23 and single - what do I need to work on?

Serenity

Wow Joanna, you actually have a great figure and that dress shows it off well.

Not crazy about the print, but the cut is great on you. Really shows off your strong, shapely legs.

A few more dresses like that in vibrant, solid colors would be a good addition to your wardrobe.

DaveBowman

Joanna said:

Huh... the picture didn't show up. I'll try again:

Honestly, don't like it.

Pattern is distracting and reminds me of my grandmother for some reason.

And it's too poofy around your hips -- makes you look like you're hiding a big ass (which I don't think you have).

Try something more like this.



EDIT: This is from Victoria's Secret. Go buy one. And pick up some sexy stuff for underneath, every girl I've ever talked to said that does wonders for your confidence.

DaveBowman

Scarlet said:

@Joanna, you are completely adorable.  I say let your hair explode.  It does not need to be contained.  My hair is a different texture than yours, but I get the most compliments from men when I let it go wild.  

Yes. Go for the sexy bed head look.

Serenity

The dress that @DaveBowman posted would look great on you.  The pic you posted is a step above the less fitted ones you posted earlier, but the one Dave posted is even better.

You've got a rocking figure. You really need to showcase it.

BetaGeek

@DaveBowman, some guys like a woman with hips and ass. Especially with a fit body.

@Joanna - you are rocking it. In two months you will know your style, have some paramours and be the confidence queen.

Maria

Why not get dresses in different cuts?
Some with short, flowing skirts and some tight ones.

Variatio delectat.

neen

She's going to need a sugar daddy.

DaveBowman

BetaGeek said:

@DaveBowman, some guys like a woman with hips and ass. Especially with a fit body.

100% agree. Gotta have some curves.

But can't look like you're trying to hide 'em.

DaveBowman

neen said:

She's going to need a sugar daddy.

if she wears that dress she'll get one

shanna_banana

First of all, MAJOR props to you for putting yourself out there for public opinion! I don't know if I would have had the guts to do that at your age. You have a great figure and with some minor tweaking in the "beauty department", I think you could really get noticed!
Just wanted to chime in with hair help.

@Alphabelle 's tips with curly hair are perfect. I use a curl cream and moroccan oil myself. Scrunch with an old, soft Tshirt (towels can promote frizz). You can dry with a diffuser, if you like. Won't damage your hair. If I'm in a hurry, or out of the more expensive stuff, this old school tried-and-true mousse works great.


NEXT: Seriously consider parting your hair on the side. Almost NO ONE looks good with their hair parted down the middle. Your face is oval and the part in the middle is accentuating that even more. The only way I'd wear your hair down the middle is if, after you grew it out you got layers and highlights, like this:

Next up....color advice...

shanna_banana

Wait, one more hair thing...I know there was a lot of debate recently on bangs or "fringe" as UK'ers and Kiwis call 'em. But I noticed your forehead is high and I think you would look AWESOME with sideswept 1/2 bangs, like this:


Color:
You appear to be a fair skinned brunette. There are 2 ways to go strong with this look.
1) Embrace the pale and contrast. Wear bright jewel tones (Red, cobalt, dark emerald). Wear bold lipstick and dark eyeliner. Silver jewelry.
or, the other option
2) Use a self tanner, highlight or redden your hair, wear softer neutral tones, bronze or coral lipstick, gold jewelry.

I will tell you right now the second look is more work (redder hair, tanner), but my husband prefers it so that's the one I do.
I couldn't find a perfect example, but here's what I basically mean:

neen

Wow @shanna_banana what a thoughtful post! How does she get hair straight if she wants a straighter look now?

shanna_banana

neen said:

Wow @shanna_banana what a thoughtful post! How does she get hair straight if she wants a straighter look now?

There are a couple of ways. She could use a flat iron, but I hate to promote them because they can really fry your hair if it's fine, or if you're not experienced.
The best way is to blow-dry with a round brush, like this:

Joanna

@DaveBowman, I like that dress but now that @thinksalot pointed out that all my stuff looks like "late twenties" clothing, I think it might be in that category as well...

What do you guys think of dresses like this one?

It's a VS dress, they have different colors, prints etc., so I'm just asking about the form/cut. It seems younger-looking and more "hot fun girlfriend" to me... do you get the same impression?

I'm going shopping today and might buy something along those lines. If I can't find anything like it, I might just buy it online (we don't have VS here).

Joanna

Oh, and the report from yesterday, of course

I spent two hours in a cafe before class, but didn't get approached. I wasn't sad at all, though, because I got to go to salsa after class, and apart from the first few minutes where people were still arriving, I barely got to sit down until midnight. I danced with four or five guys. All of them were good dancers, but two were really good, and those were also the two who danced with me the most and asked me for dances multiple times. At one point they were basically competing for my dance time I talked with both of them between dances and they asked me to come to other salsa places during the week. One of them accompanied me to my subway station and asked for my number.

ETA: I also learned the cha-cha-cha.

Maria

And I bet the flowing skirt looked great when you danced!

Maria

Joanna said:

ETA: I also learned the cha-cha-cha.

We used to dance the Cha-cha-cha to Vienna calling by Falco ;-)

Joanna

Okay, experiment day 2... I'm not going to post my outfit every day though, that would be a bit much

The shirt can be worn either shoulder-free (one or both sides) or low-cut but with normal short sleeves, depending on how you place the fabric. I'll probably let my hair down if it doesn't get too warm, but right now it's still too messy for public inspection, hence the huge blockout

Joanna

and @shanna_banana and others (@AlphaBelle, @Neanderthal2000,...), thanks for the hair tips And it took me about a year of thinking about posting pictures (or even that much info) and the pros and cons before I actually did it

Maria

If you want to get away from the "nice girl" image try jeans hotpants!
I love mine.

Joanna said:

Okay, experiment day 2... I'm not going to post my outfit every day though, that would be a bit much

Oh, do! This is so much fun!