This article is an opinion piece on the question and considerations of improving one’s superficial appearance, and how society interacts differently with you, based on your looks.

Naivety

When I was younger, I had a rebellious “skater girl” phase, inspired by a mix of old Avril Lavigne songs, cute neighborhood boys with skateboards, and a general aversion to doing homework, presenting, ostensibly as refusing to capitulate to authority in general. I formed the opinion that dressing well and getting good grades were something that “squares” and “goody-two-shoes” students did. I obstinately refused to tuck my shirt in at school; when told off, I would tuck it in, and then as soon as I was out of the teacher’s sight, less than 5 seconds later, I would manually un-tuck my shirt. This rebellious nature stuck with me for some years, and tapered off, but not before ruining many after-school job interviews.

The bar only rises

I am sure that many self conscious interactions with adults were had, unaware to me. They would have simply looked at my younger self as I now look at teenagers: “Ah, they’re in that phase, I see”. No strong judgement is held against them, I view it as a harmless phase, that they’ll learn from. However, if I were to dress poorly now in my 20s, or later, in my 30s, the consequences would be dire. As we get older, the bar for appearing presentable and professional goes up. Some would say that it goes up even further when you’re elderly; otherwise, people may think that you’re becoming feeble and unable to look after yourself. On the other hand, society gives older generations a lot more rope about small things: they’re tired of all these games, they refuse to play, and to be honest, they’ve been through a lot and have probably earned the right to sit back and not play by the rules.

Career

Appearing professional also translates to your work life. Not only the personal appearance related to your clothes, but also your digital presence, like your email signature, your personal website, and videos that you produce. Many people tend to think that it’s the clothes that make the man, when in actuality it’s a lot more about the attitude. If you have the right attitude, people will give you a lot more leeway about your appearance. On the other hand, if you appear unkempt, you will be viewed as unprofessional. At no point is this more acute than in the job interview. Many of us have had the experience of going to an interview and knowing that they weren’t interested in us based on our appearance. We’ve also probably had the experience of going to an interview and being rejected on our own merits, due to our own performance or lack of historical experience.

The way that you present yourself, be it in a resume or in the interview, is a reflection of your attitude. If you’re casual, your attitude will come across as relaxed and laid-back. If you’re dressed professionally, your attitude will come across as respectful and punctual. Your attitude reflects on how you’ve been raised, and how you’ve been taught to present yourself to others. If you’re a slob, your attitude will reflect that, but it can also reflect how you’ve been raised in your family.

Creative production

When you’re making an piece of creative content (of any medium), a similar set of principles apply. You know that a newspaper advert written in Comic Sans is simply not a Fortune 500 company. Similarly, a radio advert with poor quality audio or background noise will send all the wrong signals.

Improving your appearance

So, how can one improve how they look? That’s a really broad question. The best way is to be honest with yourself about what you’re willing to put in, and what you’re willing to do. Also, know your budget? A little money on some new clothes will go a long way. Similarly, if you’re producing a series of videos as part of your work, rather than using a cheap microphone and recording it yourself in-house, you can invest in commercial voice overs, which will make a huge difference to how the end product is perceived. You want to apply the 80/20 rule here, and make use of those options that are available to you that don’t cost much in time or effort, but greatly increase how you (or your creative work) appears to those around you.

Final thoughts

The way that you present yourself has a profound effect on how others treat you. It’s not just about appearances, it’s about how you view your own presentation. It’s about the attitude that you have about yourself and how others have about you. An attitude of self-improvement, of personal presentation, and respect, will go a long way, and will help you to not only appear, but to be successful.

I hope this article helps you to pull your socks up. In fact, I think it’s time for me to invest in a new pair.