You sit at your desk and all of a sudden you get a call from a colleague you do not particularly enjoy. But you look at yourself in the camera of the laptop—yes, honey, we all do that ;)—and you see that you are wearing today the fancy dress shirt. The one you look sharp in and you get an instant boost of confidence. All of a sudden you switch to hidden corporate fuck-you language and you feel how your shoulders lose their tightness, your smile is back on your face and you tell—very politely of course—to your colleague: “Dear Charlotte, while I get what you are saying and I totally support your initiative, I will politely decline to get involved in something I warned you guys 6 months ago.”

And how did you do that? Because you felt confident. And why did you feel confident? Because you had the fancy dress shirt on 😉

We are all very image-centered creatures. When you think about your daily behaviors and regular ways of spending time, you will notice how often you are in front of an electronic device, going through endless series of images, videos, sketches, emojis and snapshots. On average, a 30-year-old woman in Western Europe sees about 2,000 images in a day. Do you really think that does not do something to your aesthetics, the way you perceive the world and the stuff you check out faster?

Please be honest with yourself. Image matters. What you wear matters. And how you wear your clothes, even before “wearing yourself”, will bring you to places you never thought about. Get a good look at yourself in a mirror, check your body shape, choose some colors which are matching your hair color, skin tone and personal preferences and ride that “well put together” wardrobe look when you leave your house.

Office wardrobe? Dress to kill. Get the fancy, expensive, white, crips dress shirt! You already are at a disadvantage because you do not have the right last name, you are not part of the boys’ club and your parents did not send you to intensive tennis training during summer holidays. You have to get extra points with your appearance and as a woman we can play so much with clothes, makeup and accessories!

T-shirts? Not for this chica here! Jeans? Only for your free time. Washing hair once per week? Nope, we style those lovely curls every third day. No makeup? Put those beautiful eyes in the front with a good mascara. Pick some good quality pieces and wear them regularly. Show everyone you care. Because people who care are taken seriously. And people who care find ways to solve stuff. And do you know who likes to work with problem solvers? Exactly, everyone!

So the next time you stay in the morning in front of your closet and are about to start a new day, think about what is that one piece that will give you your boost today. And for God’s sake, if that shirt is not ironed, DO NOT WEAR IT.