Five Things Not to Wear when Meeting Your Girlfriend's Parents

Most young men want to make a good impression on their girlfriends' parents the first time they meet them. Of course, common courtesy, respect, and intelligent conversation can help, but first impressions are very important. First impressions are usually formed by cleanliness, neatness of hair and nails, and the type of clothing you wear. This article covers five things that a teenager or young man should not wear when meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time.

Do Not Wear Humor or Joke T-Shirts

T-shirts with off color humor about sex, drugs, alcohol, politics, or religion can be really funny. However, it is really dumb to wear these printed t-shirts the first time you meet your girlfriend's parents. First of all, the humor might offend them. Second, they might disagree with the sentiments voiced on the t-shirt. While your girlfriend's parents might not argue with you about what is on your t-shirt, it might make it much more difficult to date their daughter afterwards.

Do Not Wear a Hat

A hat is great for shielding your eyes from the sun or keeping your head warm. If you are meeting your girlfriend's parents outside on a sunny day in the cold, the hat will be fine. Inside, the old fashioned manners dictate that you should remove your hat. Most parents will appreciate you taking off your hat to show respect and manners. Even if you think it is silly, doffing your hat to your girlfriend's mother and father will impress them very easily.

Do Not Wear Scary Clothing

You should not pretend to be someone you are not, but there is nothing wrong with toning down the spikes and chains to meet your girlfriend's parents. Leave your horror movie poster shirt at home and do not wear anything that screams 'gangsta.' If you do dress in the gothic or punk style, your girlfriend may wear the same types of clothing. Parents should expect her boyfriend to look similar, but it never hurts to tone it down a bit.

Do Not Wear Sports Jerseys

You never know if your girlfriend's father might root for a different team. Unless you get insider information about which team the family roots for, it is better to skip any mention of sports at all.