If you’ve read anything that I’ve written, especially over the past year, you know that I love fashion and style. I love getting dressed up, feeling confident in what I’m wearing and how I’m wearing it, and helping other women to feel the same way. My mantra is that “no one can take their eyes off of a confident woman.”

Think I’m wrong? Try thinking back to a woman in the past that you’ve known or were acquainted with whom everyone just thought was AMAZING. Breathtaking. Incredibly beautiful/fabulous/fantastic, etc. People fawned all over this woman. Maybe you did too. But then, one day you stepped back and thought: um, she’s really not that pretty. Or maybe even that fabulous or fantastic. I was drinking the Kool-Aid! What’s up with that?

Oh c’mon, it’s just me, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Do you know what her secret is? That woman that we’re talking about? I do.

Confidence.

Of course, confidence comes from a number of sources, but why not take all of the help that you can get? Here’s my little piece of advice — I think that physical confidence starts with what you have on underneath. (A quick aside to my family members: I’m about to start talking about my personal lingerie philosophy. I won’t be offended if you click over to something a little less personal, now. Oooh, look – here’s my “About” page!)

So let’s set this up, shall we?

In two weeks I will be emceeing a Mardi Gras Ball here in New Orleans. I plan on wearing this drop dead gorgeous strapless BCBG ball gown that has been in my closet for a while, but has yet to see the light of day (or the glow of night). I will be on stage in front of the entire Krewe as well as about a thousand of their guests. I will be the one who reveals the identity of the King and Queen, as well as the rest of the court (for those not familiar with Mardi Gras season, this is a highly anticipated moment). I will be, quite literally, in the spotlight on stage for a solid hour.

Raise your hand if you think I could probably use a little extra confidence during that hour?

Right.

No doubt the dress will help. The dramatic makeup will help. Telling myself that I’m not going to trip on my way up the steps will help (please, oh please cross your fingers for me on the night of January 23rd). But um, wearing a dingy old pair of cotton panties and any ol’ bra is totally not going to help. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s safe to say that what’s going to be underneath is a matching set. And it’s not old and dingy. It’s sexy, and I feel good in it.

There’s the key – I FEEL GOOD IN IT.

Lingerie is not about sex. I don’t wear it because I anticipate someone seeing it later. I wear it because it makes me feel good, because it’s like I have my own little secret underneath my clothes and I like the way that makes me feel. I stand up a little straighter, and hold my head a little higher.

Now, I’m not saying that dropping a fortune at La Perla or Victoria’s Secret is going to be an instant confidence builder and it’s certainly not going to turn you into one of those supermodels in the ads. I’m also not saying that awesome lingerie is the only way to feel good about yourself, physically. But, you know what? It’s a start. A great start.

We’ve all got to start somewhere.