My husband and I and another couple recently hit a neighorhood hotspot. The place positively swelled with beautiful people sipping the night away in summer clothes. Eventually, our conversation turned to Paris Hilton.

"She's very pretty," our male friend remarked. "But she doesn't do anything for me."

After having witnessed NBC anchor Matt Lauer get into a lather over the hotel heiress' hamburger commercial (the one where she cavorts in teensy shorts with a gushing spray hose), I needed to know why Paris left this particular guy cold.

"Because she doesn't really smile. I don't even know if she even has the ability. She sneers. You know, I went to high school with a girl like that, a very pretty girl. Some guys were really into her, but she just didn't do it for me. They'd tell me I was crazy, and I'd tell them I'd rather date someone who knew how to smile."

This intrigued me. I knew this guy when he was in high school. I remember being in his parents' house, and the phone ringing constantly. The person on the other line tended to be female and wanted to talk to him. He could date any girl he wanted.

"So, you're telling me that looks don't matter?"

"Looks are great. A good figure is great. But an overweight woman who knows how to smile and likes to laugh is a lot sexier than a so-called beautiful woman who doesn't."

This man's proclamation no doubt contradicts all the advice you've gleaned from women's magazines over the years, but think about it. It makes sense. After all, what kind of guy do you go for?

Is he robotically handsome like a soap star, or is he a real-life human being who likes a good laugh, who looks you in the eye and smiles? Matt Lauer aside, guys aren't that different. A lot of them want the same things you want.

So many of us obsess over the size of our noses or the tube of fat that hangs over our jeans, but here's the bottom line: It doesn't matter. You don't have to put a plastic surgeon's kid through Yale to get a guy.

You don't have to dress up in little shorts and dance around with a spray hose, either. Get over yourself. Smile easily. Laugh often but genuinely.

You'll get a guy who doesn't need to date women who look like Paris Hilton. You'll get a great guy who wants to date a woman like you.