Mostly associated with
females however also seen in males, preening is the act of trying to make oneself more
attractive to a potential mate or person of the opposite sex.
A
common preening technique is straightening of clothing or flicking of ones hair.
More showy forms of preening would include metaphorically wiping dust off ones shoulders showing they are smooth commonly seen in some men trying to impress.
Dianne saw an attractive
guy sitting on the park bench
Guy looks up at her
Dianne instant ly reacted by preening herself, flicking her hair before walking past the
guy