I knew a guy once who fell so much in love with a Girl Scout Leader that he was afraid to speak to her, even though the Girl Scout Leader uniform is one of the dorkiest outfits imaginable. But he saw this woman romping and playing in a field with a bunch of young kids, and he was immolated by a passion as rare and fine as if she had been wearing a long, black evening gown and introducing other stars at the Oscars. Which is to say that when love finds you, it matters not what you are wearing, even if it's knee socks.

So, how can you switch from dork to beauty? It's a psychological truth that people get stuck in old patterns because they reject themselves. Ever notice how, the more nervous you get about something going wrong, the better the chance that something will go wrong? Now notice how, when you feel relaxed and happy and aren't thinking about what other people think of you, things seem to go better.

You might not be a dork; you might be quirky, which is a highly desirable quality. Don't throw out the things you think dorky now, because you may discover that in five years you'll realize they were great qualities. Start your transformation by recognizing the dork qualities you are imbued with as potentially brilliant, desirable pieces of self that other people wish they had. You're probably smart; your question is smartly written. Smart people are usually funny, too, which some poor slobs can't manage even with a joke book. Embrace your inner dork, love her up a little and tell her it's okay. I'm going to assume you're not happy with your appearance. Appearances change—in fact, you'd be surprised how much they can change in a short period of time. Take a look at yourself in the mirror, frowning. Now, smile. I bet there was a big change right then! So, only after you have embraced your inner dork, you can start working on changing appearance, but do the inner work first, because that's where all change starts.

Once you start to think that dorkhood might not be a life sentence (and once you realize that the really smart, funny guys are all dorks hiding in computer labs and physics classes just dying to meet girls who understand things like RAM and ions), you may find that the more relaxed and forgiving attitude you have toward yourself starts to become visible. You may frown less and smile more. Stress-related things like breakouts, tooth grinding and being accident prone may ease up too. Once you forgive yourself for not being born a supermodel, you can move on to your own unique kind of beauty. Start with basics: get a good haircut and find a conditioner that makes your hair shiny and smooth. Find a skincare regime that works for you. Get your eyebrows done by a pro if you aren't sure where to start, but if your eyebrows aren't bushy, leave them alone; they're probably great the way they are. Don't mess with things that are good enough. And don't make drastic changes to your overall look or you'll probably feel self-conscious. Start slow. If you usually wear ratty jeans and sweatshirts, buy jeans that fit and look smart, and turn the sweatshirt to a sweater or a hoodie. Notice what you like about clothes other girls are wearing are incorporate the pieces into your own wardrobe. Go slow, stay true to yourself. Your own, dorky, beautiful self.