Independence Date: Setting Off Fireworks with Your Profile
We are inspired by this week's Q&A with Alyssa Dineen, founder and stylist at Style My Profile.
Alyssa Dineen has been an editor, stylist, and art director in New York for 20 years. After she divorced at age 41, she began online dating and found there were so many people out there that could improve their dating profiles. We talked to her about launching SMP and building confidence and dating success through fashion.
Onward: Tell us your origin story
Alyssa: After separating from my husband at the age of 41 after being together almost 20 years (before texting and dating apps), it was major culture shock to put myself out there on a dating site. It was completely foreign and took a while to figure out what worked and what didn’t. I actually couldn’t believe there wasn’t a service that could help you create a great profile that reflects the true you. So many people were so different from their profile when we met in person!
Onward: What do you believe the intersection of dating and style to be?
Alyssa: I believe that you should be the best version of yourself. And we all know how you feel makes a difference in how you look. If you feel confident in how you look and what you’re wearing, it shows in your attitude. I don’t want to change who anyone really is, but I do want them to get out there feeling and looking their best.
Onward: How did you find yourself putting your fashion/photography background into play in grooming folks for dating success?
Alyssa: I have called on all of my knowledge and experience from the fashion and photography world to make Style My Profile what it is: a holistic approach to your dating profile. My fashion expertise for the re-vamping a clients’ style after possibly not giving it much thought until dating, my photography experience for taking iPhone photos and/or hiring the right photographer for a particular client, my blogging background for writing and editing a compelling bio, and my art directing background for choosing photos and creating a profile that flows and tells a story.
Onward: What do you think makes for a great dating profile?
Alyssa: A great profile grabs the attention of potential dates but in a real, true-to-you way. You don’t want to falsify who you are, but you are in a sense, marketing yourself to people. And that’s an important part of online dating. The goal of SMP is to match with more people so that you have more choices of people to go out with.
Onward: Do you feel a profile can be “too styled?”
Alyssa: Yes. A profile should grab the attention but not be flashy, showy, or fake. And if it is, it can turn people off from swiping on you or worse, people will be disappointed when they actually meet with you in person if you don’t look like those photos. My goal is to create photos that look like you’re hanging out at home or a local cafe with a friend that happens to take great photos of you.
Onward: How do folks work with you to shape and share their new dating look?
Alyssa: Some clients just need a good edit of what they currently wear. Some want to shop for a whole new, updated wardrobe. Some already are on the right track, but need to be validated and encouraged. So it’s different for each client. The main thing is that clients feel more confident after working together!
Alyssa Dineen is the founder of Style My Profile and is now helping online daters transform their destinies by taking charge of their profiles. She met her current partner of 2 1/2 years on Tinder.