Often times women are judged by the way they dress.
Is it revealing and tacky, classy and sophisticated or laid-back and urban?
Many discussions have surrounded this issue and men have expressed their wants and opinions about women and their attire.
But what about men? They, too, are judged by the way they dress.
Women do pay attention to the way men dress, pointing out their likes and dislikes.
The fashion decisions a man makes can tell a lot about him as well.
Women seem to associate the way that a man dresses with his hygiene, and the way he would treat her as his girlfriend.
“The way a man dresses shows that if he can take care of himself, then he wants his lady looking right as well,” said Elizabeth Roger, 20, sophomore criminal justice student from Miami.
“So that means he will make sure she is clean and dressed right.”
So, what is it that women like to see men dressed in?
Well the reoccurring theme seems to be clean clothes and shoes.
It may not matter if the man is in a button down or a t-shirt or in Timberlands or sneakers-CLEAN- is the key.
“If a guy is trying to holla at me and is dressed really bad and looks dirty, I won’t try to ‘holla back,'” said Erika Kennedy, 20, sophomore public relations student from Maryland.
“If he looks good and clean cut, then I might give him a chance.”
Some women said they understand that at this age, men may not be into the shirt-and-tie stage yet. Urban wear seems to be what some females are attracted to in men.
“I prefer a man to wear urban gear,” agreed Natasha Valley, 20, a sophomore political science student from London, England.
Urban gear usually entails clothing, shoes and accessories catered to the hip-hop generation.
Some urban favorites women prefer are Girbaud, Sean John, Rocawear, Nike Air Force Ones, Jordan and Timberland.
Though name brands make a fashion statement, they also make a financial statement.
The labels can mean one of two things. Either the man is “ballin’ out” or just spending all his money on his clothes and nothing else.
“Deceit is in the mind of the beholder,” said Kristal Williams, 19, a sophomore health care management student from Miami. “Just because a guy dresses nice doesn’t mean he has money. He might be broke and uses his net check to buy clothes once a semester.”
Williams also said, “Brands like Sean John say ‘ballin out’ while brands like Girbaud say ‘hood rich’.”
For those men who are wondering what females consider dressed or cleaned up-wonder no more.
Since, and maybe prior to, the “growing up” of Hip Hop, a suit and tie is no longer the standard for being dressed or cleaned up.
“I see a lot of young guys come in and buy button downs more than anything else,” said Raven Roberts, a sales associate at Express clothing store. “Some also come in to buy the jeans when they are dressing up because of the different fit.”
Valley, too agreed.
“Cleaned up is a button up and nice jeans or a blazer,” Valley said.
Some men seem to be in agreement with women. Many men consider the same attire to be dressy.
“When I think of dressy I usually think Cosmo, but now hard bottoms, jeans, a nice button down and a blazer can pass for dressy,” said Quinton James, 20, a business student from Chicago.
It seems as though some women like men to be dressed in urban gear or jeans and a nice shirt with a pair of nice shoes.
No matter the place or time, if wearing a white tee, make sure it is clean and crisp. If sporting a pair of Air Force Ones, be sure they look brand new and coordinate.
Women associate a man’s appearance with how clean he is, how well he takes care of himself, how well he will take care of her and his financial status.
The outer appearance speaks a lot about anyone-male or female.
Contact Constance Rush at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com