform double-time with a mask on!
Another way to silently communicate, and quite effectively with or without masks, is the art of standing straight, aka the art of deportment. The way we carry ourselves relays grace with our poise and carriage. Did you listen to your Mum when she said, “Stand straight, pull your shoulders back!”? I have flashbacks of the movie, The Titanic, at teatime, where a mother gestured to her daughter to sit up straight and not touch the chair with her back. While we are not as formal as in that scenario, good posture is still considered a sign of good-breeding and a secret code handed down from mothers (and fathers) to their daughters and sons. This gesture is equivalent to the significance of a firm handshake and a “how do you do?” It is a silent signal of confidence, polish, and grace.
While attending a tea in NYC, a lovely young lady approached me to chat. Instinctively, I admired her posture and the elegant way she held her head high and her neck straight; she was incredibly graceful. After a while, I inquired if she had been a dancer. It was no surprise to learn that she had performed ballet in an international arena. Her walk and stance were poised, effortless, and not exaggerated in any way. She appeared confident and elegant. Her refinement inspired me straight away. I began to stand taller! Good posture can be pleasantly contagious to those around you.
While working at home during Covid at a desk, table, or even on a sofa, it is quite easy to ignore our posture. Consider being conscious of your carriage today. Make a concerted effort to walk taller and sit with an elegant purpose. Go out with a mask on, smiling eyes, and the awareness of a newly inspired finesse to your carriage. Good posture is commensurate to wearing a beautiful outfit; it conveys a tenacity and self-assured spirit!
We have to admit, our mothers were right all along with their proper prodding! The lesson learned is to stand tall. Pay this lesson forward. And, oh, by the way, are your shoulders back?!
Oh, joy! I just was informed by the charming and creative Director of the Hill Stead Museum, Anna Swinbourne, that they will be collaborating with the Ballet Theatre Company to create a brilliant reimagining of the Nutcracker on the carriage porch, which will have a dance floor installed in it. The dancers will perform for 25-30 minute excerpts, from the full ballet, inside the glassed-in walls, while the visitors, safely spaced, will watch from the outside, as they sip hot chocolate… visions of looking at your very own snow globe. I am pirouetting! From Nov. 28 to December 20th, 2020, peek at www.hillstead.org to discover more details.
Grandmillennial Tips:
A dear friend of mine, a noted plastic surgeon, remarked that this generation of cell phone users are continually gazing down. This action will begin to take its toll on their necks. The remedy is to hold your phone up in front of your eyes, not below them. This technique may seem strange at first, but you will begin to notice the difference in your posture and you will save your neck from aging prematurely. That free advice is a golden nugget, right?
The same is applicable for your computer screen. Boost it upward so that your eyes are looking to the center of the screen. My computer screen is now on top of a stack of Sotheby’s and Christie’s catalogs, which work brilliantly to save my neck... and my pocketbook!