Men Can Avoid Looking “Undateable”

In their hilarious book, “Undateable,” Ellen Rakieten and Anne Coyle offer “311 Things Guys do to Guarantee They Won’t be Dating or Having Sex.”

Poor wardrobe choices are high on their list of turn-offs, from minor infractions like wearing tube socks to insurmountable blunders like the dreaded Speedo.

The book is geared toward single guys, but the material is just as relevant for married men. In fact, Coyle says, “That’s when the fun really starts.” And by fun, she means makeover. Coyle believes most men are willing to make changes in their grooming and wardrobe to please their mate.

“It’s not like men are really committed to acid washed jeans or crocs,” she says. “It’s just that no one has ever told them.”

Here are some basic guidelines from “Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won’t Be Dating or Having Sex” to help your guy become more stylish and—here’s the carrot—more desirable.

The Hair Scare
A full head of hair is sexy, but guys with thinning hair should avoid any form of comb-over, toupee or the unflattering bald-on-top/hair-on-sides style “Undateable” dubs the “Ben Franklin.”

“Thank you for the electricity. We love it! Now go shave the rest of your head,” instruct the authors, who believe bald can be hot, but balding badly is not.

Jeans Jeopardy
According to Coyle, “Get the jeans wrong and your whole outfit is screwed.” Unfortunately, there are so many ways to go wrong.  Rolled up, embellished, pre-ripped, sky-blue, cropped or waist-high jeans are unflattering on virtually all men.

The best bet for guys is medium to dark blue jeans that hang from the hips and cover the top of the shoe. When in doubt, try Levi’s 501s. For all pants, skip the pleats and go with a flat front; it’s slimming and modern and chicks dig it.

Shirt Alert
Unless you’re at the beach, any shirt is better than none. That said, men should stick to basics on top. Tattoo covered Ed Hardy tees, sports jerseys, loud Hawaiian shirts and outdated patterned “Cosby” sweaters may attract attention, but they don’t attract women.

Their advice is to “go with a polo shirt or a long-sleeved, lightweight cotton oxford shirt in white, pale blue, or a mild stripe. Keep it untucked and un-ironed. Roll up the sleeves and off you go.”

Criminal Accessories
“Undateable” lists many more wardrobe gaffes that the hundreds of women they interviewed found off-putting—socks with sandals, gimmicky ties, “man”-danas, fanny packs, gold chains, novelty belt buckles, weird facial hair, and tighty-whitey underwear. The book is filled with comical pictures and bitingly funny commentary. For example, the take on cutoff shorts and shirts is: “Reeks of swamps and inbreeding.”

Rakieten and Coyle don’t pull any punches, but they’ve written the book with good intentions.

“This book is a public service,” says Coyle. “We’re the nice older sisters telling guys how to avoid making terrible mistakes and be at their best so they can connect with women.”

If your man wants to connect more with you, maybe he’ll take a page or two out of the book “Undateable.”

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