Good posture is important for your health and for your looks too.

Hunched back. Rounded shoulders. Head thrust forward. Buttocks sticking out. Protruding belly…

You got it by bow. Bad posture is one of my pet peeves. It simply looks bad. And it makes everything we wear look bad. Just compare these two images:

The difference is painfully obvious. It’s not (just) in the dress or in the way the two famous actresses look. It’s in the way they stand.

You can put a lot of effort into choosing the right outfit, you can spend heaps of money on your makeup – bad posture can destroy it all in an instant.

There are ways to fake it. For example, in order to hide a hunched back or a protruding belly, avoid tight fits and opt for A- shaped tops. If you tend to carry your head thrust forward, be aware that this makes your neck look shorter, so stay away from collars and high necklines. Instead, choose V shaped or scooped necklines. A slight padding on the shoulders can visually correct poor posture.

And so on and so forth. But who wants to go through life shackled with such style limitations! It is much better to tackle the issue head on and overcome bad posture once and for all.

These tips may help:

• Lift your whole head a little up, as if there’s a string pulling from the crown of your head toward the sky. Keep your chin parallel to the floor and your neck long.
• Lengthen and widen your torso (front and back) just a tiny bit, allowing your body to take deeper breaths.
• Keep your abdomen muscles slightly pulled in. The idea is not to suck in the stomach, but to keep those muscles active and stable, while allowing free movement and normal breathing.
• Let your shoulders relax naturally away from your ears, with both the front and back widening out to the sides.
  Balance your weight evenly on both feet and keep the legs straight, but with knees relaxed.
• Don’t try to force or manipulate the process. The posture should feel supple and natural, not rigid or contrived.

Now find a full length mirror and take a look at yourself. If you did everything right, your posture should look like the first one:

Of course, it is not enough to “straighten up” every now and then. The trick is to always stick to good postural habits.

That takes time and effort. However, it is worth your while. Once you master good posture, you will be rewarded in more ways than one. Your overall health will improve, mostly because your muscles will become stronger and your back less likely to hurt. You will appear taller and slimmer. You will feel confident and look gorgeous.