Are You Treated Better When You Put More Effort Into Your Appearance?

So, it took slyly being followed around the supermarket by a security guard to confirm that: 1) perhaps I was looking a little scruffy today and 2) appearances really do matter.

Like anyone, I have my rough-looking days (usually when all I’m doing is running errands locally), and days where I don’t look as shabby. For example, some days I look like this:

Exhibit A: Scary/Rough

And on other days I look like this:

Exhibit B

Now I’m not trying to imply that I’m a beauty queen or anything, but I find it funny the way I’m treated differently when I look more presentable and like the person in the second picture.

Shallow much?

I notice I'm more easily dismissed, bumped into by people with no apology or treated like I’m about to shoplift when I’m having a rough-looking day. It's the difference between cars slowing down and waiting to let you cross in peace... or beeping at you impatiently, almost running you over, if you're fashioning a more casual look that day.

These types of experiences are a stark comparison to the days when I decide to tart up which will, for example, see men not only eyeing me up but being more chivalrous e.g. offering to help if I happen to have heavy bags or a suitcase. Other people are generally a lot nicer too.

The having-a-supermarket-security-guard-act-like-your-shadow incident happened on the same day that I was eyed up by the receptionist at the local dentist, who asked me to pay upfront (and not in the most tactful manner either) the day I booked my appointment... a whole week before my ACTUAL appointment. She obviously thought I was planning to skip out once I had my check up.

Well hey bitch, if you’re going to judge me, I’ll return the favour: HD tattooed eyebrows have never looked good on anyone.

Fair enough, if someone is dressed sloppily, you are going to make a snap judgement. Plus, if you work in customer service I can imagine it's hard to maintain a bubbly and friendly persona all the time. But even once you get talking to these people, they still treat you like dirt. I’m not being conceited, but I know I come across as a friendly and well-spoken person. Yet these narrow-minded individuals can’t look past the initial judgement they’ve made of you, that’s based entirely on how you look.

It bugs me, not because I care what people think about how I look (although compliments are always nice), but because these people think it’s okay to treat people less kindly/respectfully, when the only offensive thing that person has done is not dress up on that particular day.