You finally scored a date with your crush. You’re in the midst of getting ready for the big night, staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror, thinking, “I got this.” Just as you reach for your razor, you stop and wonder, “Does she like me clean-shaven? Or would she want a bit of scruff?”
And then maybe you laugh at yourself because you think you’re over-analysing your appearance. Looks aren’t that important . . . right? Well, yes, and no. According to a survey conducted by Philips, when it comes to a first date, your woman tends to mostly crave style over substance—in herself and you.
First Dates Usually Suck
In sad news, both men and women often don’t have great dates. On average, men are more apt to rate their date higher than women, rating their dates a 6.9 compared to women’s 6.5 (on a scale from one through ten). This is largely due to not finding the right person. But confidence levels and the location of the date count, too.
Getting Ready For A Date
It’s a given that more women than men take longer to get ready for a first date. Most women take 30 minutes or more to prepare, whereas most guys generally take between 10 to 30 minutes. So what’s taking women so long to get ready? They’re getting inspired. Women love to seek outside inspiration for their fashion choices, mostly from friends and online sites, like Pinterest. Most men don’t go anywhere for inspiration, which might explain why your same old jeans-and-T-shirt outfit is striking you out.
Grooming & Style
When it comes to grooming and style, women and men basically unanimously agree that it’s an important part of at least one aspect of their life, be it their love life or professional life. While most men might reach for the razor (razor trumps electric shaver for most men) for a clean-shaven look, most women think that some stubble or scruff looks good on most men. However, when it comes to that first date, women tend to be split evenly on the clean-shave versus the five o’clock shadow, so you’re good either way.
And you’re not the only one who’s shaved: there’s a 50% chance that your date has groomed below the neck before your date. You might be using a razor or electric trimmer for that business, but she’s more than likely using her razor. Demonstrating that you take style or grooming as important as she does is important to her on the date, so take your time with getting ready.
First Date Pointers
Generally, both men and women don’t have a specific type of person they usually date, so you can relax with knowing that you probably don’t look like her ex. When on a first date, most men think being fun is the most important factor on a first date while women want to laugh. This is key information because as much as you’ve been admiring her attractiveness throughout the evening (which is what most men say is the most important characteristic in a woman), she is judging you based on your sense of humour and politeness.
However, as much as you are making her laugh and minding your Ps and Qs (which she is totally noticing), your attractiveness to her is still pretty important on a first date. She also has a good chance of being impressed when you attempt to pay for some or all of the date’s expenses, so you might want to consider picking up the bill.
