How to Look Tough

Co-authored by Elle Monus

Last Updated: December 11, 2022 References

There's a uniform, sure, but looking tough takes a lot more than a couple of skull rings and a leather jacket. You can learn to not only dress the part, but adopt a tough person that will be believable. You can have people thinking you spit nails and punch concrete before breakfast.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Dressing Tough

1
Find a tough icon. There are lots of different types of tough. There's corporate tough, like Don Draper. There's rap tough, like Gucci Mane. There's metal tough, like Lemmy from Motorhead. Depending on what kind of style you want to have and how you want to toughen yourself up, it's a good idea to pick a tough icon. Here are some classics:
- Tough men: Clint Eastwood, Sonny Barger, Kimbo Slice, Bear Grylls, Sebastian Junger
- Tough women: Ronda Rousey, Lil' Kim, Serena Williams, Joan Jett, Courtney Love, Margaret Thatcher
2
Wear a leather jacket. From bikers to rockers, there's typically nothing that can make you tough easier than a leather jacket. Go for a classic fur-lined bomber jacket in black or brown, or a more modern tailored style if you're interested in something more stylish. Leather jackets always look cool.
- If you're vegan, or just aren't a big fan of the idea of wearing leather, most cheap leather jackets aren't actually leather anyway, but a faux-leather cotton-polyurethane combination. You can still look tough without buying real leather.
- Typically, used leather jackets tend to look a little more tough. If you've got that nice worn leather look, it'll look like you've been around the block a few times.^{[1]
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3
Wear ripped denim. New denim? Cool. Denim that's worn out and looks like it was run through the gravel? Super cool. Denim that looks like a shark got a hold of it, and ripped it all up? Tough. Denim jackets, shirts, and jeans are all cool, no matter what the style, but if you've got some that looks a little ragged, you're going to look tough.^{[2]
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- Buy denim that fits according to your personal tough style. Go tight if you want a tough rocker look, or baggy if you want more of a modern tough style.
4
Try flannel. Even if you live in the city, flannel shirts will make you look like you're ready to chop down pine trees and swill whiskey like a lumberjack. Rock a loose-fitting, old-school flannel shirt over a sleeveless undershirt, or solo, and you'll get people's attention as a tough outdoorsy type.^{[3]
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- Flannel look really good as a baggy shirt, but can also look punk printed on pants. Only tight pants, though, for women.
- Wear a lot of leather. If you're vegan, fine. Some stores sell vegan leather, but that can be harder find. Leather skinny pants look extra tough and edgy.
5
Wear some old military or hunting gear. What's tougher than a soldier? Hit up an army surplus store, a tactical outfitter, or a sporting goods store in your area for your clothes instead of the mall. If you're rocking Carhartt and camo, you're going to look tough, wherever you live, however old you are, and whatever you do. If you wear camo from WW2 or Vietnam you will look more tough and will have people asking about it.^{[4]
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- Old army jackets and pants are also typically kind of ripped up looking and cheap, both added bonuses for someone who wants to look tough. Outfit an old army jacket with band patches and other stuff to look like a tough punk.
6
Wear some tough footwear. Depending on the kind of look you want to have, there are a variety of different kinds of tough footwear that you can pull off, boy or girl, tough or not. Shoes can be surprisingly effective in getting your tough look to come together.
- In terms of sneakers, the simpler, the better. Chuck Taylors in plain black, plain white Keds, or those thickly padded skater shoes with the long tongue and laces, are both tough looks, especially compared to some New Balance.
- In terms of boots, some chunky Doc Martens, Timberlands, or some other variety of big combat boot will help you look tough.
7
Get some tough accessories. A few simple accessories can kick up your toughness levels a couple notches. As long as you don't take it too far, along with other tough-attire, the following little accessories can help you look tough:
- Thick, short silver chain necklace
- Skull ring
- Nose ring
- Leather cuff
- Bandana
- Band t-shirts
8
Make little changes, not huge ones. If one day you're wearing a polo shirt and cargo shorts and you show up at school the next day with a whole camo get-up and combat boots, you'll probably turn heads, but not necessarily the good way. Take little steps in cultivating your tough look.
- Try making one little change every week, to let people get used to the changes. Start with a new jacket, or a new accessory, and start moving slowly, collecting more tough gear as you go.
- The key to bringing the edgy style is doing it in small portions.
- Layer edgy printed tops or dresses under a blazer or use a leather-looking piece in a traditional cut (like a pencil skirt) paired with a very sophisticated button-up top with soft fabrics and features. For example, a chiffon pussy bow top in classic white.
- Monochromatic black looks are always edgy but can look super professional and posh. To bring them into the office, keep the overall look tailored and body-skimming, but not hugging.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Looking Tough

1
Get in shape. If you've want to look like you can drink nails for breakfast and skateboard across coals on your bare feet, you've got to do a little work on the ol' physique. Even if you can't fight to save your life, a decent physique should help you avoid confrontation in the first place.^{[5]
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- If it's been a while since you've exercised, or you're not a big fan of working out, start slow. Just start taking walks that last for at least 30 or 40 minutes a few times a week, after work or school. Slowly expand your walk area, getting your walks longer and longer.
- Try doing 30 minutes of cardio workouts 3-5 times a week, when you start getting into shape. This helps to cut the fat quickly and increase your metabolism.
- You know what's tough? Eating kale. If you want to really be tough, diet right and increase the number of lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, and whole grains in your diet, and avoid processed foods, fried food, and fattening stuff. Get cut, and get tough.
2
Change your hair. There's no one tough look for hair, but guys and girls can both look tough with long styles and short styles, depending on the kind of look you're going for.
- Longer hair works for rocker looks in guys and can look tough especially if you grease it back and make it look ominous. Think Gordon Gecko and Pat Riley. For girls, longish unkempt hair can look rocker tough.
- Short hair works to look tough, especially if it's very short. Mohawks on guys and girls can look punk and military at the same time. If you shave your head bald no one can grab your hair in a fight since there is no hair to grab. That's tough.
- For women, wear tough makeup. Wear some heavy black eyeshadow, dark red or black lipstick, and thick black eyeliner. Contour your cheekbones. Women with more defined cheekbones and jawlines are seen as tough.
3
Grow out your facial hair. Beards make a guy look like he can start a fire in the wilderness, run wild through the woods with his buddies, chop down a tree with the edge of his hand, and then sit down for a breakfast of bear bones. Grow one.^{[6]
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- For girls, growing leg hair or other body hair can look tough sometimes, or it can look kind of hippie, which isn't a particularly tough look. It's up to you. Give it a shot.
4
Make your resting face a scowl. Train yourself to make your resting face a tough, thousand-yard stare. You want to look like those eyes have seen things the other kiddies won't understand. You want to look like you've been places.
- If and when you laugh, it should be once, and with a kind of smirk, as if to say, "Yeah, that's amusing to me, although I'd rather be greasing the grain on my motorcycle."
- Frown with your eyes, turning your brows down, and pursing your lips slightly, so you look like you're smelling something that stinks. Make it subtle, or you'll probably look like you just farted.
5
Get a tattoo. It's not a secret, tattoos look tough, and they also communicate that you're able to take a certain amount of pain. What could be tougher than that? Tattoos are permanent, so you want to give some thought to what kind of a tough design you want to go with before you're left with a Smurf on your lower back for life.
- The more classic, the better. Anchors? Skulls? Daggers? Dragons? Those are some tough-looking tattoos. They'll always remind you of your inner toughness.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Acting Tough

1
Talk tough. Any idiot can raise their voice and scream. But if you want to be tough, you have to talk tough, looking someone right in the eye and speaking with the conviction of a super-tough hombre. Think of Michael Corleone from the Godfather, or Eastwood from Dirty Harry. They don't seem intimidating at first glance, but when they speak, there is ice in their veins. Learn to do the same.
- Try not to yell. Yelling betrays that you're feeling weak. Instead, speak cool and icily, with tough confidence, especially when you're feeling upset.
2
Learn to fight. What better way to act tough than actually learning to be tough, in mind, body, and spirit. Consider taking up a martial art, like Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwondo, Jiu-jitsu, Judo, or Muay Thai, or practice self defense styles like Hapkido or Mixed Martial arts. Krav Maga is another highly effective fighting style and is used by military everywhere. This is also a very good way to get into shape.
- Find out what's available in your area and take intro lessons. Even just starting to learn can help give you a little tough confidence, and might give you some skills necessary to defend yourself.
3
Listen to tough music. One Direction's not going to do much to get you in a tough state of mind. If you want to start adopting a tough attitude, listen to some heavy music that'll get you in the proper state of mind more quickly. Here are some tough acts that you can check out or work out to, to get you feeling tough:
- High on Fire
- Public Enemy
- Swans
- Pharmakon
- Nails
- Chief Keef
- Cheater Slicks
- Oblivians
- Flesh of the Stars
- Napalm Death
4
Walk with a purpose. While it might feel slightly ridiculous at first, you can train yourself to walk more confidently, which will communicate that you're not a meek little thing to be messed with, you're a tough person. It's not hard, with some practice, and mostly just involves walking with good posture.
- Take slightly larger steps than usual, and puff out your chest just a tiny bit, rolling your shoulders back. Keep your head up. Do this very slightly because if you exaggerate too much, it may look ridiculous.
- Walk at a constant speed, not looking like you're worried about being in people's way. Don't worry about getting out of anyone's way in the hallway, just walk like you're in charge and they'll clear the way for you.
5
Hang out with others who are tougher than you. Hanging out with other tough looking people will serve two purposes. One, you can let some of that toughness rub off on you, and you'll look tougher for your association with other people who can't be messed with. There's safety in numbers, especially when everyone looks tough.
- Don't hang out with anyone who engages in stupid or risky behavior. Driving recklessly or doing illegal things doesn't make you look tough, it makes you look like someone who's about to get arrested.
6
Don't mistake self-destruction for toughness. It's one thing to look tough, but it's quite another to start doing things you know you shouldn't do because you think it will get people to respect you. If you're hanging out with people who make you think you need to do illegal or risky things to be "tough," find other friends to hang out with.^{[7]
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- Smoking cigarettes may seem "tough" at first, because it's disgusting, but there's nothing tough about being hooked up to oxygen tanks and coughing your lungs out later in life. Even tough guys will tell you that much.^{[8]
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- Alcohol and drugs are likewise problems for people who think they're shortcuts to toughness. They aren't. Be tough in your mind, not by taking risks with addictive substances that will incapacitate you.^{[9]
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Warnings

If you are not physically tough or have a small build then people may spot your bluff. An appearance and attitude that seems fabricated may draw undesired attention which is not often a safe idea.

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