12 Experts Share Why Guys Should Care About Their Style

Many guys say they don’t give a damn about how they look.

And I understand, because if the world was fair and just, it shouldn’t matter.

But it does.

How you choose to present yourself affects your everyday life more than you think. And if you only knew how much it affects your life, you surely would give a damn.

How you present yourself affects how you feel, how you interact with the world, and how the world interacts with you.

And if you knew how much it affects everything, you surely would take the effort to present yourself better.

But I know that many guys just don’t know why they should.

So let’s fix that.

Why You Should Care About How You Present Yourself

Like I said, how you choose to present yourself affects your everyday life in ways you could never imagine. 

As someone who once dressed like an idiot, I can attest to that.

So if you’d ask me why you should care about your personal style, I’d ask you the following:

• Do you care about yourself?
• Do you care about making a good impression on people?
• Do you care about getting a great job or getting a hot date?

Well, then you should care about your personal style as well. Because the way you dress yourself affects all of the above.

• When you’re dressed well, you boost your self-image and you feel like a  million bucks
• When you’re dressed well, people instinctively like and respect you more
• When you’re dressed well, employers and girls are more likely to take you on

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

12 Experts Share Their Opinion

I went around and asked 12 online experts — from style bloggers and image consultants to dating coaches and career advisers — why they thought guys should care about how they present themselves.

What follows are their answers.

Barron Cuadro – Effortless Gent Whether we realize it or not, what we wear sends a signal to others about what we think of them and what we think of ourselves. Presentation is important if you care about the signals you’re sending. The thoughts you have (and the thoughts others may have of you) are subconscious, so you may not notice them, but they happen. Present yourself better, and you’ll  notice how great you feel, as well as how others become more receptive to you.

Andy “Yosha” Moore – Daygame Dating “Who are you?” Your body language, mannerisms and speech patterns communicate who you are to those around you, but behind all of that, especially when you’re still and silent, your clothes are doing the talking on your behalf. The way you dress is an outward expression of who you are, what you believe, and how you relate to the world in which you live. Why you wear something is more important than what you wear. A man who pays no attention to the material he chooses to adorn his body is unconscious. He is saying to the world “I don’t know who I am”. A man who seeks constant outside approval for his choice of clothes is a slave to others. He is saying “I am whatever other people want me to be”. A man who dresses deliberately with purpose, who declares who he is with confidence through his clothes and doesn’t seek confirmation from outside, is a conscious man with a sovereign mind and untouchable integrity. He is saying “I am Me. Now fuck off and stop asking me stupid questions”.

Steve Kamb – Nerd Fitness It’s simple. If you look good and feel good about yourself, your confidence carries over to every other aspect of your life. From your posture, to how you’re seen by other people, to how your interactions will go with everybody from the coffee barista, to random strangers, to the lady at the airport counter, to your boss. I never got this until I started putting effort into my appearance, and I was SHOCKED both at how different I felt, and how differently I was treated.

Megan Collins – Style Girlfriend Like it or not, first impressions matter. Whether you’re trying to impress a potential employer, a first date, or that gate agent who has the power to upgrade you to first class, the way you present yourself can make the difference between a thumbs up and a thumbs down. You don’t have to care about “fashion” or be up on the latest trends to be invested in your personal style. Paying attention to fit, fabrics, and color separates you from the pack – in a good way.

Mark Manson – Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur and Former Dating Coach You should care about the way you present yourself because the way you present yourself is a reflection of the way you feel about yourself, your ability to take care of yourself, and therefore, your ability to feel and and take care of others.

Antonio Centeno – Real Men Real Style Because a man represents himself, his family, his business, and his reputation. Clothing is an outward announcement of who we are, where we come from, where are headed. Own the message and set yourself up for success.

Kezia Noble – Dating Coach The first 30 seconds when you meet a woman or anyone for the first time, is your COMMERCIAL. What does your style say about you? Does it say you’re careless, disorganized, uninspiring? OR does it express confidence, class and certainty? Your style is the store window to your product. Invest in your style and make impact.

Brock McGoff – The Modest Man It’s all about control. Most things are out of our control – our thinning hair, our height, our IQ, our lack of athletic ability, etc. But ANY man can control how he presents himself. That’s why it’s so important to take advantage of it, because you can. Like it or not, people care a lot about how you look. I’m talking about your boss, your date, the barista and the bank teller. You alone control how you present yourself, so why not do it in the best possible way?

Nick Notas – The Dating Specialist First impressions are critical — people judge you within seconds. Dressing well shows you are put together, have high self-esteem, and are confident about your body. Great style is the fastest and easiest way to look attractive.

Lizzie Edwards – Image Consultant Unfortunately, we are judged on our appearance and the first impression we make is the one that sticks. Evidence shows it takes only a few seconds for us to make an impression, and it is hard to undo it once it has been formed. In today’s fast paced and competitive world, people need to use all the tools they can to make a favorable impression – both for work and in their private life. Perhaps the occasions when time is limited, such as an interview or a date, this is even more important. You can be ruled out before you even open your mouth; Sounds harsh, but its true! It’s crazy to not care about how you present yourself because even if you are not the best looking guy, or the fittest guy, you can always make the best of what you’ve got and make a good impression.

Alexandra Levit – Career and Workplace Expert Guys should care about the way they present themselves because it only takes three seconds for people to form a first impression that is difficult to change. For this reason, your clothing, accessories, grooming, and demeanor must promote a reputation as a can-do, competent and enthusiastic professional.

Andrew Snavely – Primer Magazine The way we present ourselves to the world is very important. People like to claim that those things are superficial, but how we present ourselves acts as a representation of not only who we are, but what we think of ourselves. The old saying, “You can tell a lot about a man by the way he takes care of his car,” applies here: You can tell a lot about a man by the way he presents himself.

(Thanks to all of you for contributing)

And the Consensus Is…

When you read through the answers above, you can spot some recurring themes. The three most common themes were:

1. Your style represents who you are and how you feel about yourself
2. Your style affects people’s first impressions of you
3. Your style affects how people treat you

And they’re all closely related. Because the first leads to the second, and the second leads to the third.

Your Style Represents You and How You Feel About Yourself

When you dress like a goofball, you tell people that you don’t take yourself seriously. When you dress like a slob, you show people you’re lazy. But when you dress like a boss, well, do the math.

And your style not only represents how you feel about yourself; your style influences it as well.

So when you dress attractively, you feel more attractive. And when you dress professionally, you feel more professional. And when you dress respectably, you feel more respectable.

People Base Their First Impression on What You Show Them

The moment someone meets you, their subconscious forms an impression of you. They use what you show them to fit you into a character mold.

We all have character molds that we use to anticipate people’s character and actions. Just take a second to imagine the following three characters:

• A slacker
• A manager
• A homeless bum

I bet a vivid image popped into your head the second you read each one. Those images are your character molds, and they work the other way around too.

So when you fit someone’s slacker mold, they’ll pigeonhole you as a slacker.

And Their First Impression Sets the Tone of Your Interaction

Just put yourself in the shoes of an employer who has to fill a managerial position, and the following two (admittedly handsome) characters come in for an interview. 

Which of them seems more qualified?

You gut will give you a strong answer, based on nothing but your first impression. And your first impression will set the tone for the interview. The guy in sweatpants would face the impossible task to overcome your skepticism, and he’d still probably fail.

People judge you in similar (although more subtle) ways on a daily basis. How you choose to present yourself influences every interaction.

So Start Giving a Damn And Show People You’re Awesome

How you dress represents who you are and tells people what to expect from you.

And when you dress like an average Joe, you tell everyone you are an average Joe, and they should only expect average things from you.

But you, my friend, are not an average Joe. You are capable of more than average things. You are capable of awesome things.

So stop telling them that’s what you are.

Stop fitting into their average Joe mold.

Start giving a damn.

And present yourself as friggin’ awesome.

Don’t know where to start? You should check out Beginner’s Guide to Dressing Better.