The world revolves around how we look. You may think I'm living off in "Barbieland," but the truth is that how we present ourselves reflects a lot on how the world thinks of us. A tall blonde college student in a hot pink blouse and high heels doesn't scream math genius. And the new short kid who wears bow ties to class every day isn't the first person you're going to ask about the social scene.

But who's to say that the college student isn't one of the U.S. leading mathematicians? And maybe Mr. Bow Tie is the real-life Chuck Bass. It seems as though our brains are programmed to categorize the people around us, and before we even get to know a person we want to classify them.

You know what I'm talking about. You meet someone new, and by the first handshake you're making mental notes. "So he is taller than me, without a lot of muscle. Looks a little pale and scraggly. Therefore he probably doesn't play a sport, so he's probably inside most of the day, so he probably isn't very interesting to talk to."

Most likely, not each and every one of those thoughts is running through your mind. And maybe this holds true more for females than males. But why does that have to be our automatic response?

Then the question arises: Well, if we set these physical standards for people, do we try to abide by these standards ourselves? For example, if you associate tucked-in, collared shirts as being scholarly, do you admit to altering your normal style of clothing to fit this stereotype? If you want to be seen as rebellious, do you wear all-black chain pants, or is it truly because you like the feel of them?

Be honest with yourself. I find that I, personally, will wear a different thing to school than I will to work at a camp than I will to do a formal presentation. If I really want to wear my bright purple high heels to meet with the head of a prestigious company, why should I have to squeeze into size-too-small black flats?

I'm always told to make a good first impression, and by altering the way I appear from situation to situation, I'm trying to do just that. At the same time, that makes me guilty of submitting to the stereotypes and the emphasis people put on physical appearance.

When you think of the world's chess champion you shouldn't be able to envision a certain type of person. Everyone should have a different picture in their head. Male or female. African-American or Asian. Abercrombie clothes or a free T-shirt. We should all make a conscious effort to break away from classifying people.

Wear the clothes you're comfortable in, no matter what the situation. After all, why would you want a first impression to be a reflection of someone you're not? What you wear and how you present yourself should not be a definitive way used to determine someone's academic potential, or measure someone's success, let alone their social capabilities or sexual experience.

Make a conscious effort.