How do you get a guy to notice you? To make it absolutely clear, I'm in no way advocating the scary masochistic Stepford Wives mentality of doing whatever it takes to please a man, however, I think every girl who has ever hoped of finding a nice guy has at least thought about what it takes to get a guy to notice her.
So, what do men find attractive and what makes a guy approach a girl in a social setting? For our final project in my Nonverbal Communication class, my friends and I decided to study a topic that could have interesting implications for romantic relationships. We surveyed 64 men and asked them what physical qualities (more specifically clothing, makeup and hairstyle) they find most attractive in a woman. Then, we asked them which qualities would make them approach that woman.
Again, another note in my group's defense. We're completely aware that looks are not the most important thing in relationships, but given the nature of the bar interactions we were studying, looks are the first thing people tend to notice. Physical appearance can often spark the desire to begin an interaction, through which people can later learn more about each other.
Here are some sample answers from our free-response section
What aspects of a woman's appearance are you most attracted to when you meet a woman at a bar?
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| Socially competent or just drunk off their faces? This is what you get when you Google "Bar Flirting." |
So, what do men find attractive and what makes a guy approach a girl in a social setting? For our final project in my Nonverbal Communication class, my friends and I decided to study a topic that could have interesting implications for romantic relationships. We surveyed 64 men and asked them what physical qualities (more specifically clothing, makeup and hairstyle) they find most attractive in a woman. Then, we asked them which qualities would make them approach that woman.
Again, another note in my group's defense. We're completely aware that looks are not the most important thing in relationships, but given the nature of the bar interactions we were studying, looks are the first thing people tend to notice. Physical appearance can often spark the desire to begin an interaction, through which people can later learn more about each other.
Here are some sample answers from our free-response section
What aspects of a woman's appearance are you most attracted to when you meet a woman at a bar?
- Not whorish, slutty, or overdressed. Keep it casual.
- Eyes, smile and a fit body.
- Face, natural beauty (not makeup covered)
- BOOBS!
- Because she looked happy and like she was having fun. She looked nice and not like a bitch.
- To find out whether or not she's sane.
- U never know where u will meet the right one [This one's my favorite!]
- Blame it on the ah ah ah alcohol.
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| Here's a chart of the Likert scale responses. |
From these answers, it appears as though men like it when women dress up, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will approach them. To test this out, my group members and I went out on the town to test it out. One night, we went out dressed casually in jeans, flats and casual tops. We got quite a bit of attention from the guys! We went out again to the same bar two weeks later on the same day of the week, this time dressed up a bit nicer in skirts and heels. The reactions we got were mostly creepy looks and not the kind of attention we wanted. Our survey answers seemed to be confirmed.
So what does this mean, ladies? It's always fun to dress up and go out with the girls, but don't think that dressing up alone will elicit positive attention from the guys. Oftentimes a nice smile and a bit of confidence can do the trick!