Performing random acts of kindness combined with keen fashion sense have spun into a new hobby for a Red Deer business owner.
Just under a year since starting her image consulting business, Arminnie Good is spending her spare time people-watching in the malls and throwing in a brand new twist.
Starting on Valentine’s Day, she has started “pinking” women who, in her judgment, look particularly good at that particular time. It’s a matter of serving notice to women who, in her professional opinion, combine well-chosen outfits with a beautiful demeanour.
“I’m working to help women feel better about who they are,” Good says as she approaches a young woman walking through the mall with a young man.
As she explains her mission, Good hands the young woman a pink card with “You’ve been pinked!” printed on one side.
The other side bears her mission statement: “To help women of all ages, shapes, sizes and budgets find and celebrate their inner confidence through their outward expression of style.”
Raised on a farm just east of Lacombe, Good is a graduate of the University of Calgary’s bachelor of commerce program, specializing in the petroleum industry.
She worked in Calgary for a number of years before deciding to return to Central Alberta. Following a path that started while she was a university student working part time in women’s retail, she set up Pink Suede Image Consulting in April of last year.
It was while she was sitting in a booth, promoting her new business, that Good came up with her new plan.
“For about three days, I sat in a booth and just watched people and that’s when it hit me. I want to do something special, and I thought . . . (Valentine’s Day) would be a good day to launch it.”
The women she approaches tend to be a bit skeptical at first, wondering what it is that Good is trying to sell. Relief and pleasure light their faces — and those of their partners — when they realize they’re getting a genuine compliment, no strings attached.
One young man smiled broadly and appeared to actually grow a couple of centimetres taller as Good explained why she had picked his girlfriend out of the crowd.
After they had gone, she said he was clearly proud of her and felt equally complimented to witness her being acknowledged by a total stranger.
“I think it’s working. People are a bit, at first, not sure what to expect. But seeing the smiles and the gleam in the eye, that’s exactly why I’m here.”
Good said she has considered setting up a Facebook page relating to her new hobby. But she’s not certain whether she’ll follow that route because she doesn’t want it to become a promotion for her consulting business.
“The reason I got into this business, I truly believe we’re all beautiful. We get so caught up in how we cover our bodies, we forget about what’s inside.”
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com