Oh brother!

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the Metropolitan Opera production of Hansel and Gretel starring Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole.

One of the most difficult writing assignments I had in college involved writing about women's fashion from the point of view of a guy writing for FHM. Our professor said, "To get the idea, you either read the magazine or ask a guy what he thinks about women's clothes, and work from there."

My resulting article had a guy persona poking fun at women who didn't dress with practicality and preferred instead to fall prey to fashion dictates like mini skirts, tube tops and peeking thong underwear (the "in" thing back then). My guy self pointed out things like how a short skirt would not allow a girl to sit properly and much less to climb a jeep with dignity, how a tube top would have to be pulled up every 5 seconds, and how thong undies never seemed to accomplish what they were made to do (that is, to stay hidden). The finished piece made people laugh, but it had one critical point: it did not read like it got published in FHM.

"You didn't read FHM? So who did you ask?" said the prof.

I said, "My friend's brother!"

Young women who have brothers are very lucky--and please don't think I'm just saying that because I don't have one.

Brothers who really care will give you invaluable insights on the young men who knock on the door, not to mention tips on how to dress better on a date. (And he doesn't need to be reading a fashion magazine to help you on that. All he needs is love for you!)

• If your brother tells you that your shorts are too short, then they probably are. He is not being KJ or "conservative." He just has this great advantage of looking at you through the eyes of a guy.
• And if he insults your fashion choices, don't take offense; most likely, it is because he can imagine what that dude who will take you out will think of it (and of you), and it sickens him.

Beyond fashion choices, a brother can be the one to "issue threats" to that Potential Boyfriend of yours if Daddy is not enough, and of course, your Bro has the advantage of being in the same generation as PB so it comes off as friendlier, more laidback and... even cool. Besides, Bro can actually become good friends with PB, too, and that may just give you even more insights on whether PB is someone who will respect and love you for real.

So, make friends with your brother and ask him for advice--and not just when you need to write a paper from the point of view of a guy! :-)

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." -Marc Brown