A lot of girls have good fashion sense and put a lot of effort into picking out their clothes, but they still end up dressing in a way that's unattractive. That's because they pick out clothes that they think will look good on them, instead of picking out clothes that will actually suit them. In this article you will learn the true secret of dressing well: buying clothes that make you pretty, instead of just buying pretty clothes.

When you're shopping, make sure you buy clothes that'll flatter your body type. If you're a tall girl, do you really want to buy those heels or those capri pants? If you're chubby, do you want a skintight halter top? Just because something looks nice doesn't mean it will look nice on YOU.
Pay attention to colors. Even if an piece of clothing makes your body look good, if it's a color that doesn't suit you, it might make you look pale or sort of greenish.
Don't buy a piece of clothing just because it has a nice pattern on it, or has a funny slogan. That tee-shirt might be really funny...but it can also make you look 10lbs heavier.
If you see an outfit in a magazine like Vogue, you might be tempted to reproduce that exact same outfit. But some things (like hoop skirts or weird ripped leggings) just aren't practical for everyday wear, and might make you look weird. So buy something that sort of mimics that outfit, without actually totally trying to dress like a model, which most people can't pull off. For example, if that hypothetical hoop skirt had a lace trim that you really liked, you could get a lacey blouse.
Realize that just because something's name-brand, it doesn't make it cute. An ugly shirt from Abercrombie is still an ugly shirt.
Don't buy something just because it's trendy. If you're a short girl, why get Ugg boots when you can get heels, which'll make you look taller and better?
* Understand that some things that are very trendy now but just don't look that good when you wear them. Remember how people in the 70's wore those horrible flare pants and tie-dye shirts? They thought those looked cool, at the time, but now we know better. In 20 years people will look back and wonder how anyone went around looking pregnant in a baybdoll top or could walk around with their butt bulging out of skinny jeans without feeling embarassed.
There's nothing wrong with showing some skin, but make sure that the area you're showing off is one that looks good. A lot of girls think that it's sexy to show off their chest, no matter how large or small it is...but a very thin girl, for example, wouldn't do well to be showing everyone her rib cage. Instead of wearing something low-cut, a girl like that could wear a halter top, to show off her flat tummy. Likewise, a chubby girl should show off her chest, and cover up the stomach region.

Be confident, and know that this is all about dressing to emphasize your unique beauty, not cover up your flaws.
Get a good friend to go shopping with you, so she can tell you if something looks good on you or not.

Even though this article criticizes trends, there's nothing wrong with looking modern. You don't have to dress like you're from the 1800s or anything!
Don't get too paranoid about your flaws.

Every girl has trouble deciding what her style should be. Preppy, punk, grungy, girly...which one? If you have trouble deciding, you have come to the right place. Read on for steps, tips and warnings!

Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you thin, curvy or normal? If you are curvy, casual-clothing is suggested. If you consider yourself thin, then jock and preppy clothing is good for you. And if your normal, girly is perfect!
Think back about your hairstyles. Do you usually tie them in a ponytail? Make a braid? Leave your hair open? If you tie your hair then it is usually for a jock style. A braid could be preppy type and let open is obviously girly.
Decide which you like best. So your thin and fit to be preppy or a jock. What if you don't want to? No one is forcing you to. A girly style or maybe a punk would be ok with you.
After you have decided, go shopping! For example you chose girly: Buy skirts, tops, high-heels, boots and hair accessories. Wear pink clothing. Be girly!
When you have chosen and not sure what to buy for your style, there's always the internet! Search for 'preppy' as images on google or yahoo and then see all the girls and guys wearing preppy outfits. Get clothes similar to that.
Show off your new style!

If your style is not mentioned above, eg. animal lover. I suggest wearing plain tops with jeans. Or the tops could have animals printed on it or a slogan. Capri's would look good and you can add hair accessories.
Add a handbag to preppy or girly.
If you can't choose between two styles, eg. preppy and girly then take out all of your clothes. Try on the preppy clothings and see if you look good in them. Try on your girly outfits and see if you look even better than before. Choose!

If you still can't decide, don't even think about opening your wardrobe and taking out everything to mess it up.
It is your choice, but doing punk, or grungy are a bit odd fashion styles and your parents might not like it. Choose a nice, cute style like girly. Or maybe preppy.

You hear about this all the time in the media, mostly relating to news coming out of some political venue. They are talking about how someone can present negative information in a way that makes it sound like it's a good thing. It's not really lying, it's not "disinformation" but it's not a straight-forward presentation either. In many ways, it's the essence of politics. The same technique is often used by corporations to present less than favorable financial news.

Very often, it isn't possible to know when this is happening because the people doing it are very, very good at it. If it's not done properly, however, it's obvious and transparent, and nothing good will come of it. Here are some steps that will help you get an idea of how to use this technique should you find yourself in a position that requires it.

Research the event: You need to know, to the last detail, what happened. If you don't have this knowledge, you will do better to gloss over the event until you do know. Note dates and times, things that led up to the event, people involved and most significantly, the immediate results.
Create a timeline: This is not just for the past but for the future too. Use your research to build this, then project as many repercussions as you can into the future. If, for example, a retail corporation had a very poor fourth quarter, will you need to close stores; lay off people; borrow money? Identify all the bad things that are likely to come of this.
Create alternate event descriptions: This is where you will build the "spin" for the public. You can't do anything about things that happened - they happened - but you can present them differently.
People didn't buy from lower-priced competitors; they delayed premium buying decisions.
You didn't have ineffective marketing; you delayed premium advertising to coincide with the delayed buying decisions.
You aren't going to close stores; you're repositioning for market acquisition.
You aren't laying off sales employees; you're elevating the consumer's experience through added independence.
Roleplay and improve: To do this properly, it takes a group of people dedicated to the result. You will need several "devil's advocate" types to listen to the presentation and slice it to pieces. You want to know every possible argument ahead of time. Use small focus groups and make the presentation, then tweak it, then do it again. Each time the backlash is reduced, you've made an effective improvement. Eventually (after 4 or 5 sessions) you should get to a stable point.
Prepare your audience: You're not going to just jump in and make your presentation. You want the audience to be receptive to your information. Start leaking information that is favorable to your position and negative to any alternate position. You will neither confirm nor deny this information, but you will caution people that any information about your corporation will come from official sources, only.
Pause: Don't release your information immediately following the leaks. Let the audience have time to absorb and process the information - they need time to reach equilibrium.
Go Public: Release your information. Publicly and loudly. A surprise press conference (that was rumored to be in the works) is an effective and time-tested method. Whether you have a Q&A session after will really depend on how good your spin is and, to a large extent, how prepared you are. It's also a matter of personal taste.
See Step 1: Spin only lasts just so long. Eventually, the future catches up to your timeline, and you'll need to make new announcements. Start planning for how you'll do that, now. This is really an endless cycle and there is strong job security for somebody that's good at it.

A positive attitude is a must. You absolutely may not allow yourself to exhibit even the tiniest bit of indecisiveness. If you don't believe it, they won't.

Credibility is critical. Your audience must believe you without any question. You are appealing largely to their emotions.
Have diversity in your focus groups. You want the members to be as varied as possible so they will have different views on your presentation.


This can have a serious backlash if there are holes in your presentation. Be as critical as possible.
Be sure about the loyalties of the people that help you. Select your focus groups carefully.
Don't fall for your own spin. It sounds good, makes sense... but seriously, you know better. You built the twist - don't let it go to your head.

Persuasiveness is one of the most important skills anyone can learn because it is useful in countless situations.At work, at home, and in your social life, the ability to be persuasive and influence others can be instrumental for achieving goals and being happy.

Learning about the tricks of persuasion can also give you insight into when they're being used on you. The biggest benefit of this is that money will stay in your pocket as you realize just how sales people and advertisers sell you products that you don't necessarily need. Here are several techniques that work on a subconscious level.

Framing. When someone tells you "Don't think about an elephant" you find it difficult to comply; by just mentioning "elephant", the image pops into your mind, regardless of the context. This is a classic example of framing. Framing is frequently used by skillful politicians. For instance, politicians on both sides of the abortion debate cite their positions as "pro-choice" or "pro-life," because "pro" has better connotations than "anti." Framing is a subtle way of deploying emotionally charged words to shift people towards your point of view.

Whenever you wish to launch a persuasive argument, plan the words that you would use, and correlate them to images they would conjure in the minds of the target audience. Classify the images as either positive, negative or neutral. Regardless of other words are within its vicinity, a single word would still be effective in framing an argument. Another example is illustrated by the difference between saying "Having a cell phone will keep me out of trouble" and "Having a cell phone will keep me safe". Ponder which word is more effective for your message: "trouble" or "safe".

Mirroring. Mirroring someone is when you mimic their movements. The movement can be virtually anything, but some obvious ones are hand gestures, leaning forward or away, or various head and arm movements. We all do this subconsciously, and if you pay attention you'll probably notice yourself doing it. How to mirror someone is self explanatory, but a few key things to remember are to be subtle about it and leave a delay between the other person's movement and your mirroring (2-4 seconds works best). This is also known as "the chameleon effect".
3 Scarcity. This is one that advertisers use a lot. Opportunities, whatever they are, seem a lot more appealing when there is a limited availability. This can be useful to the average person in the right situation, but even more importantly, this is a method of persuasion to be aware of. Stop and consider how much you're being influenced by the fact that a product is scarce. If the product is scarce, there must be a ton of demand for it right?
Reciprocation. It's the old saying, "Do unto others...". When someone does something for us, we feel compelled to return the favor. So, if you want someone to do something nice for you, why not do something nice for them first? In a business setting, maybe you pass them a lead. If at home, maybe it's you letting the neighbor borrow the lawn mower. It doesn't matter where or when you do it, the key is to complement the relationship.
Timing. People are more likely to be agreeable and submissive when they're mentally fatigued. Before you ask someone for something they might not be quick to agree to, try waiting until a more opportune time when they've just done something mentally taxing. This could be at the end of the work day when you catch a co-worker on their way out the door. Whatever you ask, a likely response is, "I'll take care of it tomorrow."
Congruence. We all try, subconsciously, to be consistent with previous actions. One great example is a technique used by salespeople. A salesperson will shake your hand as he is negotiating with you. In most people's minds, a handshake equates to a closed deal, and so by doing this before the deal is reached, the salesperson is much more likely to negotiate you in to a closed deal. A good way to use this yourself is to get people acting before they make up their minds. If, for example, you were out and about with a friend and you wanted to go see a movie but the friend was undecided, you could start walking in the direction of the theater while they make up their mind.
Fluid speech. When we talk, we often use little interjections and hesitant phrases such as "ummm" or "I mean" and of course there is the ubiquitous "like". These little conversation quirks have the unintended effect of making us seem less confident and sure of ourselves, and thus less persuasive. If you're confident in your speech, others will be more easily persuaded by what you have to say.
Herd behavior. We constantly look to those around us to determine our actions; we have the need for acceptance. We are far more likely to follow or be persuaded by someone we like or by someone who is in an authority position. A simple, effective way to use this to your advantage is to be a leader, and let the herd follow you. You don't need any official title to be seen as a leader. Be charming and confident and people will place greater weight on your opinion. If you're dealing with someone who isn't likely to see you as an authority (such as a superior in the workplace, or your significant other's parent) you can still take advantage of herd behavior: Casually praise a leader who that person admires. By triggering positive thoughts in that person's mind about a person they look up to, they'll be more likely to associate those qualities with you.

Man's best friend. To give people the impression that you're loyal, and to inspire them to be loyal to you, put up a picture of you with a dog (it doesn't even have to be your own dog). This can make you seem like a team player, but don't go overboard; putting up too many pictures can make you seem unprofessional.
Offer a drink. Give the person who you're persuading a warm drink (tea, coffee, hot cocoa) to hold while you're talking to them. The warm sensation of the drink in their hands (and their body) can subconsciously make them feel like you're an emotionally warm, likable and welcoming person. Giving them a cold drink can have the opposite effect! In general, people tend to feel cold and crave warm food or drinks when they're feeling socially isolated, so fill that need in order to make them more receptive.

Break the touch barrier. Whether you're closing a deal or asking someone on a date, touching them (in a subtle and appropriate way) can improve your chances by subconsciously activating the human desire to bond. In a professional environment, a pat on the back or hand on the shoulder as you're passing by or offering reassurance can go a long way. In romantic situations, any soft touch from a woman will usually be taken well; men will require further reading in order to avoid making a woman feel uncomfortable.

There are several things you can do to make yourself seem more dominant, like wearing an all-black outfit or maintaining a neutral face, but there are times when being dominant isn't necessarily more persuasive. If you're a salesperson, you might prefer to relate to the client, rather than intimidate--but if you're a supervisor, giving people a more dominant impression might mean getting your way more often.
Use the same techniques you fear from a sales person on the sales person. For example - you are out to buy a car, be the lead in the conversation. Ask questions that you know the answer to, like "So car sales are down, huh?" and "Man, I bet you guys need to move these 08's with the 09's already on the floor." This will encourage the sales person to work harder to close the sale. Remind them that their income is not what it once was, without coming out and saying so.
If you want someone to clean up after themselves, spray a little bit of all purpose cleaner in the area that's a mess. The faint smell can sometimes trigger the desire to tidy up.

Don't persuade anyone to do something that isn't conducive to their well-being.
Be careful using persuasive techniques in friendships. Sometimes a decision needs to be made, and it is OK to convince others to 'buy in'. However, if you do this too often, people may interpret this as you being controlling, or manipulative, both of which can lead to undesirable outcomes.