What do you say to someone who caringly tells you, "You look tired”?

Tagged:

Make up an excuse for why you might be tired. Then change the subject.

I’ve noticed that this while this usually isn’t quite coded language, people never say this to you, whether you’re actually tired or not, when you look like a million bucks.

My last job was at a cosmetics marketing company, very image conscious. Fridays I liked to wear a suit. If you’ve never worn one before, it’s a skill. There are all kinds of little things you have to pay attention to if you want to do it right. Do it right and you look like a million bucks, even in a cheap suit.

I have never gotten the “you look tired” treatment when I was wearing one. I could have been nodding off in my chair, not giving a care to the world how my face looked, and all people saw was my suit. Body language that looks lazy in a polo and slacks looks relaxed and powerful in a suit.

For women, the same effect can be achieved with makeup. I think it’s particularly eye makeup that does the trick. It hides all the little subtleties of the musculature of the eyes and gives a bright neotenous effect. So if this happens to you a lot, that might be something to experiment with.