10 Items Proven to Make Your Tinder Profile Picture Look More Stylish

Women are far more selective than men on Tinder. You've always known this deep down, but now the data bears it out. Statistically, men swipe right three times more often than women. When you're fighting odds like that, you have to fight dirty. Our forefathers shot at columns of Redcoats from behind boulders and now you have to do whatever you can to convince women to swipe right.

If you want to get those matches, you have to give the ladies what they want.

This leads us to the question that has plagued mankind since the first caveman at a cave-bar watched a hot cavewoman go home with a wack cavedude wearing a tacky ill-fitting fur: "What do women want?"

No matter how many times you watch The Notebook or how many articles about introverts you read on Thought Catalog, you're never going to know for sure. But, we can know what some women want.

In hopes of creating the perfect Tinder profile picture, I asked thirty of my female Facebook friends to weigh in on what gets them to swipe right. I asked them:

"What clothing item or accessory (belt, hat, dog, gun, sandwich, or even haircut) is immediately appealing -- the one thing in a profile picture that is an automatic plus, the one thing that makes you swipe right?"

I got a variety of answers, but ten items kept cropping up again and again, leading to a relative consensus among a diverse group of ladies spread out across the country and across a generation (ages 21-35). Then I took the results for a test drive, using their input to create field tested Tinder pics.

I don't think I've found the perfect answer, but digital dating, like the rest of life, is about the journey, not the destination. What I have a found is a little perspective into the other side of smartphone courtship. Here are 10 Items Proven to Make Your Tinder Profile Picture Look More Stylish​.

"Oh dudes, it's so easy. Wear a plain white t-shirt that actually fits correctly and you're basically James Dean." - Brandi, 30

"[Wear] clothes that fit, have your own sense of style." - Alison, 28

"All I ask is that they wear clothes that fit." - Polly, 24



Congratulations, gentlemen, we have lowered the bar so completely that all women ask of us is to pick out clothes that are our size. Judging by the number of dudes out there in puffy dress shirts from mall department stores and the legions of guys who still wear oversized t-shirts they got for free after signing up for college credit cards, for many men this is just too much to ask.



My Tinder experience: I was already wearing clothes that fit because I am a grown ass man.

"I'm strictly lumbersexual. Beard, plaid, leather... maybe an ax" - Shima, 33

"Bonus points for soft bro style beards or plaid." - Karen, 24

"Always down for a plaid shirt." - Emily, 26

Lumbersexual, urban rustic, redneck chic: Whatever you want to call it, this look carries a certain power. But where in the Paul Bunyan impersonation does the power lie? Do ladies prefer a more traditional look in this modern world? Is there something to a man who looks like he only eats what he kills, or at least chop wood? Is the pattern cute? I didn't take enough gender studies classes in college to answer these questions.

What I will say is this: This look is difficult to pull off. It isn't as simple as buying a flannel shirt, selvedge denim jeans, and purchasing a leather sack from a Brooklyn artisanal leather good shop. Go a little too downscale with it, and you'll look like your NASCAR fan uncle. Go a little too upscale, and you'll look like your NPR listening L.L. Bean loving uncle. The trick is to look like no one's uncle, and it's a hard tightrope to walk.

My Tinder experience: My best attempt at a lumbersexual style didn't get me very far. I actually had fewer matches than usual. To be fair, I am not ideal canvas for this look. A swarthy, skinny dude who can't grow facial hair doesn't have much hope of pulling a Paul Bunyan.

"I am also such a sucker for guys in ties or dress clothes." - Alison, 28

"I also like a good suit and tie. I don't mean the awkward fitting groomsman tux. But the business is getting done sort of suit." - Amanda, 25

"In a well fitting suit at a chic event, possibly dancing with a very old lady." - Liz, 27

"Anything where's he's dressed well and not a douche." - Subhah, 25

These were just a few of the many calls these ladies put out for sharply dressed men. The problem, as Amanda points out, is that this can't be "the awkward fitting groomsman tux" and not every man finds himself in situations where he can sport a sharp look. Obviously, dressing up works best if it is in your natural habitat, so if you have to suit up just for a Tinder pic, try to make it look real.

My Tinder experience: This look did actually lead to more Tinder matches. And unlike some of the other suggestions, this isn't a look that requires you to make up a lifestyle to go along with it. Most Tinder profiles can be improved with one pic where you prove you can actually clean up nice.

And for what it's worth, I made this photo my Facebook profile picture, and 90% of my former high school teachers "liked" it, as it is proof I've turned into "a nice young man."

"Weakness: guitar players. Like classical guitar. I will drop panty immediately if you made it out of vintage parts and recycled wood." - Tanya, 31

"Ah yes GUITAR! Forgot about guitar." - Liz, 27

"Guitar for sure." - Sarah, 23

Women love musicians. Even when they're terrible acoustic guitar players covering Dave Matthews Band on the college quad (but I'm not bitter). Even when it's a guy way too old to be playing open mic night playing open mic night (again, not bitter).

It isn't just enough to play guitar though. To receive the full sexual benefits of being a musician, you also have to dress like a guy who plays guitar. You have to look the brooding artist part. You need something like multiple scarves or a T-shirt that is literally older than you are to really sell the look. I tried to brood as hard as I could in this hoodie, but clearly fell short.

My Tinder experience: I did get some interest from women that I wouldn't have otherwise. The problem is that once the messaging got going, they asked about my guitar playing. I don't know how to play guitar. The highlight of my musical career is poorly playing the baritone freshman year of high school. I thought about lying, but then imagined myself back at her place being asked to play her a little something, and I knew that wouldn't end well.

"I swipe left on a lot of dudes because they don't have beards." - Tanesha, 30

"Pro-beard" - Alison, 28

"Facial hair does it for me." - Vanna, 25

Don't fear the beard. If you can grow it, there are plenty of women out there who will come. If you're like me, and the best you can do is a mustache that makes you look like a sex offender or a five o'clock shadow that makes you look hung over, recognize your limitations.

My Tinder experience: shame that I'll never have the facial hair of a Civil War general.

"Book (unless it's THE GAME). It shows he knows how to read." - Liz, 27

"Reading is sexy." - Cory, 26

"One of him reading is nice." - Vanna, 25



The popularity of "Hot Guys Reading Books" has proven that women like a guy who's literate. Now that books are dying off, there's also something charming about a man who walks around with a book in his pocket (and isn't just happy to see you), just like there there is something charming about a guy with a record player, who writes letters, or believes he will someday retire.

As with the guitar, you're going to want to dress the part: cardigan, glasses, and a leather man purse are all good starting points. And as with the guitar, you're going to have to prove that you actually do read at some point. If you put one of these up as your Tinder pic, make sure you have at least one Bronte reference in the chamber for use if highbrow flirtation breaks out.

My Tinder experience: This look didn't alter my results very much, but "bookish" is already kind of in my wheel house. If the rest of your pictures are of you training for MMA fights, shotgunning beers, or muddin', you'll probably find yourself with improved results if you add a pic of yourself at the local library.

"I like a rugged man chillin' in some nature...maybe even a surfboard strapped to his Bronco in the background...as the sun sets over the ocean." - Karen, 33

"A good chill pic of dude in nature—nothing too extreme. No rock climbing or base jumping. Preferably in the Northwest or somewhere that looks more appealing than LA." - Karen, 24

I'm not exactly sure how this is "clothing" or "an accessory," but the ladies have spoken. I actually hear this one a lot, and not just from women named Karen. Before you buy a tent and hit the trails in hopes of seeming rugged, know that there is a problem with this one. It is my belief that while some women actually do want an outdoorsy guy, many women like the idea of an outdoorsy guy. Many women (and men) see a picture of a gorgeous mountain or lush forest and think, "Hell yeah, I want to go see that" without thinking of the sleeping on the ground and pooping in the woods that comes with it.

Another issue is that looking good in nature is expensive. Hosts from outdoor documentaries decked out head to toe in REI gear have to spend hundreds of dollars to look stylish while not dying in the wild. Entry level outdoor gear looks very dad-like. In the picture above, I'm wearing hiking pants and a hiking shirt that aspire to a style combination of Macy's and Wal-Mart.

My experience: I'm a big camper, so I'm always sure to stock my Tinder with pics from Joshua Tree, Big Sur, and Sequoia. And yes, I get a fair amount of people matching with me who have definitely read On the Road and Walden, but those conversations have yet to turn into some kind of erotic camping getaway.

"Anything funny. Like if his pic is a chalk outline of his body ... I'm probably in." - Jen, 29

"But I like them tall, nerdy, and funny." - Tanya, 31

"Make me laugh." - Jessie, 24

Once again, not a piece of clothing or an accessory, but, once again, the ladies have spoken. This is one of the hardest to achieve from a style perspective. What makes a funny profile picture? The left-swipe graveyard is filled with dudes who have tried and failed. Tanya had this to say about guys who try way too hard to show you they're funny:

"If you're standing behind a mic with a goofy face and your arms spread open like you said something funny, chances are you suffering from anger issues and decided to take it to the comedy stage. If your profile is of you and a bunch of aging hipsters wearing grandpa sweaters doing something 'zany' on a UCB stage, you need to stay away from me."

Tread lightly "funny" ones.

My Tinder experience: This photo got a way better response than I was expecting. I didn't get more matches, but the girls who swiped right were generally fun to chat with, laid back, and pretty damn funny in their own right. This move is one that improves your quality, but will likely decrease your quantity of matches.

"[A picture with] a dog means someone trusted him to play with their dog or he likes animals." - Liz, 27

"I would definitely agree with Liz up there, a picture with dog or animal is great." - Laura, 29

"Pets. Especially dogs." - Ruth, 25

"The dog should be a pug cause they are the old people of dogs." - Cody, 21

It looks like one of the best accessories you can have in your pic is man's best friend. If you've ever walked dogs in a public place, you know that the right canine can be a babe magnet. Honestly, if you're having trouble with the ladies, you could do worse than just going out and buying a dog.

My Tinder experience: I don't own a dog and people were weird about me walking up to them and taking selfies with their dogs.

"It means someone trusted him to watch their kid." - Liz, 27

"Posing with a baby and/or a really really old person." - Karen, 33

"Men with babies. Love it." - Jessie, 24

Not so fast. Though there are people out there who love pics with babies, there are also vocal detractors.

"I am anti-baby photos because I'm annoyed that the tactic would backfire for women." - Lydia, 30

"No babies or beer in your photo. You holding a beer and a baby is interesting but I question if you are trying to hook up with that baby.​" - Tanya, 31

"Who is the baby in the photo? Your baby? Your friends baby? A random baby? Just cause I am a women you can't trick me into sleeping with cause you are holding a child." - Casey, 27

No matter where they stood on the issue, all the ladies agreed that there needs to be some clarification. As Amanda, 27, put it, "Kids in the pics make me nervous. there needs to be clarification that they are not in fact your kids."

And the final word on the subject goes to Alison, 28, who confusingly said, "When a tiger kills you, it's almost instant and violent. But when a kid kills you, it's slow and painful. I'd rather go the route of a tiger." Her words made made a little more sense in context, but not much.

If you are having trouble with the ladies I DO NOT recommend going out and getting a baby in hopes of saving your game.

My Tinder experience: I thank the good Lord every single morning that I haven't fathered any children, at least none that I know about. If you have been blessed by fatherhood, use that shit to your advantage. Girls who love it will love it, and those who don't won't be sticking around long after the first date.

The ladies also offered some insight on how to make your pics a lot worse. Here are the items that our gracious volunteers shouted out as dealbreakers:

"Can you tell them to stop taking selfies in their cars, bathrooms, and at the gym?" - Liz, 27

"Group shots can not be all your photos. Feels like you are trying to hide." - Danielle, 25

"I understand wanting to seem 'fun' or 'spontaneous' when there's partying pics but I couldn't care less about when you bonged whiskey that one time." - Alison, 28

"I've seen pics where faces of misc. friends are blocked out. But that makes me think things went sour with an ex. And I don't want any part of that crazy." - Amanda, 25

"I can't figure out why guys post pics of themselves with girls ... is it a misguided attempt to prove you have totes have female friends!! or some sort of 'well these ladies like what they see AMIRIGHT'" - Karen, 24

"When there is a lady in the pic I'm like....so you fucked her? That's neat." - Casey, 27

"If it's a fedora, I'm out." - Laura, 30

"Being in LA, I'm anti-headshots." - Lydia, 30

"Some men don't understand that there are other things to wear besides a football jersey." - Vanna, 25

"No TapOut t-shirts. No pics in the club." - Subhah, 25

"'Artsty' profile pics are just distracting and make me think you're compensating for being lame IRL." - Emily, 24

"I am not a fan of photos of that *one time* you went surfing." - Nika, 28

"Don't take a selfie in the bathroom mirror. I know you did not wash your hands." - Tanesha, 30

Brenden Gallagher is a writer in Los Angeles. Share your Tinder pic tricks with him @muddycreekU.

Shouts to James Wong for the photos (@xameswong) and Stiv Brown for the Photoshop.

And thanks to all the ladies who contributed their thoughts to the piece.