I'm 28. My friends are all married and are starting to have kids. I didn't feel I was ready for any of that until I happened upon this sub and discovered a lot of things about myself (hypergamy explains so much). Now I'm less confused and have a better idea of what I'm looking for (i.e. getting married and having kids).

My to-do list is as follows:

  1. Appear more feminine (I wear minimal makeup and that won't change, but my wardrobe needs an upgrade)
  2. Smile more (I'm told I have a pretty smile and I do smile a lot when I talk to people, but I need to work on my "pleasant face" when I'm not interacting directly with anyone)
  3. Socialize more (so far I've had no luck finding people I fit in with and I'm at a loss of where to look next, I haven't found a home church yet, and much of my free time is spent on trying to start a business)
  4. Update my online dating profile (because #3 isn't working so well)
  5. Move out (I spent the last two years living abroad and moved back in with my parents when I returned; I'll be moving out in about two months)

I was getting really frustrated with this entire list, mainly because of lack of progress on #3, but then this happened:

I've been wearing jeans and polos to work and keeping my past-shoulder-length hair in a ponytail. So this week, I wore a more feminine top (diagonal stripes with a bow on the side) and straightened my hair. One coworker asked me if I was going to some special event and another asked me if I had gotten a hair cut. Both said I looked pretty. I don't know why I'm so happy about this, because I've never liked drawing attention to myself, but this makes me feel so much more confident! What I did worked! I'm making progress!

I feel much more motivated to keep at this now.

What else can I do to boost my overall attractiveness and "put myself out there"?