fanfly I agree and disagree. What people think of you should be determined by your actions not your appearance. Of course, that's not the way society works- which I find very sad. I think what's most important is that you feel confident in your appearance- whether you dress 'nice' or wear studs in your nose or don't conform to conventional beauty ideals. Confidence can go a long way in how people perceive you. And refusing to conform to what society deems 'normal appearance' is not being 'uncaring'. It's being expressive. It's ok to not want to be judged by your appearance. And that's what people do- they make judgments based on appearance. But since anyone can dress nice [even mean/rude people] I honestly don't think your appearance should have anything to do with how people see you. Of course that's not the case in the real world. But in the long run, how you behave is what will determine what people think of you. Unless of course they're just too shallow to see who you really are. If that's the case, then you shouldn't care what people like that think. So I guess what I'm saying is that it can be a good thing to care what people think of you. To a certain extent. But the best way to make people think highly of you is by your actions, not your appearance. And even if people continue to judge you by your appearance, stay true to yourself. Because it's you that you have to live with the rest of your life.