In the good old US of A, I think we can agree that at the very minimum, people have to be clean and smell ok and have clean clothes on. And then, for those who hold potential paramours to a higher standard, they'd say that their potential partner should be well-groomed, including having shaved recently and wearing matching, pressed clothes with good accessories and shoes.
This doesn't really take into account things that just happen, because "this is Africa," as Shakira once so poignantly sang. Here only the most high maintenance of men shave their faces twice a week and only the most high maintenance of women shave their legs once a week. Here when your hair is washed, people exclaim over it and demand if you got a haircut or if you did something different. You answer with a smirk, "I washed it." And the exclaiming continues....
We call this phenomenon "Peace Corps goggles."
Here in Bafia my daily wardrobe consists of a dress or a skirt/shirt combo paired with the ever fashionable leggings/socks and sandals look beloved of all German tourists the world over. I then wear my classy sports watch, which beeps at every hour to let me know that I still have many hours to go before I can get out of training.
I have also learned a lot about what Cameroonians find attractive. My host mother is constantly deploring the fact that I've lost weight since I've been here. She says that people will think that she's not feeding me or worse - that she's a bad cook. The night before last she told me that she wanted to make me "bien graisse," which means well-fattened; you would use the phrase for an animal that you wanted to eat. I've also heard that Cameroonians like women "who are more substantial" or "qui a des poids" (have some weight).
Also, strangely enough I think Cameroon may be the only country where big feet are preferred. I was talking to my host aunt and she said that she was jealous of my big feet.
It takes all kinds.
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