Forget Men—I Dress To Impress My Girlfriends

Nothing beats the feeling of hitting the town in a new outfit and knowing you look hot AF. We all like to whip out a killer look from time to time (or every day!), but the question is, who exactly is it all for? Surprisingly, I rarely plan my outfit around impressing guys. Instead, fashion is all about impressing my girlfriends. Here’s why:

  1. Dressing to please men means ignoring my personal tastes. Excuse me if I generalize slightly here, but my experience of men tells me that they’re pretty bland when it comes to their taste in clothes. A pair of skinny jeans and a v-neck sweater tend to go down way more favorably than my favorite dungarees and crop top combo. As someone with pretty eclectic taste in clothes, dressing to please men means ignoring my basic instinct for the bold and swapping it for something much more, well, boring.
  2. Low cut and figure-hugging just isn’t me. Surprise, surprise, when men comment (usually uninvited) on my outfit choice, their responses are always the same: “Why don’t you go for something more fitted?” Ever since I was a chubby teenager, I’ve lived in baggy clothes, and now that I’m happier with my figure, I still find loose stuff more comfortable. Tight tops and jeans just don’t feel right, and I won’t be changing my style to impress a guy.
  3. My boyfriend will never understand my passion for platforms. Bless them, guys just don’t really get fashion. You can be wearing a look borrowed straight from the catwalk, but if it’s a little out there, you’re unlikely to please your average guy at a bar. Men view clothes as a way of showing off your body, while women use them as a way to express themselves. With such different attitudes to fashion, I’m never going to please men with what I wear, so why try?
  4. Guys aren’t competition in the fashion stakes. When I get ready to go out with my boyfriend, it never crosses my mind to worry if my outfit will be as good as his (if anything, I’m just praying he’ll change out of his sweatpants!) On a night with the girls, though, things get much more complicated. I want to look cool without looking like I’ve tried too hard and to have the best outfit but be able to pull it off in an effortless way.
  5. Women are harder to impress. If a guy’s interested in you, he’ll say whatever he thinks will make you happy. Don’t get me wrong, I love being told that I look good, but it makes the whole idea of trying to impress someone kind of pointless. My friends, on the other hand, are a pretty stylish bunch and will only compliment me on my outfit if they really mean it. Getting good feedback from my friends is so much more valuable to me than hearing it from random men.
  6. If guys struggle to notice my new haircut, what’s the point in trying with clothes? There are some guys who clearly know a thing or two about fashion (if a woman’s eyes land on your t-shirt rather than your face, boys, I’m talking about you), but it’s fair to say that the majority just aren’t that interested. Most of the guys I know wear the same pair of jeans with a handful of t-shirts on loop and are unlikely to register what I’m wearing from one day to the next. With so little enthusiasm for fashion, what’s the point in trying to impress guys that way?
  7. Guys are more interested in what’s underneath your clothes. My girlfriends see fashion as a whole exciting entity—when we put together a really well thought-out outfit, the last thing on our minds is getting back out of it. For guys, though, clothes are just a means to an end—a necessary covering of your body until such time as they can undress you. When they’re so hung up on what you’re hiding underneath, they’re not going to take any interest in what you’re wearing.
  8. If a guy doesn’t like my outfit, it doesn’t bother me. So I might be being a bit unfair to men here, and surely there are some guys who will have an opinion on what you’re wearing. Thing is, if a guy doesn’t like my outfit, it genuinely doesn’t bother me. That’s because I know that they’re judging my clothes by totally different standards. They don’t care if my sandals are in fashion or my dress makes me look like a boss—they’re just seeing if what I’m wearing shows off my figure in the best light, which I’m not bothered about in the slightest.
  9. Women appreciate each other’s style. My favorite thing about shopping with my girlfriends is seeing clothes that are unmistakably “them.” Fashion is a celebration of your personal style, and owning a look that’s different from everyone around you is part of the fun. Women appreciate each other’s style and can spot a great outfit, even if it’s something they would never wear themselves. Dressing to impress other women is a whole lot more satisfying.
  10. Fashion should be about self-expression. Ultimately, fashion is about what works and feels good for you, not the rest of the world. For me, though, that’s what’s so great about dressing to impress my girlfriends—they see my clothes as an expression of who I am and value the effort that’s gone in, rather than just wondering whether my boobs are that big without a push-up bra. If it’s impossible to please both at once, I’d choose impressing my girlfriends every time.
Isobel is a freelance blogger and writer for hire specialising in content for millennials who haven't quite got it together yet (i.e. herself). When not glued to her laptop, she enjoys eating cheese, doing yoga and spending time with family and friends.
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