to ask if your appearance is deceiving.....

[thelastshadowpuppet]

One of our customers came in last week and as he was waiting for his order we got chatting and it turns out he is an amazing opera singer. Looking at him you'd never think it. Think older gent, builder type.

Over the weekend I was somewhere that had a piano so I sat down and played something. Someone commented and said to me that they weren't surprised I could play the piano as I just looked like someone who could.

Is there something about your appearance that would give something away about you or not.

Not a judgy thread, please don't turn this into a bun fight.

Just a fun thread........hopefully.

I now live in Central Europe and I always get told I look Irish. No idea why!!!
(I do have a lot of Irish ancestry but I've no idea why the people here think I look Irish).

I hike a lot and can do very long distances and a lot of metres up. I always get looked at - people think I don't look like a hiker. Often get told "this hike is too far for you" when I meet people on the trail - and it never is too far for me.
I suspect it's because I have old-fashioned hiking clothes from 15 years ago.....
And I'm not the slimmest person in the world.

And well done fluid for getting through cancer and now rocking the after effects!

I think sometimes it's not so much appearance as impression that misleads or makes us come up with another narrative

I used to go to Crossfit and partner with a young woman there regularly. One week she wasnt there and then she came back and said "oh yeah, I was on a geography field trip". I said "oh right, which school do you teach at?". She laughed and said "I'm not a teacher- I'm doing my A-levels". When I thought about it she did look her age but what threw me was that in my mind, getting up and going to the gym for a 6:15am class every day is just not what 17 year olds do so I'd kind of subconsciously discounted that possibility and assumed she was early twenties and working.

I drove very large farm machines in Australia. I had many a person man say that it isn't possible 'you, couldn't possibly do that' I was argueing with one for all of about 5 minutes and then said you know what, I don't care if you believe me or not.

Also not something I often talk about but most people think I am too 'normal' to have come from such a dysfunctional background. Doesn't come up in convo often but after maybe saying something about childhood I've heard 'but you seem to normal'.

I work in relatively high up position in finance, deal with high net worth clients a lot, so I dress appropriately for that. Think power dressing, heels and suits etc. I'm 32 but apparently look younger.

People are always surprised to hear I have kids, let alone a teenage daughter.

I was a teenage mother, had my daughter just after my 16th birthday. I think people always expect Vicky Pollard when they think of teenage parents!

I am of the goth persuasion, so overly fond of black eyeshadow and big boots 😁. People are always very surprised when they find out that I am an avid knitter and that I also love crochet, cross stitch and embroidery.

People are often surprised when they meet me to learn that I'm autistic. I can communicate very well in writing and conduct almost all work in emails. When people meet me face to face I can't talk to them and it leaves them baffled.

Not so much my natural physical appearance, but in my personal appearance choices - I only wear make up on nights out, my hair is often desperately in need of a cut & colour, I generally wear supermarket fashion. My job is NHS admin. Most people would be shocked at the assets I hold and the fact I have a financial adviser and need to complete tax returns most years.

As an adult quite a few people have been shocked that I don't have a degree, although that's more a hidden failing than a talent...

I think that’s the best way round and not a failing at all! Sadly, some people seem surprised when they find out I do have a degree!

I'm short and curvy chunky wear glasses and am hurtling towards 50. I dress in a pretty nondescript way in good quality clothes, nice house / car and don't like to stand out.

A few people over the years have mistaken all of this for 'walkover', and I've been only too pleased to set them straight. I grew up as part of a big family in a pretty rough area and while I don't court confrontation I will not be taken the piss out of. (posh)DH has been scared impressed a couple of times with how I've dealt with chancers, including but not limited to, people blocking our drive, people kicking our seats / being loud in the cinema, unsocial behaviour on public transport. Potty mouth and strong Midlands accent probably helps 😁

In addition when I'm not power dressing for work. In my free time, I go to punk gigs so anyone outside of work will not recognise me in my fishnets and DMs in the moshpit 😂

Not me but a colleague (I work in law). Very, very quiet and bookish and plain looking. By plain I mean never any makeup or attempt to style hair and always wore very sober suits to work.

Bumped into her one evening out of work and I can only describe her outfit, make up etc as Dominatrix on speed. They were as polar opposite to her work day attire as it's possible to be

I once got called a wolf in sheep's clothing by an IT supplier.

I have many years of IT experience and asked some techs questions.

I am female, and was wearing a skirt, have long hair.

I can only assume there was a bit of misogyny going on there. It gave my team a bit of a laugh though 😊

Vegetarians and vegans assume I'm one of them.

People of any political persuasion assume I'm avidly left wing

Not a particularly exciting one, but I apparently look very young for my age.

Got ID'd trying to buy a soft drink in a pub a few months back and was absolutely not going to be served until I produced proof of age. I'm in myid 30s and was about 6 months pregnant!

I live in Sweden and here people know straight away that I'm Irish from my appearance. I was raised in England and have an English accent but people tell me they could just tell. But I have no idea how. The most I get it that it's my eyes which give it away. But to me they're no different from any other English persons.

On the other hand, everyone who meets my DH thinks he's a policeman. He's not, he's a scientist. One time when out walking in the Cotswolds he even had members of the public wanting him to arrest someone who was being a pain. They wouldhn't have it that he really isn't a copper, he's not just saying that because it's his day off.

A few times over the years (with different friends/family), illegal drugs have been discussed and I say I have never been offered them. Every time someone will say “well no, no-one is going to try and sell them to you”. I’m genuinely baffled whether it’s supposed to be a compliment or not. Do I look like a narc or just really wholesome?!

When dc2 was born, the midwife popped the placenta in a tub for me to take home because "I looked the type"...I'm so not the type!

I'm Irish, greetings from Dublin.

I'm not sure what Irish people look like!

For some reason people always expect me to be vegetarian. (Slightly hippyish, long hair, wears hardly any makeup I guess)

They don't expect my DH to be a vegetarian. (Looks like an English squire)

I eat meat he has been a vegetarian for years.

I work with a very talented teacher. Really stands out in a school of good teachers. If you met him in the pub you'd probably assume that's where he spends most of his time and that if he worked at all it was in casual minimum wage jobs!

I expected it in the 1990s, but I still see some men's jaws visibly drop these days when I talk knowledgeably about football. And women, to be fair. All the other things about me you might guess easily - professional, likes yoga, gardening, er, gin. I feel like it thoroughly confuses Google's algorithms too, every now and then they stop sending me any news stories about football and send me info on soaps and reality TV celebs instead!

I live in Sweden and here people know straight away that I'm Irish from my appearance. I was raised in England and have an English accent but people tell me they could just tell. But I have no idea how. The most I get it that it's my eyes which give it away. But to me they're no different from any other English persons

@BringBackCoffeeCreams
That's really interesting.
I wonder if it's my eyes. My great grandparents were both Irish. When I was 7 my Dad took me to visit the (very) distant cousins in Ireland. They said to him "she's one of us". So there must be something!
I just think it's odd that Germans and Austrians peg me as Irish! (Hungarians too!)

I've twice been told I don't look like a Mother.

I am a mother - twice.

Oh and more than a few times people seem shocked that I take sugar in my coffee. I must give the vibe of some clean living person.