Why Is Appearance Important?

Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

I'll build upon what Keithold said. First impressions are amazingly important in our society; indeed in the entire animal kingdom. As humans, our primary perception comes from our visual intake; what we see defines our reality. Whether you are meeting someone for the first time, or it is our nth time seeing them, the very first thing that drives our thoughts about that person are what we derive from our eyes. Before we smell them, hear what they have to say, or even shake their hand; we see them. We size them up and judge them on their appearance. Whether they are neat or disheveled, chic or shabby; a person's appearance conveys a lot of intuitive information about said person (that may or may not be accurate if at all correct). This trait of visual scrutiny more than likely is a vestige (read: Not unnecessarily outdated) of evolution. Simple things like facial symmetry, having all of the "normal" appendages and said appendages being in working order unconsciously drive us to make (unconscious) judgment calls about a person's health, and therefore, the relative strength of their genes. This type of judgment, though usually made "at the gut level", is what drives the motivating forces behind the relativistic judgment of beauty and the selection of a mate. But I digress.

Appearances are important because the way that you present yourself (and the way that you look) are the first glimpse that other people have into what you're all about. With a five second look at a random person, one can tell: Their gender, their approximate age, their approximate health, their ethnicity, their level of hygiene as well as being able to gleam many other pieces of information (and can make educated guesses on the rest) via scrutinizing the person's clothing and accessories; what type of music/culture they probably like, what type of social sect they belong to (I'll give the example of a hippie, wearing tie dye and with dreadlocks), their approximate income, their political and religious views etc., etc. The amount of information that one can gain from another person's appearance is enormous, both on the conscious and unconscious level.

No one wants to encounter a scruffy looking person everyday and especially a female as these people appear to smell bad and may well be giving the wrong impression of self as far as personality, you feel better if your appearence is on target, even when you are at home and you don't want to dress in going out attire you will feel as you look, you appear to be relaxing and lounging and that is what you are doing but you would not appear in public in that same attire, at least I hope not, it is essential that you bath even if you don't plan to leave the house, I don't feel the need for anyone to look like they are about to walk the red carpet in their everyday affairs...♥

Because people only care about that these days.

It gives other people know about you , who you are.

G'day Pencil,

Thank you for your question.

Because people often base their opinions on first impressions. That means that appearance is important whether for good or ill.

Regards