What kind of first impression do you make? This is a dastardly, yet fascinating book about controlling your image, but also a dissection of class structure in the US. Those of us from a middle class background will surely recognize the description of it as "the most restrictive, most exclusionary group there is." I think the idea that you're permanently judged on the impression you make in the first 3 seconds probably places the author firmly in one of the categories she outlines. Some of us are more flexible - placing me no doubt squarely in another category. And if you despise categories -- she's got a category for you, too.