t of control curly hair and spectacles allow myself to automatically place ?the guy behind me? in a stereotype of nerds. The way he crosses his legs also leads me to believe he is one of those that probably enjoy computers and Dungeons & Dragons, yet for all I know this guy could be the best basketball player at Catawba. By his appearance I have already made assumptions about his lifestyle, or formed something referred to as Functional Association. After realizing the extent of judgement I cast on others, I began to contemplate if others would place me in certain stereotypes if I didn?t appear as I do; so, I decided to form my own experiment.I decided to make myself salient, or stand out, to better see my impressions on people. I began a three-day experiment where I would wear my not-so attractive glasses, a hooded sweatshirt, and Velcro shoes from Wal-Mart to dress like one would call a ?bum.? Of my many experiences of the weekend, three stood out from all the rest: my attendance at the soccer game, my trip to the Bar Charlotte nightclub, and being introduced to new friends.No girl in their right mind would dance with a guy with big ugly glasses. For we all know they have already formed something called an illusory correlation, or a memory of a negative or distasteful person or instance. Here I began to look at not only girls, but also guy?s faces to see what sort of an effect my appearance had on the way they viewed me. Sure enough I was getting looks of disgust from some, while faces of amusement from others; here I began to realize the brutality of human nature. First impressions are everything in today?s world. When dressed like a nerd with a straight-billed, over-sized ball cap, a greasy hooded sweatshirt tucked in urkel-style pulled up pants, I cast an impression to many spectators at this past weekend?s soccer match. Many parents looked as though I was repulsive, some thought I was joking, while others thought that it wa...
