At A Glance Author aniorange Contact [email protected] IAM aniorange When N/A I watched a television show today. One of the several topics of the day was how people react to how someone looks. They did an experiment by dressing up someone with makeup to make them look different, kind of creepy looking to see how much different people treated them. To me it's no secret that people are often judged on their looks. The hidden cameras on this television program showed just how different people can act. Anybody that has body mods has at least some idea what I am talking about. As many people know there are a lot of employers out there that will not hire you if you look different than the "normal." If you have oddly colored hair, big tattoos and/or jewelry in "odd" places you are less likely to get positive attention. The farther up the "cooperate ladder" you go the worse it gets.
I was not the least surprised by the looks that I received after I started getting pierced. What did surprise me at first was the reaction of children. Their curiosity and pure innocence is outstanding. They do not yet have the prejudice of grown ups. They ask innocent and honest questions and are typically no more alarmed by someone with mods than any other stranger they meet.
As time moved on and I became more and more pierced and tattooed the less I noticed those things. I did not take as much notice how different people treated me. Along with my piercings and tattoos I wore "alternative" clothes. I dressed a lot in band t-shirts and ragged jeans. I did go though experiences in my life that changed the way I looked. Things changed a lot.
I have medical problems. These days a lot of people do. I had fairly regular appointments with my doctor. When I first started going there I had long hair, nose, septum, tongue piercings. I had a labret and a couple of ear piercings. I had one tattoo that I showed off at will. I did not have a lot of money or good insurance at the time. It was difficult for me to get my medicine. I ended up in the office a lot asking for help and for samples of medicine. It was always a headache. The lady at the front counter always acted as if I where bothering her. She acted like she did not have time for me. She would have me write what I needed down on a pierce of paper and leave it for the doctor. I often had to call or come back to follow up with what I needed. It seemed like they did not want to help me.
After my change, after being sick and seeing how tough it was going to be to earn a living not having the strength I once had I clean myself up a bit. I cut my hair and took our most of my piercings. I hid a few so that they could not be seen. The next time I went to my doctor's office it was as if the lady and the front counter did not recognize me. She smiled and went out of her way to help me. I was asking for samples of medicine as I had done many times before. Instead of the usual write what you need on this note, she happily goes into the back and brings back the samples I need. She asked with a smile is there anything else I can do for you. I did not realize until this point how much different I had been treated before.
I knew people would look at me differently but I did not expect things to be this different. That was an experience that stuck with me until this day and will likely to stay with me a long time. I think I learned a lot from what I went though unintentionally. I learned just how superficial people, in general, could be and they probably do not even know it. I guess that is a price you pay for being yourself.
On the other hand there is a certain advantage to this situation. There are certainly those out there that do not see just the surface. These people treat everyone the same. It does not matter what you look like just who you are. I feel that I can quickly weed out these people from the more superficial types rather quickly. Because I look "different" I feel like the superficial ones are drawn out rather quickly by the way they treat me. In the same token the people that look a little deeper stand out in my mind because they talk to me as an equal. They do not shy away or make judgments.
It's very much a manner of the way you take it. If you chose to be angry with the people that do not treat you fairly because of the way you look, then nothing will change. If however you keep confidence in yourself and do not let the unpleasant encounters bring you down and you treat everyone as you would want to be treated, as an equal, perhaps someday we will all change the world.