1. Don't act like all she does is online shop all day.  Actually she's quite busy between her internship, her job, and her classes, thank you very much. Please, tell her more about your paid summer finance internship where you had a corporate Seamless account. The idea of just interning during summer break seems like a luxury to her —  she's been doing that shit every semester since the day she got here. She's heard of 15-hour days, too — only for her they come with a regular class load, homework, and a mandatory attendance policy.

2. She's not going to judge the shit out of your outfit. She's a fashion professional, not a mean rich girl in seventh grade with a horse. 

3. Don't try to impress her with money or "VIP" status. She can go to a club and take a photo with a bottle of champagne whenever she feels like it. Good conversation is harder to come by. 

4. She's not going to fall for your "I'm a promoter" bullshit. Like, "Oh cool!!! Thanks, I really wanted to wait an hour in the cold outside of 1 Joke while you marched in a thousand tall Swedish models in front of me."

5. She's a hard worker. Ever tried carrying 20 pounds of garment bags up and down NYC in heels with only a MetroCard and a dream? While your boss is texting you his coffee order? Meanwhile, your group members from class are blowing up your group chat with lame-ass excuses as to why they just couldn't do their two slides for the powerpoint presentation due by your 6 p.m. class? No, no you have not. 

6. She's cultured and curious about the world. When you're living in NYC and trying to make it in one of the most cutthroat industries in the world, you've automatically got your finger on the pulse of all things current and trending. 

7. She appreciates loyalty. Every FIT student has had that one friend fuck them over for a coveted internship or ditch them outside a club at 3 A.M. to go to a more exclusive after-party with their taller, skinnier, more model-y friends. Do right by her, and she'll do right by you. 

8. If you treat people right, she'll notice. Between getting regularly yelled at by her internship boss, rude people on the subway, and toxic people from nightclubs, she will definitely take notice of the guy who helps a girl traveling alone put her bag in the overhead bin on an airplane without waiting to see if she struggles with it or not. 

9. Yes, she cares about her appearance — but it's not just for vain reasons.  Stop blaming her for needing an extra five minutes to change outfits before you leave for the night. She's passionate about the way she presents herself, and that's just who she is. If you were dating a chef, wouldn't you find it weird if all she did was eat Hot Pockets and cereal straight out of the box on her downtime? It's the same principle. Deal with it. 

10. She tells it like it is. She's used to regularly getting ripped to shreds in front of her classmates by professors during critiques, and she's learned that honesty is the only way to grow. Sure, she pulled an all-nighter on her birthday sewing in her dorm basement only for her professor to call out her broken stitch in front of her entire class — BUT she's never fucked up that stitch since. If she's upfront with you, it means she respects you. 

11. If you cancel or bail on her, you might not get another shot. She's a busy girl, and if you make her feel like she's not the priority she deserves to be for even a second, she's out. There are plenty of guys who will appreciate the unicorn she is and won't make her get all dressed up just to cancel on her. If you want her, you'll make time for her. 

12. She's not going to let you walk all over her just because you're a straight guy and there aren't any at her school. Like, oh no, there might not be any other straight males in this city of eight million people, so she better thank her lucky stars you came around! She can find a finance bro who carries a Herschel backpack wherever, so bye. 

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13. She's a feminist. Fashion is, at its best, empowering, and only strong women can kick it in one of the most ruthless industries in the world. She didn't move to NYC and dedicate her undergraduate career to this just to find a husband. She's hustling every day for something she believes in, so any nonsense you have to say about fashion being frivolous or silly can take a damn seat.

14. She's smart AF. Look down at whatever checkered Uniqlo button up you're wearing right now and think about how many people were involved in the process of getting that shirt from paper to production. Fashion isn't just fashion shows and swag bags — it takes tons of Excel sheets and numbers and hard work to make something happen on a grand scale like that, and you have fashion students to thank for that. 

Headshot of Carina Hsieh
Carina Hsieh
Sex & Relationships Editor

Carina Hsieh lives in NYC with her French Bulldog Bao Bao — follow her on Instagram and Twitter • Candace Bushnell once called her the Samantha Jones of Tinder • She enjoys hanging out in the candle aisle of TJ Maxx and getting lost in Amazon spirals.