A person who dresses well always catches my attention. When I say well, I could mean a variety of things. I could mean that the person knows how to dress appropriately for most occasions; or that a person has a good idea of what styles work for him/her and are fashionable at the same time; or I could mean that a person dresses neatly, donning shirts or skirts that almost never have any creases on them. Or I can mean all of these at the same time.

I have gone through innumerable days when I absolutely knew that what I was wearing wasn't smart enough, probably was even not color-coordinated or even worse, the less endearing have-seen-better-days style. What I find shameful is the fact that I knew I wasn't going to get any brownie points for being stylish and I didn't do anything about it. Instead, I strolled down the street, wearing my devil-may-care, i'm-not-dictated-by-fashion sneer and that was the only thing I had to show for.

People who are too focused on the way they dress to the point of stupidity and impracticality disgust me. But I don't like not caring, either. Truth of the matter is, we live in a superficial world filled with people who may judge you for how you project yourself to the world. I hate to sound like a total cheesecake but if people see that you don't care about yourself, chances are, they'd pass you by faster than you can say Armani.

The place I work in and the actual nature of the job is a classic example. We are the first people whom applicants see. When we set a foot out that door doth which separates the employed from the job-seekers, the people who see us tend to make these following calculations:

a) how we look compared to the other recruiters from the other companies they've applied at

b) how much our annual salaries are

c) where we shop, or more importantly, where we can afford to shop in

d) will they look like us X years from now

See, it's not just us who's making the judgment call. They are also capable of arriving at their own set of conclusions. Sure, you come off as someone who's very smart. People know that your stats are off the roof. However, if you look like someone's dowdy aunt from god-knows-where, people may start questioning your company's financial capabilities. Will this company pay me as stingily as it seems to be paying her? Naku, wag na lang.

I'm not saying that they'll respect you less. It's just that the package adds to the value. It's good that you give others the benefit of the doubt and think that almost everyone would have the understanding and the intelligence to let you off the fashionable hook that easily. But come on. Stop watching that stupid Tyra Banks show. Looks matter. Looks are important. They aren't everything, that's right. You don't need a college degree to know that. But looks count, in more ways than you can probably ever imagine.

That's why I like checking this site out. It gives me hope for the world.