What to wear, what to wear? A seasoned woodsman's reasearch.

B

bored2deth

Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
1,020
Hey all,

(Yes, this is knife and tool related)

I'm sure some of you remember my article on "dressing to wear a knife?" (or some similar title),
I've been thinking about that alot lately, and have come to learn more. I have noticed lately that
people do infact react to another's appearance based on apparel, possessions, etc. Now, myself,
I always dress nicely, even if just going to the local (Insert name)-Mart. At anytime someone makes
eye-contact with me, I offer a friendly smile and a nod, thus acknowledging that person. 99.9% of
the time, that person returns a big ol' smile. Body language also has alot to do with it. Folded arms,
leaned or bent posture, the expression on your face, if you seem irritated or excited, can all be taken
via body language as signs of aggressive nature. Also, fidgeting, trying to avoid attention, trying to
be sneaky, hiding the hands in pockets, etc, can also be taken as body language, and draw unwanted
attention.

Now, I've experimented with my appearance lately, changing what I wear when going out just to see
how people react and interact with me. It proved to be interesting, and I did learn quite alot. One evening
I went out in a $10 shirt with many glowing, green skulls on it. I wore a pair of old jeans with the knees
ripped out, threads dangling, and my old work boots. Anyone with whom I made eye-contact with, despite the
fact that I would offer a friendly smile and a nod, would often pretend they hadn't seen me, would look away. The
next night, I wore a very nice pair of black cargo pants along with a very nice shirt. I shaved fresh, put on a very mild
cologne, a nice watch, brushed my hair back, pulled on nice shoes. I got smile from each and every person I made eye-
contact with, a few even stopped and asked where I bought the shirt or shoes or watch. An older woman, a cashier,
said to my wife, "You have a very hansom husband!"

A week later, I decided to perform the exact same experiment, except with the differences of wearing two sheaths on my
belt (both a multitool and a folding knife, as I've noticed that's the EDC for many of you) (both were empty). In the instance
of the skull shirt and ripped jeans, I saw people give me odd looks, and no one made eye-contact with me at all. If anything
older folks tended to give me a wide berth. (Funny, though, the both sheaths were empty.) It gave me a feeling of being
ostrasized (left out, shunned). Two days later, performed the experiment yet again, but dressed very nicely as before--black
cargo pants, nice shirt, wrist-watch, cologne, weddingband, etc. Except this time, I wore the sheaths on the front of my belt
so they would be in absolutely full-view of anyone I passed. (Yes, as before, empty). People frequently made eye-contact, and
a big ol' smile was returned each time. No one so much as batted an eyelash at the sheaths. It was no different with any police
officer I happened to pass by, and anytime I make eye-contact with a police officer I always offer a smile and a nod--they are
good people and deserve recoqnition!

Overall, I've found that the way you dress can effect how people perceive you. Hope you all enjoyed the read, and found it informative.
My rule of thumb when wearing a knife or tool is simply, "Carry myself with dignity and honor. Draw no attention to myself, and bother
no one."
 
I would bet where you live plays a big part. I have a shaved head, unkempt beard, a huge nessy tattoo on my arm and two pocket clips on my pants. I never get anything but smiles and hellos. Ahh I love Portland. :D
 
Jim85IROC said:
Precisely why I dress like I'm homeless.
Click to expand...

Are you a hipster? I swear when I go into DC or Fredrick the only way I can tell the hipster's from the homeless is the homeless where extra layers in the winter. Now that the weather has warmed up I need to wait for the hipsters to pull out their iphones so I don't accidentally give them my change.
 
A bit off-topic, but I'm curious as to how the OP's post came out with such bizarre formatting...??
 
Nice experiment and good findings, do you plan on doing any other experiments like this in the future?
 
jimmyd1982 said:
Are you a hipster? I swear when I go into DC or Fredrick the only way I can tell the hipster's from the homeless is the homeless where extra layers in the winter. Now that the weather has warmed up I need to wait for the hipsters to pull out their iphones so I don't accidentally give them my change.
Click to expand...
I'm not even sure what a hipster is. I'm a flannel wearing Vermonter. I just prefer to socialize with the fewest people possible, and looking like an unfriendly redneck helps. :)
 
OK. You figured out that clothes affect the perception people have of you. Most people figure that out when they're in high school. but congrats just the same. BTW, I carry fixed blade knives up to 6 in, a multitool regularly, and a folder. I dress in anything from sweats to outdoor work clothes covered in dirt or grease, my regular casual attire, or a suit, and the one thing nobody seems to notice, to my knowledge, ever care about what knives I carry. They judge the attire more than the knife. But then, I don't flaunt t knives. I just carry them, only using them when necessary.
 
Danketch said:
Good experiment, but why the empty sheaths?
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I don't know if bored2deth lives in a country with open knife laws but in my case where sheeples are plenty this experimentation without a knife is hassle-free; if being caught with a "weapon" perceived as Rambo knife or "insert your most outrageous object of crimes" whilst dressed up like a trouble-seeking punk, i can still walk away scot-free.

Agent_Ohm said:
research the "greyman" ideology
Click to expand...
My thought exactly. You don't dressed up in full deployment gear for sandbox and show up in Toys R Us checking the latest Spawn figures.
Human judges appearance and with all the "education" we received we tend to appreciate spiffy, clean up outlook on the first contact.
 
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Shotgun said:
I would bet where you live plays a big part. I have a shaved head, unkempt beard, a huge nessy tattoo on my arm and two pocket clips on my pants. I never get anything but smiles and hellos. Ahh I love Portland. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would be business professional dress in Portland. And people wonder why so many knife companies come out of OR. Because people are cool with all types.
 
Shotgun said:
I would bet where you live plays a big part. I have a shaved head, unkempt beard, a huge nessy tattoo on my arm and two pocket clips on my pants. I never get anything but smiles and hellos. Ahh I love Portland. :D
Click to expand...

It's pretty much the same here in Vancouver, BC. It may have more to do with the laid-back Pacific Northwest culture though because I don't notice a big difference in people's reactions whether I'm in a leather riding vest, jeans, and workboots or when wearing a leather dress jacket, button down shirt and khakis. The only times there's much of a difference is if the place is somewhere where my casual clothes are extremely out of place (browsing higher-end watches, getting caught in a yuppy grocery store the odd time, etc). Even then, being more open and smiley than usual mitigates that in 99% of cases I've run into.
 
Torm said:
It's pretty much the same here in Vancouver, BC. It may have more to do with the laid-back Pacific Northwest culture though because I don't notice a big difference in people's reactions whether I'm in a leather riding vest, jeans, and workboots or when wearing a leather dress jacket, button down shirt and khakis. The only times there's much of a difference is if the place is somewhere where my casual clothes are extremely out of place (browsing higher-end watches, getting caught in a yuppy grocery store the odd time, etc). Even then, being more open and smiley than usual mitigates that in 99% of cases I've run into.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed. I live in Mission and I think that we have more in common with Oregon and Washington than Ontario. I have worn my sheath knife into banks and bars and even the cop shop, with no problems at all.
 
Well, it seem some of you enjoyed my article and others found it laughable. Apples to oranges. If you like it, good on you! Either way. The point I was trying to make is a simple one:If you wear a knife, multi-tool, or what have you, it WILL change the way other people percieve you. The clothing you wear, and the manner in which you carry yourself can either help to assuage or exaggerate that reaction or fear. Also, as I've trained in self-defense since I was just a child, I've been made painfully aware of nuances that other people overlook. A man's eyes, hands, movements, body-language, attire, these can all tell you alot about someone, IF you know how to read them. I've trained since I was thirteen-years-old. If you LOOK as if you are going to cause trouble, you will be treated as such.

Differences:

Well-dressed:People were friendly, always returned a smile and/or nod. No one was unnerved or put off by my appearance. I was generally very well accepted.

Ripped jeans/skull shirt:People tended to want to keep a distance, no one returned a smile or nod. No one even made eye-contact. People seemed to feel uneasy around me.

Well-dressed w' sheaths:Same as above. People were well-aware of them, but were just as friendly and accepting of me. They were very well at ease, and not put off by my presence or threatened.

Ripped jeans/skull shirt w' sheaths:People kept a distance, especially older folks. People were painfully aware of the sheaths, and I could not get a single person to make eye contact. Point is, it wasn't the ripped jeans/skull shirt alone. It was the combination of the two of them. Out of the corner of my eye, I even saw a woman look at me, turn to her friend, cover her face with her hand, and go about whispering. I rolled my eyes.

Answers to questions:

Why empty sheaths? Jay Goliath answered that very well. That answer was very perceptive. Why risk my hiney for an experiement? All I wanted to determine was if the presence of the sheaths themselves would, infact, draw unwanted and negative attention. In one case they did, in the other they did not. It can all depend upon where you are at the moment, and how you appear to others and that can make one hell of a combination!

*Format..um..no idea. Lol.

**Yes, I have been aware of how clothing changes another person's attitude toward you since I was a child. -_- If you read my article, you will notice that that fact plays a part. The entire article focuses on assuaging another person's fears of a knife, making other folks feel more comfortable and less threatened.
 
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