At one point, someone created the bob. And many looks grew out of that. Someone said, “You know what? I like this, but it can go shorter.”

Or a stylist said, “What would this look like with this color on her skin tone and with her eye color?”

“What would this look like on this woman?” a stylist might say, looking at a thin, 19-year-old client with a bold approach to life.

“I like that look,” the client says of the classic bob, “but I want to add a little bit of me into it.”

The stylist realizes the style needs to be bolder to match the client. “How would you feel if I shaved this side or cut this side a little shorter than the other side?”

The asymmetrical look would draw more attention to her face, which is beautiful.

The client gets excited. “You know what? I could totally rock that look.”

It’s a win win when the visualizing is successful on both ends. Not only does the hairstylist visualize what’s possible, but also the client must be able to visualize the style and be so aligned with it that she can practically feel the difference.

Part of pulling off a look involves attitude.

Let’s say a person has a new look but doesn’t quite accept it or buy into it.

That lack of alignment will show. If you don’t think you can wear a style, but you’ve got it on, that’s like taking a hat and pulling it all the way over your face. Sure, the hat keeps you warm, but you bought the hat to be stylish. By wearing it pulled down over your face, you’ve made it decidedly not fashion-forward.
Contrast that with a situation where your client clearly loves the new look. Perhaps she feels more powerful sporting the new style. Ideally, she’ll feel more like who she was meant to be all along. And it’s your job as her stylist to sense who she really is and bring that out—so all the world can see.