Cared about appearing bent (5)
I believe the answer is:
arced
'bent' is the definition.
(arcing is a kind of bending)
'cared about' is the wordplay.
'about' indicates an anagram.
'cared' is an anagram of 'ARCED'.
'appearing' is the link.
(Other definitions for arced that I've seen before include "Moved in a curve" , "Cared about being curved" , "Discharged" , "Curvy" , "Moved in curved path" .)