How to Be Taken Seriously by Men

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   Have respect for yourself. As a woman, you need to have self respect (and lots of it). This can be in many forms, but one of the most telling forms is how you dress. A man will care nothing of what you have to say or are interested in if he is too distracted by your cleavage or how tight your jeans are. There is subtle and sexy, and then there is blatant and trampy. Understand that men are constantly drawn towards sexual images of women on tv, magazines, posters, mall windows and the likes on a daily basis. If you really want to be heard-make an effort to appear attractive and put together but don't wear clothes that suggest you are ready to get out of them at a moment's notice.

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   Be competitive. Men are usually hard workers and enjoy healthy competition amongst themselves; anyone they can share that aspect with is a plus. If you enjoy a hobby that is physically demanding such as rock climbing, swimming, basketball, running or biking-share it with him. This is not to be mistaken with picking up a man, although attraction may naturally occur over time and certainly maybe a usable technique, we are talking about being taken seriously amongst friends, co-workers, and casual acquaintances. Be sure when you participate in the activity that you bring your A-game and put forth your best effort. Even if you aren't a pro at any sport or hobby, by being open to new challenges and giving something your best effort; men will respect you for it. Finding your balance by trying methods that work and don't work will ensure you get more comfortable with yourself and therefore, with other men. This can apply to work, school, hobbies, social gatherings, and the like.
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   Be motivated and confident. Apart from enjoying friendly competition, a woman must demonstrate motivation for her life. If you walk around with your head hung low, a frown on your face and complain constantly, no man will take you seriously except for taking you seriously about being unhappy. Again, if you enjoy a hobby-talk about it and share it at an appropriate time. Have children? Discuss their latest successes in school with a smile and comment on how proud you are of them. Discuss any new business ideas you might have, or creative thoughts if they appear interested. Working on a new art piece? Writing a poem? Finishing a degree? Taking a new yoga class? If you smile, laugh and speak with enthusiasm about what you have going on in your life---men will see that you are motivated and confident and take you seriously. Keep in mind this can depend on how long you keep up with a task. If you are constantly changing college degrees, change your core hobbies like changing socks and are indecisive with what you want from your life-that may leave doubt in many people's minds...not just men.
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   Make sure your ambitions are your own. Apart from having self respect, confidence, motivation and being competitive; you need to ask yourself for each aspect of your life, "Why am I doing this?" If you are doing stuff to simply impress a man, or men in general-you are doing it for the wrong reasons. In the same light, trust your instincts; only you can make decisions about your life and where you are heading. Not anyone else.
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   Be intelligent and well spoken. While all the above steps can fit into anyone's life, one of the key factors in success with being taken seriously by men, is being intelligent and well spoken. How you speak goes with how you carry yourself (self respect and confidence). Appropriate grammar and tone, as well as how frequently you speak can make or break success in the workplace, amongst new acquaintances and in recreational activities. Although all women have different sounding voices (high, low, soft, etc.), it is important to remember that you are judged by your pitch, how much emphasis you put on words, and your laugh. Record yourself to improve how you present yourself to other people. If you let your voice trail off at the end of a sentence, you could be setting yourself back in terms of getting a job you want or an important message across. It is important to practice your body language in addition to your speaking. On the same note, how you say something requires that you have something important or interesting to say. There are many ways to be "intelligent" but for the most part-pursuing higher education is usually a good place to start...in addition to watching educational programs, reading books, and keeping up on the latest news. Similarly, watching movies, playing video games, and being familiar with sports teams will also make you more diverse in conversations. A woman who is well informed on various topics will have a better chance of being taken seriously by men (and other women) than the woman who only can discuss what kind of latest perfume a celebrity is coming out with.
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   Take care of yourself. Grooming, hygiene, physical fitness, and regular health check-ups are a must. Appearances do matter, and being taken seriously requires you put effort into how you look. As mentioned previously, if you dress too provocatively you will not send across the right message. As a general rule for women in the work place, to check if your clothing is appropriate for the setting or for an interview, do the bend-over check. If you see any bit of cleavage or your skirt comes up way too high in the back when you bend over to touch your toes, changes are it is not work appropriate. If you have any doubts at all, don't risk it. Your reputation is more important than looking cute or stylish during important business transactions. Makeup is a controversial subject in terms of whether or not women should or should not wear it to be successful. This is honestly about preference. Many sources state that men prefer women with natural beauty or little-to-no makeup. However, some woman feel more confident with makeup. Keeping in mind the message you want to send-dark blue/black eyeshadow at 8:00 in the morning verses a natural light brown/gold eyeshadow applied lightly suggests two very different things. There are many tutorials online that can you pick a makeup looks for work or for night outings. Temptalia.com is a good site for everyday looks to night looks.
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   Love yourself. Above all else, being taken seriously by men can be a grueling task. It is a sad fact of life that many women are unhappy with themselves no matter what they do. In a society torn about what it wants women to be, either an independent thinker or a quiet timid thing only meant to be looked at-the responsibilities of women in today's world is daunting. Fighting to be heard and taken seriously, not just by men but by other women too is very hard. However if you truly love who you are and what you do, in time you will understand the role you have to play and how to become successful. These steps are just simple guides to try to make things a little easier along the way.