It’s not enough to just be a strong, confidant woman; a woman has to work hard to look that way, too.

Megan LaRussa Chenoweth, a style coach from Birmingham, spoke to the women at female factor about find their personal style.

“Fashion can seem intimidating, frustrating and daunting at times,” said Chenoweth. “We, as women, oftentimes feel like we should know how to shop and how to dress our bodies, but that’s not something we’re born knowing. It’s something you have to learn. We’re not all born knowing how to play tennis or how to speak French. Fashion is the same way.”

Chenoweth presented three steps to decode personal style. The first is to browse through magazines and Pinterest to look at different types of fashion. Next, find a style icon. A style icon is anyone in the public eye who wears a particular style that one finds personally appealing. Finally, one must create a personal style statement. In the statement, a person can simply state what he or she would like to portray with fashion.

“Fashion is so much more than meets the eye,” Chenoweth said. “When you figure out what your personal style is, you want to make sure that it’s a reflection of who you are on the inside. That’s what clothes are for. Clothes are, of course, meant to be functional, but they’re also supposed to be fun, and they are supposed to be a great way to express ourselves.”

The women at Female Factor were able to write down what type of style they think they have and create their own personal style statement. Chenoweth also told the women the upcoming styles for this spring.

“It just warms my heart to see a full house,” said Karen Herring, advisory board member. Almost every seat in The Studio was filled.

Female Factor, sponsored by Troy Regional Medical Center, among other local sponsors, holds a meeting the second Wednesday of each month at noon in The Studio in Downtown Troy.