When you’re trying to get a girlfriend online, presentation is everything. Countless girls will be visiting your profile and judging you based on what they see, and sadly a lot of girls will leave immediately if they don’t like your profile picture. While it’s important to show your personality in your picture, it’s easy to get carried away and turn women off. If you’re taking a picture specifically for your profile, then be aware of what you’re wearing. Something too flashy will make her back off right away, so give yourself a fighting chance by being selective about your clothing choices.

Avoid the Clown Look

“Do not ruin your picture by making stupid faces”

First off, don’t wear shirts that are too garish. A lot of contrasting colors and patterns make you look poorly put together Although, a lot of guys use this method to make themselves look like more fun. Guys also think that this sort of shirt gives off the impression that they have a good sense of humor – it might work if she’s into clowns, but otherwise it’s not the best idea. If you have to show off your funny side, wear something quirky like a patterned bow tie instead so that she knows you’re a riot without hurting her eyes.

Be Careful of What Else is in the Picture

Unless it’s relevant to you as a person, don’t add in any props when you take a picture. Chances are, when she’s looking for a guy she isn’t going to choose one with a rubber chicken in his profile picture with him. It doesn’t have to be funny props; don’t include anything off-color with you in your photo. Guns are an obvious “no” for a girl, since it just makes you look like a weirdo or a punk to be posing with your gun for a photo. Don’t smoke when you take a picture. Not only does the smoke block the lens and make your photo come out blurry, smoking is becoming less and less desirable. A lot of girls these days don’t want to date someone who smells like an ashtray, and that’s what they’ll assume of you if your smoking habit is so important that it makes an appearance in your profile picture. Another important thing is to remember not to do any offensive signs when you’re shooting photos. You might think that photo of you flipping off the camera comes off as edgy and cool, but really it’s making women close out of your window before they can even look at your profile at all.

Dress Appropriately

“Remember that your profile picture will be your first impression”

What you’re wearing in your profile picture might seem like a trivial matter when you’re creating your online dating profile, but it’s more important than you know. When you are not meeting women face-to-face, this is your first impression and so it had better be good. It’s a lot of effort to put into something so small, but it’s totally worth it. Try sprucing up your profile picture before you go out in the dating scene again, and see what happens. You’re guaranteed to get boatloads more women than you did before.