Why do attractive people dress well? I interviewed a random stranger to find out.

Beauty
The result of another long layover was the opportunity to allow my mind to play with some of my usual random thoughts.  I reflected back to the post I wrote months ago on the topic of "Being Beautiful."  One observation I've been making lately is that people who are considered above average in attractiveness seem to also be well dressed.  Most of the population tends to wear comfortable attire when traveling.   There's a lot of sitting around waiting to board, the seats on the plane aren't that comfortable. The ordeal might take up an entire day.  It makes complete sense that we generally reach for comfy clothing and not pay much attention to our overall appearance.

But then there are those, who appear slightly out of place.  They're wearing tailored stylish clothing, their hair is perfectly groomed, skin flawless and makeup is flawless. They stand out most by how they dress.  So I stood there, at a charging station, and watched to see if my theory held true.  Countless people walked by before I noticed a few well dressed people...again, the same people who stood out were those who could be deemed attractive by society's standards.
Twenty minutes in my "experiment" a tall  guy with well groomed hair and a European modelesque look stops to take advantage of the empty space next to me to charge his phone.  With his back turned, I looked him up and down to observe his appearance.  From head to toe, the guy was fashionably dressed with a well fitted somewhat casual clothing.  We both stood there, looking into the crowd as a young couple were reunited.  Since they were completely oblivious to the world around them, I paid close attention to how she perfectly styled her blonde hair into long beach waves. It was obvious, by the way they dressed that both paid close attention to their appearance.  I checked my phone's charge. By the time I looked up again, I caught a quick glimpse of a woman as she walked towards her gate.  She rocked all black skinny jeans and a black fitted bomber jacket.  Her hair was in a long bob that bounced as she walked.  Her look was complete  a designer bag and a pair of nude pigalles to break up the all black canvas.

Finally, I said to myself.  "Instead of speculating, why not ask them why they took the time to "overdress."  Then I was like "that's a stupid question to ask a random stranger."  Then I was like "#fearlessfriday you gotta do it!"  I grabbed my phone and headed towards my gate completely neglecting the fact that I could have talked to the model guy standing two feet from me.  Part of me hoped that my plane would be boarding, giving me an excuse not to take on the challenge.  Then, just before I arrived at the gate, I saw the girl who was in all black, sitting next to a wall. Without thinking I walked straight to her so I could get some answers.

As I sat next to her, I got a closer look. She was probably in her mid-twenties and of Indian descent.  Her jet black hair was perfectly styled. Her winged eyeliner made her large eyes pop.  Her lipstick was the soft shade of pink that perfectly matched her skin tone and manicured nails.  Pretty much everything about her was flawless.  After introducing myself and letting her know that I would be asking her an awkward question, she smiled and said "sure, ask me whatever you want!"

"What made you dress up this way to come to an airport?"  "As part of my business, I plan million dollar weddings, I always dress up because I never know when I need to present myself for a new opportunity."  Then she went on to say that she didn't always carry herself this way.  But after a difficult time in her life, she renewed her faith in God, got baptized and got reconnected with herself.  She went on to share how grateful she was for each day and that she considered dressing well as "a celebration of life!"  "In the mornings" she told me, "I answer to God and then I answer to myself. It's my job to love me and this is how I demonstrate my love for myself."

Then she went to describe the benefits of dressing your best.  "Back, when I didn't take care of myself physically, nothing exceptional really happened in my life.  But once I started to care about my physical appearance, my business skyrocketed!"  Now I have an office in New York and I get to travel to meet new clients......I believe that if you dress in a basic way, you will lead a basic life."
After hearing that statement, I reflected back to a couple years ago, during my vacation, when I invested lots of dedicated time to make sure everything about my appearance was as close to perfect as possible.  Let me tell you my friends, things seemed to magically change around me.  My confidence skyrocketed, people interacted with differently...my thoughts were different....everything changed.  Everything.  But then I went back to work, and my old habits, again.  The girl at the airport also mentioned that a different kind of energy is projected out to others, when you look your best, that isn't the same on an average day.  I believe that energy does exist and is very powerful.  I also believe that this energy, projected day after day will compound bringing new people and experiences into your life that might not have happened if you present yourself differently.  Even Eddie Mora experienced this for himself after his physical transformation.

Before leaving I asked, "if you didn't have to do any business on your trip would you have dressed down?"  She looked me straight in the eye and unapologetically answered "no."  Her response led me to believe in how important this ritual is to life.  To her, this is an act of self love and self love must happen every. single . day.

I totally loved chatting with this person who was both beautiful on inside and out.  I would love to interview a few other people and get some different perspectives on this topic.

What are your thoughts? Do you notice the difference when you take the time to show self love in your appearance?

19 comments

  1. Oh I wish you have taken a pic of her. I love her response. I am in the wedding industry too and people respond to me better when im all dressed up. I shall try to live by her mantra. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I totally agree with this blog. I've always pressured myself to look my best at ALL times. Unfortunately, my obsession over my looks stems from a tough childhood (being teased, dark-skin, short "nappy" hair). As an adult, I love me some me! I always receive compliments from people but I sometimes still feel like that little girl who was teased ferociously by her peers...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this answer. I think you have more confidence and carry yourself differently when you dress better. And I do believe it's a way of honoring yourself and God.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I completely agree - but only because I've only just noticed this change in me. The day I stepped out like I wasn't a poor student who had just rolled out of bed but was a well put together member of society, suddenly I felt more confident, people appeared to consider me approachable and I don't know - the world didn't seem as unconquerable as it did before.

    I just love that you asked a complete stranger to find out btw. I might try that next time.

    euhnella x

    ReplyDelete
  5. The universe will give you exactly what you need as i was contemplating this same question of looking your best and vice versa. i got my answer. thank you

    ReplyDelete
  6. Honestly, I can't say that I will ever be the dressed up girl if it's not the occasion, however I gave been investing in nicer causal clothes. My motto is just because you are running errands you don't have to look run down.

    ReplyDelete
  7. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT post!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. As someone who is very casual and low maintenance, this post is a real eye opener, and it makes me want to explore new ways to look my best. ^__^

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm from Brooklyn, and style is part of the culture where I grew up. As a teenager I tried to fit in, but when I got to college I saw girls expressing their individuality everyday through fashion. Gradually I came into my own sense of style that I like to call sophisticated edgy. I put a lot of thought into what my outfit will project. Great post! I am so happy you asked her!

    ReplyDelete
  10. YES! Oh my god, YES. I believe in dressing up. I recently wrote a blog post about the importance of dressing up for travel. and generally dressing up every day.

    Love your blog post. I will link to it from my blog!

    Anceeta.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, dressing well is some powerful stuff, it appears. I definitely know that people, sometimes myself included, are more confident when they're dressed up. Think about it, salespeople always wear dress clothing when they're giving a pitch and at work in general.

    I've been re-evaluating my wardrobe and I think I've been right about needing a change.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I LOVE this post!!! I absolutely agree! I think its very important to be well groomed it brings on a beautiful confidence in me and so many things changed for the better.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I couldn't agree more! To me, dressing well is a form of good manners. I love her response on this topic and glad you approached her.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice post. My mother used to tell me the same thing. My mom used to dress very nicely to travel, because she said you never know who you are going to meet.

    ReplyDelete
  15. this is such a beautiful post and pretty much the kick in the arse I needed to hear. Been putting off dressing well for myself for ages

    ReplyDelete
  16. I absolutely love your blog. You are an inspiration. I read your post some time ago about the law of attraction, in which I believe (I have the dvd "The Secret") I need to be more consistent with it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great Post; beauty and success seem to go perfectly together then? Point taken...:-). Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh wow what a beautiful post! It really resonate with me as I try to give myself some self love more. It's true how it changes your outlook on yourself and life! Yes, to more dressing up.every.day!
    Ping~LaotianChic livingthischiclife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. This girl's statement is one of the most inspiring things I read recently,and your whole post is absolutely on point. I personally love dressing my best but recently a combination of winter,busyness and depression made me a bit of a slacker.Thanks for motivating me to start taking more care again. Love your blog btw, I have just discovered it. Greetings from a new reader :) Sara x

    ReplyDelete

. BELLEMOCHA.com Theme by STS.