I’d say I put a fair amount of effort into my appearance. Primary reason is for short & long term health benefits.
I’ve always been thin (been the same size clothing since HS), & didn’t work out regularly until about 4yrs ago at 32, when I developed hip problems [from a congenital bone deformity that started causing a lot of damage & chronic pain]. Physical therapy was kind of the workout gateway that provided me some structure for workouts. Purpose is pain reduction & strengthening supporting muscles around my unstable joints for surgical prehab/rehab & longterm body support.
I found that the cardio aspect of it (stationary bike) also greatly improved my emotional stress tolerance & my general body rhythms. Got better sleep, GI regularity, etc.
The aesthetic changes were obviously a plus, but not the focus by a long shot. And, despite being thin/eating well/working out 4-6 days a week, I’ll probably never get 6pack abs or anything like that.
I also take meticulous care of my skin, which again, is primarily for health reasons. I developed severe nodular cystic acne in my 20s. Not only was it aesthetically unpleasant, but it was also physically painful. Cysts actually tunneled under my skin together to form larger lesions that had trouble healing, leaving me open to infections—which happened— & that actually led to 4 reconstructive surgeries to repair the massive, deep scarring. So, I follow a very consistent AM/PM skincare regimen & take both an oral medicine/topical medicine to keep all that at bay, & I avoid sunlight like the plague, since a lot of my meds increase my already pale skin’s sensitivity to UV. SPF year-round.
A side bonus my topical med has is anti-aging, s now in my mid 30s, I don’t really have much in the way of wrinkles, yet. That’s a perk, but not my reason for self-care.
I do wear some makeup. This is more for myself than anyone else. I don’t care about attracting a mate with it. I like how it looks, even if I’m only seeing it for a few minutes a day. A lot of my ‘makeup’ is dual purpose as part of my skin care routine, anyway (tinted sunscreen, spf30 concealer on scars, oil controlling spf powder, etc). Eye makeup is purely for fun & to offset any ‘washout’ my sunscreen creates.
I don’t do mani-pedi stuff. I cut my own hair. I don’t do much to it besides washing/conditioning. I rarely buy new clothes, & when I do, I choose clothing I find physically comfortable & aesthically pleasing to myself/expressive of myself.
I don’t particularly care about ‘attracting’ people to me, especially based on appearance. That said, there’s nothing wrong with caring about that. I think it’s natural to some extent. It just isn’t really on my radar in any significant capacity.
