For me a lot of what changed was that I got more confident, I think because people didn't know what to say/do around us sly folks so they just stare, etc. And you hold your head up a notch higher because you're YOU and not anyone else. Many people secretly wish they had the nerve to do it themselves.
Another issue I had was my hair, thinning as it were, was also prone to being oily and causing my skin to get overly greasy, etc. Once the razor went to the scalp, that issue got solved too!
Most of all, it let me connect with a number of wonderful folks, both on SBG and in RL so that was an added bonus.
Great question!