I agree with you 100% and I applaud you for working on improving this aspect of your life. I'm not sure how old you are, but teenage years can be very difficult for dating. You're right about the media and "cool" vs "loser", but rest assured that those juvenile labels become less prevalent once you're in college.

Here are the things I think can turn a nice guy into a great catch:
- find a unique sport and learn to excel in it (bike racing, martial arts, juggling?)
- find a cool and unique job that gives you expertise in something and will make you marketable (early internship in a field you think you might enjoy as an adult)
- find a friend who has a sister who is in college and who is cool and friendly. Ask her to come shopping with you and see if she has any hair suggestions. I think that many college girls would be happy to do that for a nice guy who isn't a jerk

Why don't you give us some examples of your attempts that didn't work out, or an example of what you're thinking about trying, and we can give you some feedback.

Welcome, Alex,
LMo