When I used to go on dates, I was such a superficial piece of work that I’d only check out the man’s shoes and the size of his bulge, and judge him based on that. Kidding! OK, kidding about the bulge. But I would’ve looked at shoes and at his clothing, for sure, and would definitely let him ask me out again as long as he dressed well and wasn’t a psycho. Actually, now that I think about it, I did date a well-dressed psycho once, so I suppose clothes really can do the trick for some of us.
In any case, I pooled 11 girlfriends to see what they had to say about the things they’d notice on a first date, and why. Here are the five that came up the most.
Accessories
Some hardware is OK: watches, a simple chain, even a leather cuff if you must. Rings are a crapshoot — especially wedding rings, when you’re on a first date. Pinky rings suck, always. Some girls notice phones. I personally think it would be really cool to carry an old-fashioned cellular phone with a little antenna and everything. The opinion on cell-phone belts and headsets is unfailingly unfavourable: Nobody wants to date a cyborg.
Products
Hair products are OK if used sparingly. Seriously, if you have enough hair product to actually be able to carry a tea set on your head, please reconsider. Same with scents: Use them, but keep it to a minimum. If you notice your date’s eyes watering whenever she gets close to you, it’s probably not because she’s overtaken with your beauty.
Pants
Wear some! OK, listen, some women do joke about looking for a bulge but many women non-jokingly admit to checking out your ass, so consider wearing pants that give you a nice definition but, yes, hold off on the bulge presentation. In other words, stop way, waaay before you reach ballet-thighs tightness.
Shoes
Unless you live on a beach, there’s absolutely no reason to wear flip-flops. Period. Sneakers are cool if you’re under 45; over 45, you risk being mistaken for Ivan, the Eastern European dad (I’m Polish, so I can say this).
Hygiene
Shocking, I know, but girls like guys who are clean, with clean fingernails and clean clothes. You know: the stuff that your mom reminded you about before you moved out to be on your own and live like a grownup.
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Image courtesy of andres.thor.
