June Cleaver was a doormat.
I’m a door-slammer.

But we have one thing in common: we both believe that you should dress for your man.
I’ve never met my guy at the door in something lacy (but it’s on my to-do list.) I don’t own a pair of foofoo slippers. And ever since my boobs went south after breastfeeding, I had to retire my glittery tube tops. But…I’m no slob either.

The “I can’t be bothered to look my best trap” is easy to fall into. It must be, because it’s an epidemic of Crocs and ponytails and sweatpants that plagues our nations. European women have us pinned to the mat in the “make an effort” category. They make North American women look like…slobs in Crocs and ponytails and sweatpants.

I think that va-va-va-voom we mustered up to get the man, too often fades. And va-va-va-voom is good for the soul.

I vowed to myself when I got married that I would forever endeavor to be The Sexy Wife. I would not – not ever – let myself go. It’s not easy looking foxy 24-7 (okay, I don’t really look hot ‘round the clock…just a few days a week,) but I make an effort, even if it’s minimal – and a little effort in good looks and romance can go a long way.

Nothing Says I Love You Like Lip Gloss or Aftershave

Look, I get it sisters. I gained about fifty pounds with my first baby. There were times when I was too broke to buy a pretty new bra, in which case, hi-lights and a bikini wax were also out of the question. I’ve worked sixty-hour weeks for months and raised a toddler that didn’t really sleep. But no matter how demanding life gets – you can put some goop in your hair, some perfume on your neck, and some lip-gloss on yer kisser.

You may still look exhausted. The wear and tear on your being may be impossible to disguise. But that little extra sparkle says, well, “I’m determined to sparkle for me and for you and even for the guy at the video store – no matter what.”

And that Sparkle Determination ripples out, don’t you know. Your appearance tells the world how to treat you. When you take care of yourself, life tends to pitch in. When you intend to shine, life pays proper attention to you – and that includes your lover boy (or girl.)

And lest you think I’m taking the feminist movement back two decades, know that I expect that same Look Fine Commitment from my dude. He knows that his chances of getting lucky increase with spicy cologne, a pressed linen shirt, and by wearing the silver bracelet that I got him from India.

Even June Cleaver would swoon.

. . . . . . . .

(Tune in to my article tomorrow: Can Looking Good Save Your Life?…)