At the recent catwalk shows, I was surrounded by some of the best-dressed people in the world. However, one thing let many of their elegant ensembles down: terrible posture. While passing a street-style photographer, most remembered to stand up straight and strut, but when perched on a tiny chair for tiny bottoms, correct spinal alignment went out of the window. The duration of a fashion show would see the reverse of the evolution of man as guests went from straight-backed to slumped Neanderthal within 15 minutes.
And I was one of the worst: by the end of a show I looked like a nervous flyer practising the brace position. Bad posture seems surprising among people who presumably want to avoid resembling Gucci-clad gargoyles, but — busy and phone-fixated — we’d all forgotten that standing tall works better than any accessory when it comes to looking younger, thinner and more powerful.
Dodgy posture — and its associated health problems — is almost universal. “From office workers to athletes and performance artists, bad posture and poor alignment is present in the vast majority of people I treat,” says Enrico Di Candia, an osteopath and clinical pilates instructor who practises at the beauty and wellness centre Urban Retreat. And the common causes? Stress, high heels, lugging a heavy bag, laptops and phones can all exacerbate the problem. Di Candia adds: “alterations in posture can contribute towards health issues beyond headaches and back pain such as fatigue, poor circulation, digestive and breathing problems”. Slouching compromises the diaphragm, which can promote shallow breathing, reduce oxygen and elevate stress levels.