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Physical appearance and OC

jsharp72

Regular Member
Joined
May 11, 2013
Messages
19
Location
kentucky
Do you guys and gals think your personal appearance affects the way people look at you when you OC? I OC whenever I can. The question here is my first impression I sometimes make on people. I have both my arms sleeved out in tattoos, long hair and have been told I look mean (haha). Does the uninformed public people look at people like me different than if they see someone clean cut and more "professional" looking OCing?
 
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09jisaac

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
1,692
Location
Louisa, Kentucky
Like everything, physical appearance effects people's opinion but less so than other traits. The way you behave could be the most crucial aspect of if people accept OC.
 

jsharp72

Regular Member
Joined
May 11, 2013
Messages
19
Location
kentucky
I am always very polite, never present myself as a threat and handle myself responsibly. The first time I OCed in KY oaks mall, I was letting my son play on the new playground they have in there. After being in there about 10 minutes, mall security approached me and I thought here we go, first encounter. He only asked me if I would ask my son to take his shoes off while he was on the playground equipment. I said, yes sir, I wasn't even thinking about that. He told me thank you and went about his business. Never a mention about my sidearm. Maybe he didn't see my weapon, maybe he did and was checking to see how I would respond to his request.
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
Yes.

But really we do that whether people are armed or not.

Me personally, tattoos and long hair don't even give me pause. Sloppiness and attitude are the only things that will have me wondering about someone. And even then, as an informed person, if I saw such a person OC'ing, I'd actually relax a little, because we know bad guys don't do that.

But you asked about uninformed people, so yeah, you can expect a little more attention, but it depends greatly on where you are.
 

b0neZ

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
505
Location
Davis County, Utah
In my late teens through mid-20's, I had a good friend named Fred. He drove a beat up old 4 cylinder Fox body Mustang. He had long hair. He wore shabby clothes. A stiff wind could've carried him away.

He also had about 4 million dollars (yes, I verified this).

Why did he dress like that and drive what he did? That money was inherited, and he simply did not want to change who he was, or attract people simply for what he had.

Moral of the story: Suit and tie or jeans and a T-shirt, you never know who's wearing the clothes. OC does help to clarify things, though.
 
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RebeccaC

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro
Yes!

Yes, I think appearance MAY have a bearing on how people may perceive you but even more would be your behavior.

I was in walmart last month and saw a young man who couldnt have been more than 18 or 19, wearing jeans and a tight t-shirt with a huge gun strapped to his belt. He had a an aggressive, "I dare you to say something to me" look on his face. He was basically stomping all around, not looking at any items, not looking about like he was searching for someone; just showing off that he was wearing a gun. It was pathetic and sad and ridiculous and certainly didn't do the OC cause any good.:banghead: He just looked foolish. At the check out line I saw him stalk out of the store empty handed.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I just don't worry about it, I have long hair, a full beard, old and about as ugly as is possible. If we really want to be considered normal, then we should have all the diversity that normal people do.
 

FreeInAZ

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
2,508
Location
Secret Bunker
I wear a blaze orange jump suit that says " I did not just escape from prison!" :p
Seriously, I have noticed in life people do judge you differently OC or not depending on what you are wearing. Thus - when I can, I try to dress nice. Not saying I wear a tux to weed wack in, but people are superficial at first. It should not be that way, but it is.
 

self preservation

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
1,036
Location
Owingsville,KY
I get a lot of "are you a cop?" Don't know if it's simply because of me OC'ing or if my clean shaven face, short hair cut gives that impression. I've been told that I look like a LEO, whatever that means.
 

tattedupboy

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
518
Location
Gary, Indiana, USA
Of course one's appearance plays a role in how he is perceived by others. That doesn't make it unlawful to exercise your rights, however.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

Mantioch

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
68
Location
Louisville KY
I most certainly think it makes a difference in how people perceive you, regardless if you are OC or not, especially if the norm in the area you are in is not like you. Doesn't mean it is bad/wrong/etc. but you should expect someone to stop you if you look out of place and are carrying. Again, not advocating stopping people without RAS - just saying for the purposes of discussion. I've found that people are really comfortable around me carrying when I have one of the kids with me - which I almost always do. Just last week, one of the ladies from Kroger ran out after me by herself because I had left my milk behind. Clearly she was comfortable with it.
 

DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
I've learned a few things regarding this topic, from experience. When you wear Pink camo pants, and shiny black jack [jump] boots to golden corral, in a state in the bible belt, people are going to notice your pistol before your ballsy wearing of pink.

Doesn't matter what you wear, and it doesn't matter how you act. The only thing that matters is if you play into the anti's stereotypes, or you adhere to a semi-professional Open Carry attitude.

I've had days when I've been in a foul mood, and OC'd and still had good and bad encounters with people asking questions, or insinuating some diluted idea of mass murders. I've even had a citizen like me, defend me to a clerk at a gas station, when I told an anti to go "Eat s*** and die".

And when I say semi-professional attitude, I mean like, don't be adjusting your sidearm every couple of minutes, don't put one hand on your hip above your pistol, if you want to put hands on your hips use both hands so it seems normal, dont be fidgeting, act as though its not ever there. And hey, you can even get away with using the handle as an arm rest for those long lines at a check-out xD
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
(snip)

And when I say semi-professional attitude, I mean like, don't be adjusting your sidearm every couple of minutes, don't put one hand on your hip above your pistol, if you want to put hands on your hips use both hands so it seems normal, dont be fidgeting, act as though its not ever there.

+100 nothing says cop wannabe, like a polo shirt and dockers, tactical boots and playing with your sidearm. Now if a person wants to dress like that I do not have a problem, their choice. But I get tired of the threads where sooner or later it comes out that the person who gets mistaken for a cop is ok with it, and thinks the rest of our clan is not smart enough to know what is going on. And then worry about how others might dress to impress.
 

KYGlockster

Activist Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
Messages
1,842
Location
Ashland, KY
+100 nothing says cop wannabe, like a polo shirt and dockers, tactical boots and playing with your sidearm. Now if a person wants to dress like that I do not have a problem, their choice. But I get tired of the threads where sooner or later it comes out that the person who gets mistaken for a cop is ok with it, and thinks the rest of our clan is not smart enough to know what is going on. And then worry about how others might dress to impress.

HAHA, I just had to laugh out loud because you just described my dress to a T. I am a peace officer now, but I have always dressed like this more or less. I have wore polo shirts and Propper pants for several years now, because I want to look professional in my day to day activities. I keep my hair extremely short and most of the time I am cleanly shaved.

Now, was I a "wannabe" cop before I became a PEACE OFFICER? Well, obviously I wanted to be one because I was going to school to do so and trying to gain employment in the field, but I was NOT what most people here would JUDGE as the stereotypical WANNABE.

The reason I dress like I do is because it is comfortable, professional in appearance and it suites my day to day life (such as how I carry and so forth). Now I have to dress professionally because of my employment. You cannot walk around wearing a badge and a gun and be dressed like you just walked out of the woods.

I believe it is better for the open carrier in general to dress in a professional manner and I believe it helps the cause. However, it is everyone's right to dress however they deem fit, and someone's mode of dress shouldn't stop them from carrying a firearm.
 

DrakeZ07

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,080
Location
Lexington, Ky
Glockster, just who do you work for exactly, in your capacity as a cop? Sheriffs Dept? city police? state police? what is your role in the organization? what is your rank and badge number? what specific department are you assigned to? I'd like to keep this info on hand should we ever cross paths at a meet so I don't have to bother you to say it into my recording device, and to, ya know, confirm things. Fanks.
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
(snip) You cannot walk around wearing a badge and a gun and be dressed like you just walked out of the woods.
Where is this law written? Anytime I leave home I walk out of the woods, no matter how I am dressed. You can dress however you like, but the last thing I wanted when I was off, was to be recognized as a cop. But of course you are free to dress how you wish, as everybody is, get over it.

I can't imagine tactikewl boots as comfortable. On any given day I wear sneakers, most times those slip on canvas sneakers, or flip flops, my wife too. Those are comfortable.
 
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