Dating—so they say—is about creating a sense of mystery. Never giving away too much, be it skin or intel on your past relationships, one must tactfully and stealthily reveal themselves to a potential bae. A coworker of mine practically swats the phone out of my hand when I attempt to send more than a one-syllable text reply to a guy, stressing that I must preserve a sense of nonchalance and fantasy by exercising restraint. In fact, I’m encouraged to wait hours to send a flippant “Sure” back. This is apparently what keeps men coming back for more—the enigma—but it leaves a straight shooter like myself exhausted. What about the woman who puts it all out there? I argue. The girl who is showing off her bare midriff and dashing off pithy, flirty texts without a hint of apprehension?
Unabashedly feminine, sexy, and bold, she lets you know exactly what she’s thinking. And if her lips aren’t moving, her look is surely speaking volumes. Whether in a thigh-grazing minidress, a low-cut bodysuit, or a lingerie-inspired top that leaves very little to the imagination, this woman is sending the most direct of messages.
Admittedly, as women we’re taught to curb that kind of behavior—there is something invariably thirsty, reductive, and scandalous about “leading” with our best assets. We’ve eyeballed and even “outfit shamed” the “hot girl” striding into a party in a body-conscious number that immediately catches every man’s attention. It perhaps felt too obvious to adopt the same barely there dress code, but as my latex legging–loving colleague Alexandra Gurvitch put it, there is something thrilling about amplifying your look for when you go out. “I like looking a little dangerous,” she explains with a Cheshire-wide grin.
Playing with fire, so to speak, she’s certainly in good company: Think of modern-day vixens like Bella Hadid or Emily Ratajkowski, who have quite literally made cutaway Reformation bodysuits de rigueur for going out. Unapologetically smoldering in fail-safe separates as you engage in witty repartee immediately does away with any mixed messages and proves you’re the whole package.
So rather than playing coy with the back-and-forth text exchange, just go for it in a Saint Laurent silk satin minidress and Gianvito Rossi over-the-knee suede point-toe boots. Get noticed in Trademark’s patent trenchcoat, with just a hint of Christopher Kane’s electric neon bralet peeking out from under. Trust us, nothing will get lost in translation.
