What is Poise?

Secrets to Elegant Poise

The History of Poise

Years ago, every well-bred young girl was given posture lessons, and even today when we send our young daughters to dancing school, enter them into beauty pageants, it is usually in hope that they will grow up to be graceful young women rather than prima ballerinas.

Have you ever wondered why there are so few women who are poised today? I rarely see a woman with poise and they are found in very select few circles.

I ventured to search all I could know because it is what I want.

Audrey Hepburn had it.

Coco Chanel had it.

Bree Van de Kamp in Desperate Housewives,

Ashley Judd in De-lovely.

Melinda Clarke as Julie Cooper in The O.C.

Blair Waldorf & Lily Van der woodsen in Gossipgirl both had it.

Wing Cheng, wife of Ip Man in the movie Ip Man.

Elegance and poise does come hand in hand but not necessarily together. There are many elegant women out there but not many have both.

You might be elegant but it doesn't mean you are poised as well. Though if you are poised, you are usually elegant.

Though I met one lady who was an arty, almost quirky kind of woman who had a straight fringe and a Victoria Beckham bob hair (a la POB). She wore black tights with Mary janes, a knee-length black skirt with a puffy sleeved polka-dotted blouse and red lipstick. She stood there at the rooftop bar, holding her drink, standing by the balcony, intrinsically staring out into the view. She wasn't elegant. She was chic.

She was poised.

When you meet a poised woman, you almost can't take your eyes off her. You just watch as she gets out of the car, smiles at the doorman, say thank you. She walks to the front door. She sits, unaware of the presence she just brought into the room.

She is at ease. She maintains a sense of dignity. She knows what to do in every situation. She is self-controlled. She is steadfast and confident. She doesn't get embarrassed.

Here is my favourite quote about being poised. I can't remember now who wrote it. It carries the essence of poise!

"I almost ran straight into her in the lobby of a French hotel. I turned a corner, and she was coming the other way, walking quickly, surrounded by a pack of photographers and journalists. She seemed oblivious to the frenzy, to the babble and camera flash: the expression on her face was remote and introspective. This became an abiding image for me of celebrity containment, of self-protected glamour wrapped in a bubble of poise"

It's very easy to see someone without poise. She is usually clumsy, awkward, clunky. Would you like poise? Start with good posture!

Elegant Poise

Definition of Poise

There are many definitions. I found the ones on Dictionary.com unsatisfactory, the on WikiHow, rather insufficient.