# What is the most common way to look **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587 "2014-09-05T16:01:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/1 "2014-09-05T16:01:04Z")
I am not talking worldwide, but in specific countries and cities. I would imagine say a bank robber would want to blend in as much as possible (I’m not a bank robber). Say in New York, what age, hair style, clothes (types and colors), shoes etc. would be shared by most people on the street? Would combining all the most common parts result in the most common person? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/2 "2014-09-05T16:36:45Z")
Wouldn’t that pretty well depend on the neighborhood? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/3 "2014-09-05T17:50:43Z")
For a man: A pair of slacks, a short-sleeved collared shirt with faint stripes. If it’s cold, almost any jacket should work (the Northern hemisphere generally sharing the same look for jackets). 30-50 years old. Hair faintly greased and parted. Clean shaved. Should work basically anywhere on the planet, outside of a few tribal groups that are adamantly sticking to a stoneage way of life. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/4 "2014-09-05T18:27:26Z")
Blue oxford shirt, tan chinos, brown loafers. Instant anonymity, and you’ll look like Hal Gurnee! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/5 "2014-09-05T19:53:52Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > For a man: > > A pair of slacks, a short-sleeved collared shirt with faint stripes. If it’s cold, almost any jacket should work (the Northern hemisphere generally sharing the same look for jackets). 30-50 years old. Hair faintly greased and parted. Clean shaved. Should work basically anywhere on the planet, outside of a few tribal groups that are adamantly sticking to a stoneage way of life. Greased hair? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/6 "2014-09-05T20:50:06Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Greased hair? Yeah, I’d say that there’s some countries where the norm is to style your hair, whatever it takes, and no countries where it’s required to go au naturale, so it would be safer to add at least enough grease to have a slight gloss. ---
**Author:** ![Timetrvlr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/7 "2014-09-06T05:31:45Z")
I was never cut out for a criminal career because I’m too memorable. I’m too tall, have a distinctive gait, and definitely can not sustain a poker face. How I dress would not be a big factor. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/8 "2014-09-06T12:51:07Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Yeah, I’d say that there’s some countries where the norm is to style your hair, whatever it takes, and no countries where it’s required to go au naturale, so it would be safer to add at least enough grease to have a slight gloss. WTF is hair grease? You mean gel? In NYC you can look pretty much any way and fit in. The 8 “official” languages of NYC government (the minimum number that important notices are published in, because they are the 8 most commonly spoken languages in NYC) are: English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, and French Creole. And those are only the _largest_ linguistic groups. What I’m getting at is that there isn’t a generic kind of New Yorker. That’s kind of what NYC is all about. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-way-to-look/697587/9 "2014-09-07T00:23:29Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > WTF is hair grease? > **[Pomade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomade)** > > Pomade is a greasy, waxy, or water-based substance that is used to style hair. It generally gives the user's hair a shiny, slick appearance. It lasts longer than most hair-care products, and often requires repeated washes for complete removal. The pomades of the 18th and 19th centuries consisted mainly of bear fat or lard. Lanolin, beeswax and petroleum jelly have been used extensively in modern pomades. The hold of pomades makes sculptured hairstyles such as the pompadour waves (hairstyle)