Signalling #2: Why Dressing Well is not Shallow at all

There’s a certain stigma surrounding women who take good care of their appearance. Shallow, they’re called. But the truth is, the right amount of vanity is healthy and it sends a strong Signal to the dating market.

How is it done? Let’s look at how it works in the stock market. See, CEOs can talk their company up all they want, but talk is cheap. Nothing shows confidence like good solid spending on Research and Development. Think about it: if management doesn’t believe their company could last, why would they dump money into something that won’t pay off until years later?

Seeing the R&D spending, the stock market would take it as a signal that the company is here to stay, and would treat it accordingly. The same goes when the world sees a woman. Now, I’m not talking about being a fashionista here. I’m talking about not letting yourself go. And that means dressing appropriately, keeping a neat appearance, and cleaning those nails once the polish starts to chip off.

When a woman takes care of herself, she’s telling the world: “Hey, I’m here. I’m in the game. And I demand to be treated with respect.” Okay so maybe the dating game sucks right now, but that makes it even more important to inspire confidence and convey your positive outlook. Showing others that you believe in yourself - and your ultimate happiness - is sexy and attractive.

So if there’s broccoli in your teeth, your clothing was last in style when the elder Bush was in power, and you let your eyebrows grow like an out-of-control ragweed garden, then don’t cry and wonder why you’ve got no dates. You’re sending out a powerful message every day and it’s a negative one. Stop complaining that it’s a cruel, cruel, superficial world out there. And get off that moral high horse saying people should love you for who you are inside. Be honest and admit that you judge others by their appearance too. And to a healthy degree, that ain’t such a bad thing.