Too bad all the charm schools have closed, because the likes of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton make a killing with sex tapes and little girls play with dolls that look like them. Yes; they’re pretty. But pretty is not glamourous, and sexy does not equal poise. Aside from any conscious thought aside from their own personal dramas, I can almost see in my mind’s eye little elves blowing bubbles inside their brains. Pop, pop, pop.

No wonder so many of us don’t have a clue about how to present our best selves, and lack the wherewithall to “use beauty as a weapon,” like Khadija schooled us about.

Beyond beauty, there’s glamour. You don’t have to be a dime piece (I hate the moniker by the way, because I don’t like women being compared to money, especially coins) to be glamourous. First thing, a glamour girl would never refer to herself as a ‘dime piece,’ nor would feel complimented by someone who said she was.

Glamour isn’t about make-up and designer shoes–it’s about rocking the whole package. That’s why may new glamour hero is Constance Dunn, author of Practical Glamour: Presenting Your Most Beautiful & Polished Self to the World.

Sure; she gets into the nuts and bolts of keeping your skin healthy, why you MUST clip those raggedy toenails, and the benefits of at-home waxing, but she goes deeper to help you dig for gold so you so can say “Eureka! I am NOT to emulate ANYONE with the names of Kardashian or Hilton.”

Some other stuff she talks about:

• how to incorporate glamour in your everday look
• Travel in comfort and style
• Develop exceptional table etiquette
• Improve your conversations
• Strategically dress for your figure
• Study and refine the way you move
• Assess and improve your voice

So basically, it’s charm school in Cliff’s Notes.

I sat for a chat with Constance yesterday, and we talked a little more about the book. Catch a listen when you boss goes out for her 2-hour lunch.

Constance Dunn by Christelyn