Taking the time, effort or spending the money to be well-groomed is not vanity. It is not only for those who are “self-absorbed” or the wealthy. Anyone can be well-groomed. We may not all use the same products, but we can achieve more or less the same result. Report by Heather R
Collins New English Dictionary defines grooming as “keeping (oneself or one’s appearance) clean and tidy. It is worth the effort because good grooming achieves positive results, while looking unkempt achieves negative results.
Why should you take your grooming seriously?
First Impressions You do not get a second chance to make a first impression. Unkempt never makes a good first impression. If anything, you distract people from paying attention to you and instead they are stuck on your dirty, long fingernails and unbrushed teeth or your sweaty odour.
Consideration for others Bad breath, the pungent smell of sweaty armpits, stinky shoes, the works, are no paradise for anyone that has to sit with you and endure these odours. So if you cannot be bothered to do it for yourself, do it for those around you and the ones who will have to interact with you.
The wrapping is as important as the package You may be the most terrific person in the world, but you need to take your appearance seriously enough to lure other people into finding out what lies beneath the “wrapping”. Would you trust a hairdresser with bad hair to do your hair? If they cannot do their own hair, what would make it possible for them to be able to do yours? Match your terrific personality with terrific grooming.
Well-groomed people are taken more seriously than their dishevelled counterparts.
If you are driving or walking and you encounter a scruffy looking person, you find yourself holding onto your handbag a little tighter or locking car doors. Or when you have a meeting with important people, you dress your best in order to show them you mean business and that you take them seriously.
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Employers do not take unkempt people seriously
I once watched an episode of the Tyra Banks Show where they wanted to see to what extent society judged each other based on looks. They took identical twin sisters and made the one look badly groomed, while the other was well-groomed. The badly groomed twin was given bushy eyebrows, braces and a number of zits. She had no lip gloss, no jewellery. She wore a frumpy over-sized sweater and baggy jeans. Her CV on the other hand was outstanding. Her twin had the tweezed eyebrows, lip gloss, manicured nails and hair that looked shiny and luscious. Her CV on the other hand was shallow with no outstanding achievements and work experience, unlike her sister’s.
Yet, when they went for job interviews, no one took the scruffy twin seriously, in spite of her achievements. Instead, they were prepared to take on the better looking twin and train her. Even when they stopped to ask for directions in the street, the scruffy sister received very little help, while the better groomed twin had both men and women eager to help her out.
Yes, in the US they may be more superficial when it comes to appearance but there is no denying that unless you are doing charity work in the slums or places where looking good is not a priority but food is, then appearance does matter.
I am not referring to expensive clothes and perfume but I am talking about, bathing properly, cutting your nails, washing your hair and styling it neatly, just to mention a few. Next week I will share some grooming tips.
