Attitudes

[xnewyawka]

I think manner and behaviour are most important: be kind a have a smile on your face!
J

I agree with what joerg says, it's all about what you put out there, and if you come across as a kind and easygoing person as opposed to a sneering, brooding lout, it makes all the difference.
A smile will usually make a person more at ease.
Also, like Tyler said, clothes and posture do make an initial impression too. I think a nice smile and a genial hello will help to ease any thoughts of negativity, but as you know some people are set in their ways and are going to have that built in opinion anyway.

[shakf]

My question back at ya is ...

Has your attitude changed since you changed your style?

My attitude has changed. When I had the receding hairline I just ended up feeling old because I'm 33 years old and have relations who are either in teir late 30's or early 40's and still have a very thick head of hair, so it was liberating for me and I feel younger now. It's also a very cool and trendy style to have.

[nomad]

I have found that when wearing jeans and t-shirts that people can be a bit leary of a guy with a shaved head and t-shirt.  It is actually really kind of cool when you smile at them, give a polite greeting, or hold a door open for a lady and see the smile returned and the change of attitude take place.

Thats exactly the kind of thing that happens to me, I don't always have a smile on, and people assume that I'm mean or what ever, but when I give them that big confident sly smile they go though a big change of heart.

[Rob]

I agree, a lot of peoples attitudes have to do with their pre-conceptions of what a guy with a shaved head might behave like.  In UK it was forever associated with nazi skin head types, usually young men who went around smashing up phone boxes and shop windows and scrawling grafitti, not to mention getting into fights and gang warfare.

Times have moved on, and nowadays I think peoples conceptions of sly guys are starting to change.  Loads of older guys sport the SLY look now, and their doing so has sort of upped the profile of shaved heads.  It is no longer just a fashion of skin-headed 'bovver boys' but a fashion lots of men have adopted.  So attitudes seem to be changing towards us Sly guys, and its being more accepted.

When I have a suit on, the SLY look suits the suit!  When I have jeans and T shirt it suits that image too.  Its the person and the attitude of the person that counts in the end.  Someone with hair can be equally as tough, menacing and evil as a person with no hair.  Its what's inside that counts, bro's.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

I think my manner has changed, one of my lesser concerns was that a shaved head has the potential to look intimidating, so I consciously smiled more.  Additionally, a shaved head emphasizes the rest of your face, so the smile stands out.  People do react in a more open fashion.  Now, on cold days when I whip off the beanie, their eyes often enlarge, so I smile, and they react favorably--but I like the initial surprised look, I like it A LOT.

[Marz]

When I first started to loose my hair I felt everyone was looking at my head when I entered a room. It made me self conscious and very withdrawn.

Now, when I enter a room, I feel like everyone looks at me as a stark contrast to a crowd and if they don't, I command the attention in one way or another.

I used to ditch the "spotlight" of attention in social gatherings, now I shine (yes, pun intended) in it. I very rarely have anyone say anything derogatory to me in regards to my head... actually, even if they do have some negative feelings and choose to try and use my lack of hair against me, I am very good at redirecting that back in their direction with much more conviction and zero sympathy.

Everyone has insecurities and they are usually easily spotted in negative people.

[tomgallagher]

That's right. Walk into the place like you own it.

[440satellite]

Although still researching the sly side, I agree 100% on the posture and facial expression setting the initial reaction.  I've always had a tight crew cut ( back in my hippy days I went to a #2 from a #1  ) and I am typically mistaken for ex-military although I'm not.  I was brought up to stand straight and look people in the eye.  I think that is part of what sets that initial outlook towards me. 

The only time I use the intimidation to my favor is when I'm trying to get through a crowd, then a determined facial expression and square shoulders can do wonders most times.  Works great on wally world shoppers this time of year.   

[PBurke]

i seem to make it a point to smile more in some situations, and use the intimidation in others. surroundings dictates the attitude greatly.

[JohnMont]

  Now, on cold days when I whip off the beanie, their eyes often enlarge, so I smile, and they react favorably--but I like the initial surprised look, I like it A LOT.

I'm with you on that one !   

I used to feel self conscious when I had a hat on and had to take it off. (it's been hat weather up here in Sask. for the past month).   But the last couple of weeks  I find myself, like you, waiting for a reaction when I whip off my watch cap.   The look of slight shock, surprise. ... I revel in it.

John

[nomad]

i seem to make it a point to smile more in some situations, and use the intimidation in others. surroundings dictates the attitude greatly.

I do the same it does depend on the situation.