Is it wrong to judge people based on the things they stick on their bodies?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

Whether it be a tattoo, piercing, clothing, or hairstyle.

In this thread, a couple of posters were ridiculed for their judgmental opinions towards people with tattoos of a certain style. I did not agree with the OP, but I did agree with the sentiment that having a tattoo that you can’t understand is stupid. So is having a tattoo that you don’t know is mispelled because you can’t read the language its written in. If I met a person that fits the two above criteria, I’m not going to have a great first impression of them.

Yesterday, I was shopping at the local thrift store and I noticed a stunning older woman standing in the line with me. I thought to myself, “Wow, she’s a classy lady.” But then she happened to open her mouth, revealing nothing but gold teeth. She suddenly went from “classy grandmother” to “embarrassment to the entire family”. As I walked to the parking lot with my wares, I felt ashamed of myself for being so judgemental. But then I wondered why I should consider my opinion so wrong.

I consider myself open-minded, but I do have opinions about things. I think spinning rims are horrible, as are those fake balls that people hang on trailer hitches. Tattoos can be quite tasteful, but rarely do I enjoy tattoos covering entire body parts. I hate baggy pants and oversized t-shirts, as well as muffin tops, butt cheeks poking out from miniskirts, and any apparell that has logos printed on provocative areas (like breasts and butts). It’s not like I cut evil eyes at people who sport these things. It’s just that when I see people wearing these things, I may form bad judgements about them. Like they have no self-esteem, they’re sexist, or they’re materialistic. Or, as in the case of the grandmother, they are low-class and provincial.

My question:

-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing, accessories, and styles?

  • Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose?

-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob?

-Are there Dopers out there who believe they never make assumptions based on external appearance? Based on the linked thread, where the overwhelming response seemed to be that people shouldn’t judge anyone’s intelligence or whatever based on a tattoo, I would assume there are. But this seems hard to believe to me.

#2

-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing, accessories, and styles?
All the time.
**- Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose?**Both. It depends on what you do with the information. A lot of times the styles people choose can tell you a lot about them. Treating the person differently than others based solely on that information can be crossing the line though.

-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob?
I still try to treat people as individuals instead of sticking them in a pre-determined boxes and writing them off immediately. Lots of times I learn that I was wrong, which helps me work through my own prejudices.

#3

Yes

You weren’t born with that clothing or tramp stamp tatoo. You decided to wear that becaue that is how you want the world to see you. Don’t get mad when that’s how they see you.

It depends. I still treat people with respect. But if you show up for an interview with gold teeth I’m not going to hire you unless I happened to be working at Def Jam or something.

The problem is, you might not be a ho, but if you’re wearing a ho’s uniform, you’re going to have to work that much harder for people to see the real you.

#4

When I see people with extremes in piercings, tattoos, makeup, or clothing, I have to admit, my first impression is not favorable. My reaction is along the lines of “What is he/she thinking?” Does that make me a snob?

On one level, I don’t much care how people choose to present themselves - it’s not like it affects me or my life. On the other hand, if I’m doing business with you, I expect a certain degree of professionalism, and given the choice, I’ll deal with someone who has a more conventional appearance. Yes, I know that just because you have a series of rings through your eyebrow, it doesn’t mean you are incapable of performing your tasks competently. But your adornments are outside my comfort zone, and if I don’t have to deal with you, I won’t.

Go ahead and be a rebel - that’s your right. But I have an equal right not to associate with you personally or professionally. And I have no problem if you don’t want to be around me because I dislike such adornments. Fair enough?

#5

-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing, accessories, and styles?

Constantly. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. I’ll sit at the coffee shop and watch people walk by, thinking to myself “whore… whore… freak… boob job… vampire… stuck-up… whore…” and I don’t really feel too bad about it because I know there are people out there making their judgments on me based on my appearance, and there’s nothing I can do about that. It’s human nature, really - we’re visual creatures. And opinionated creatures.

  • Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose?

Not necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn’t say anything to their faces; it’s not like I’m trying to hurt feelings. But yes, visual impressions are important. They’re the first thing you get when meeting someone. A bad look may get a prejudiced gut response from me, but if the person speaks to me, or I’m given a chance to see beyond the surface, I can put that gut response away and enjoy the company. I don’t see that it “serves a purpose”, really, and I guess maybe to some extent it’s kept me from meeting some interesting people because their look freaked me out a bit, but that doesn’t bother me very much, since I like the people I have around.

-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob?

Nothing but perspective, I guess. Maybe I am an obnoxious snob. I don’t feel that I am, but I guess the guy at the party wearing black eyeliner and a mohawk, who I’m probably not going to approach on my own, would think so. But if a friend introduced him to me, I’d chat with him. Snob or not? I don’t know. And frankly, I don’t really care.

#6

When I opened this thread I thought it was “Is it wrong to judge people based on the things that they stick in their bodies?” and thought you might have been poking fun at Autolycus and the ladle incident. :smiley:

#7

-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing, accessories, and styles?

Yes.

  • Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose?

Sometimes one, sometimes the other. What that purpose might be escapes me. I know some people consider it an attractive decoration, others consider it a rebellion or a statement of some sort.

-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob?

I admit that I have a “thing” about piercings. I’m kind of “squicked out” even by pierced ears and must grant that even very classy people have those, so I control my reaction. I will avoid if at all possible watching people take them in or out of their ears. I ask the daughter who has her navel pierced to please cover it up when I see her as it makes me cringe, and she does so.

I am repulsed by facial piercings. I try not to look at the face of the supermarket or store clerk who has them, but I say nothing. If I were in a restaurant being served by a person with facial piercings I would probably ask unobtrusively to have a different server because I would be unable to eat my meal if I had to look at the server.

I am bothered by tattoos, but again would never say anything. My niece’s ex-husband had an absolutely obscene and vulgar picture tattooed on his elbow. It bothered me greatly that during family events my daughters and I had to look at that.

I find the lower back tattoo with low-cut pants to be slutty. “Hey, look at my ass!” Not classy. At the beach I saw a couple of little girls (really little, as in pre-school or just beyond) with those. I hope they were temporary, just for “fun” but thought them to be completely inappropriate regardless. No, I didn’t say anything.

Obnoxious? No. Snob? Maybe a bit.

I wouldn’t treat a person whose the body adornments I find distasteful rudely, but I would not voluntarily interact with him/her, either. If I were hiring someone, it would be a negative point, just like showing up for an interview in clothing inappropriate for the job. Unless it was for a job where that’s considered normal, but then the chances of my working at, let alone being in a supervisory position for, such a job are between slim and none, and Slim just left town.

I totally agree with **FairyChatMom ** and msmith537.

#8

Of course I make negative judgements about people’s fashion choices. My current favorite subjects of ridicule are cork wedgies, hobbit pants, and the venerable sexless beige-baggy-shorts-and-polo shirt look. Ugly, entriely without style, and only worn becuase everyone else wears them.
No, I don’t feel bad about it. Clearly they are unembarrassed to be seen in public that way, so it isn’t my business to be fashion police.
Snob? Probably. So what if I don’t get in their face about it.

#9

It’s so much easier to post when I can just say "yeah, what Omega Glory said. I’ll add for the third question that I know I am a bit of a snob, but I’m not obnoxious about it.

#10

Deleted double post.

#11

Plenty of people make tattoo, piercing, clothing, or hairstyle choices precisely to make a certain impression: they want to be judged favorably for them. I say, they can’t have it both ways. If they can be judged favorably for their tattoo/piercing/clothing/hairstyle (“you must be a cool person to have gotten that”), they can be judged unfavorably (“what an idiot”).

That said, it is absolutely wrong to think that a person’s tattoo, piercing, clothing, or hairstyle tells you everything there is to know about that person.

#12

**
-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing,

accessories, and styles?**

Oh yes. Here are some things that will definitely cause me to make a snap judgment
-tramp stamp lower back tattoos
-those tattoos of wings that take up the whole back
-men in those strappy nature sandals and on that note tevas and birkenstocks
-Christian summer camp counselor khaki shorts on women
-mom jeans
-tube tops
-cowboy boots with skirts or dresses
-those flat gladiator style sandals for women
-espadrilles
-visible thong
-popped collars
-ironic tshirts

  • Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose?
    I can’t help it.

-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob?

nothing.

#13

No, but it can tell you enough.

#14

Well, it’s always interesting to see upper middle class snottery presented in all its priggish glory.

#15

[hijack] Many in the medical community consider a person with more than 5 piercings to be a self-mutilator who needs psychological treatment. How they came up with this number is a mystery to me, but I heard it at a pediatric physician’s conference. [/hijack]

#16

Yes, I make judgments based on a person’s appearance, piercings, tattoos, and clothing.

Generally speaking, the further away from the mainstream (or even alternative mainstream), the more issues there are going on. All those things are choices made to portray identity, and sometimes, those identities carry negative connotations with them.

When I see a young woman who has gotten breast augmentation (they were completely out of proportion to her frame, sat too high up on her chest, and didn’t move when she did), has pierced her nipples and is wearing a thin, tight shirt to show it off, then I draw the conclusion that she’s shallow, insecure, and probably has more money than sense.

If I see someone with a tattoo style or placement that was once or is now very popular, I think that person is a sucker for the “in” thing, and doesn’t have enough brains to figure out that tattoos are a permanent answer for a temporary fad.

Multiple piercings get the same call, with an added “chip on the shoulder” attitude adjustment.

Does it matter? I don’t know. I do my best to treat all people with courtesy and kindness, regardless of how hard I’m rolling my eyes internally. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, my cynical worst expectation is confirmed.

#17

-Do you ever make negative judgements towards people based on things like clothing, accessories, and styles? What Antigen said. But not just about poor/trashy/whatever people. Our family codeword for Boobjob is “birthday present” or, in the case of giant bolt-ons, “Merry Christmas to him.” Occasionally, the judgmental pronouncement (on piercings, ink, etc) is “Ooh! Previous poor impulse control!”

*- Do you feel that this is a bad thing or something that serves a purpose? * Yes. If taken too far (like the object of my scorn ever having a clue about my scornfulness), or if I just couldn’t get over an aspect of an intelligent, interesting, competent or funny person’s appearance, it would be very bad. Otherwise, it serves as a hint that the person MIGHT not be compatible with my interests.

*-If you do admit to doing this, where do you draw the line? What separates you from an obnoxious snob? * Oh, I’m a snob alright, but I don’t base my entire opinion of a persons worth on one visual factor, and I very very rarely let slip that I despise someone for a variety of other transgressions, so therefor, I’m not an OBNOXIOUS snob. I may be obnoxious, but not for reasons related to anyones appearance.

*-Are there Dopers out there who believe they never make assumptions based on external appearance? * Yeah, probably, but I am not one of them.

#18

Just curious. Why do you think all of us are upper middle class? Cuz the OP (me) certainly isn’t.

And do you think lower middle class people are not just as snotty with their judgements?

Are you one of those hallowed few who never cast judgements on people based on their appearance? How did you get to be so enlightened and pure-hearted? This sounds snarky, but it’s sincere. I’d appreciate an answer, if you’ve got the time.

#19

Yes, I make judgements based upon a person’s appearance. It can give me a clue about what is important to him/her.Sometimes they are negative,sometimes positive, but more often neutral.
It can serve a purpose. Even if it’s just a conversation starter.
No. I usually don’t let outward appearance make me blow people off. I will wait until I know you’re a total waste. :slight_smile:
Perhaps. (I don’t know every doper)

#20

Darned edit window… :mad: Mrs. Cake…Some of us are stuck with the khaki bottom / polo top as kind of a default uniform for work due to dress codes. My department recently changed the dress code to blouses/shirts <2" above the elbow, pants, shorts, skirts <2" above the knee and all tops must have a collar. That struck about half my summer work clothing, leaving me with the safe, albeit boring uniform mentioned.