Do you judge people by their appearance?

Thank you for your response, it made me smile. :] Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond, I appreciate it. I have rated everyone I just do not have time right now to reply to everyone so hopefully ginagee doesn't mind that I have tagged this on to her post - I just wanted to thank everyone because I am so surprised to see so many people honestly replying to my discussion. THANKS!

Well my friend it was obviously worth replying to haha!!!!!

I think having a closed mouth and an open mind are both very good qualities, when we look at other people.

Thank you for your honest answer as well. I have a reason why I asked - my son is 16 and is on the wrestling team at his school. Alot of the wrestlers have gotten a mohawk haircut during the season. Not the full on punk version with the sides shaved and the top strip really long and spiked but a similar version just a little longer on the sides and not so long on the top. My son just got his cut that way last week and I was a little nervous about it but it actually looks really nice. Then I started thinking this weekend about how people might start to view him and it made me realize how sucky it is that people judge others based on their appearance. My son is a terrific athlete, a really great student and an awesome person with a heart of gold. Not many parents can say that about their 16 year old sons. He would do anything for anyone and he knows how to respect others in the way he wants to be respected. It's sad to think that someone might think he's a hoodlum or a problem child or has 'issues' just because his hair style is a little different than the norm. I hope he doesn't ever see it though, I think at the moment it hasn't even crossed his mind. :] Thanks for your response!

The team will probably become known for its hairstyle, and all of the little boys in town or in the area will want one, too. At least that is what happened with our high school basketball team. Two of the players had a dad who was a barber, and for solidarity the team shaved the lower part of their heads and left kind of a "lid" of longer hair on top. All of the little boys had to have a "pup cut" (BullPups) too.

Your son sounds like a great kid! That's really all that matters. Good luck to him!

Yes, I'm on the same page about thinking twice ;) I did leave something out: Even though it's been about 10 years since I've been in high school, I can still tell fashion trends-like, I think if I were to see your son with a mohawk, I wouldn't think he was disturbed or anything, I'd be able to see that it was just what the "kids were doing today" :D I remember I was wearing these jeans that had holes at the knees and when I got home some of my Dad's work associates were over and he was like, "She normally wears hole-free clothing" and I could tell he was embarrassed. One of the men went, "Oh, you just don't know what the "in things" are today with kids" and laughed at him. It was funny.... And about the tongue piercing, I have a friend who you'd NEVER peg for a piercer and she got her nose pierced! You can't even hide that piercing! She wore it for about a year and it actually looked pretty good on her, but she had to loose it when she began her career. I think that I will always have those random prejudices when I see someone who either looks odd or different from me and my friends, but as long as I can think twice and keep my mind open, that's what will make the difference in the end ;)

Thanks for your honest reply. I imagine all of us judge in one way or another. I'm very overweight but I still find myself looking at girls like you described and wondering what they are thinking dressing like that. I saw a girl in the mall also, she was about 16 and had a shirt on that revealed her stomach pouch hanging over her jeans. It was obvious she was wearing it that was on purpose but I couldn't understand how she thought that was attractive. I also try to stop myself when I find myself judging that way. I do not feel the same way about people with tattoos and piercings or punk/goth kids. Maybe because I had my tongue pierced and no one in the world would have pegged me as someone to do that but I did. A suburban housewife and mom. Booster Club Secretary.. went and had my tongue pierced just because I wanted to. No one ever saw it, I had it placed further back on my tongue because it was only for me and not for showing off. My sister has a couple of tattoos on her back/shoulder and when it comes up in conversation people are always shocked because you would never expect her to have them. My son has a mohawk now but he's a jock and an A-B student who is well liked by adults and his peers. Good kid with a good heart - would help anyone without being asked. I stay home so that I can be very involved in his life but I imagine people see him at first and think his parents must not be involved enough to care. I'm actually very much involved and took him to get the mohawk myself. :] But you are right, people should think twice. I think outward appearances shouldn't factor when people want to know if someone is a good person or a bad person. I also am one of those who is very much against employers denying someone a job just because they have tattoos, piercings, or different hair. That doesn't mean they can't do the job and I think people are shallow for assuming that. I'm glad my son is planning on getting into a career that embraces creativity and they don't mind if his hair is a mohawk or if he has his ears pierced or whatever .. as long as he can do his job.

I'm confused by you saying that when you see teens looking a certain way you are "disappointed in them because it's like they aren't teenagers" and that they need to be "in school or at home helping their families". My son has a punk hairstyle - how does his hair style reflect that he's not in school or helping his family or not a teenager? My son is very much a teenager - he is also in school more than anything else in his life (he is in school from 7am until 3pm and then stays at school until almost 8-9pm at night for his sports). He has all A's and B's for his grades and helps his family with ANYTHING we ask of him. He has chores and he does them every day without being told. He takes care of our 2 dogs and 1 cat. If I ask him to jump, he will ask me "how high".. he is a blessing to our lives and I couldn't imagine a better son. BUT because he has a mohawk, that makes him less of a person? A disappointment? A bad student? A bad son because you ASSUME he isn't helping his family? Sorry, I do not normally do this but your post makes zero sense. You say you don't judge people the way they are but for some reason you feel it's o.k. to judge a teenager because he doesn't look the way you think he should. So, yes you do judge people by their appearance. I can only hope you never know how it feels to be the one being judged - it's not a nice feeling.

That's a good outlook to have - thank you for sharing!