Wear a bright coat

As a native Midwesterner, I know all about purchasing the practical brown or black down coat for the winter. But, it still doesn’t explain why countless numbers of women insist on blending into the huddled masses of dully colored jackets in the calmer times of cold weather.

With the wintry doldrums upon everyone, a bright coat is the best thing to see in a crowd of neutral, uninspiring outdoor gear.

Change your name

Even though there are a dozen Raven Moores inhabiting Chicago, and possibly the world, I still get “the interesting name” speech from people I meet. But, if you like being Jane Smith, then keep on being so.

But, you’ll become Buck Tooth Jane or Cubs Fan Jane when people need to distinguish you.

Surprise people

Despite being an engineer who is currently pursuing his masters degree, my boyfriend likes to don his father’s old work uniform shirts and jeans when we’re out and about. He looks like a blue collar worker, in spite of his very white collar background. And, if you start talking to him, you end up finding out more than you bargained for - and that intrigues people.

People like being surprised, and in a way, they like being fooled (only sometimes). You’ll become interesting because they’ll want to see what other surprises you can come up with next.

Have an unexpected hobby or interest

This goes back to the previous suggestion of surprising people, but is a tad more specific. It’s human nature to size people up, no matter how they try to convince you otherwise.

So, when I say I read graphic novels or play video games (and read Game Informer), people are usually surprised, because after all - it’s unexpected.