she asks me to go to lunch with her in the dining hall. . . I said no because I was a mess. . . haven’t talked to her since.”

When my friend told me this story I just responded with, “Wow, that would never happen to me.” It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but what I’m about to say to all of you, he did want to hear.

Being in college, you’re pretty much always carrying a book bag of some sort (and if you’re not, then you should be). In my case it’s an old school LL Bean backpack that I’ve had since 9th grade and refuse to part with. And sitting in my backpack, in a separate pocket from the books are the 3 things that have not left my backpack since 9th grade.

1. Deodorant

2. Cologne

3. Hair gel

And they are lifesavers, and can cost under $10-$15 total, very small price to pay. (Note: These are in addition to those in my bathroom)

In my friend’s situation, it would have saved him NO QUESTION. Now pay close attention to what I’m about to say.

If you’re with a girl, and she asks you to lunch or to whatever, I am NOT implying that you should run into the bathroom, gel your hair perfectly, layer your body with deodorant, and drown yourself in cologne. That would be a huge mistake. First of all when a girl sees that much effort that early on, it scares her. Second, she might think that you’re conceited, and third she might think you’re trying to hide something.

So what am I saying that my friend should have done? Well listen. . .

I leave for class all the time looking like a mess. As I’m walking I reach into my backpack and put some deodorant on (when no one’s looking), then spray 2 touches of cologne on my neck, and run a little gel through my hair. (Note: I keep my hair short so I can easily style it with gel using no mirror and just my hands). If your hair is longer, you might consider keeping a hat in your backpack (instead of or in addition to the gel). And there you have it, just like Superman changes into a superhero, you change from dud to stud in a matter of seconds.

Some people would insist that you should put some kind of breath mint, or toothbrush or mouthwash in your backpack, and I would agree, it’s just that I feel like those things are readily available almost everywhere (stores, vending machines, etc). I don’t think that you would need to constantly have your own.

I really can’t tell you how many times my three things have saved me, but I’ll give you some examples, just so that you can see how important it can be. As those commercials say, “Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory.” Use it to your advantage by being prepared.

If you’re ever walking around campus a lot on a particular day and it’s hot, or late in the day i.e. you’ve been sweating and stinking all day, this can save you if you need to get into a car with a girl or sit next to a girl in general for whatever reason (class, a meal, etc). Girls remember how a guy smells, especially those they might see themselves hooking up with.

Also, so many times I’ll go right from late classes to some restaurant, happy hour, bar, party or a friend’s house where I still have my bag with me, and that cologne and deodorant makes talking to girls so much easier because you’re not worried about how you smell.

I could go on forever about this but let me move on.

When my backpack is not on me and I’m not at school where is it? Think for a second.

Where do you think?

In my car. Why? Because the same type of predicaments as before can happen to you while you’re in your car. You get a call from people telling you to meet up, someone wants you to pick them up, or maybe you just left the house for the night and forgot to put on deodorant or cologne. Happens all the time. But not anymore.

So what is the main point here? It is that for a small price, you can be ready to be in close contact with a female and be worry free. The last thing you want is to see the girl of your dreams, and stink. Remember my three things and what happened to my friend will never happen to you again.

Oh yea, and most of the time I have One Of These in my backpack too, just for the hell of it.

Stud On,
Anthony D