Your appearance is a direct invitation for judgment. So, inviting strange looks and stares - honestly, without really considering the consequences of my actions - I went and shaved my head. With a razor. Skinhead bald.

Taking such a drastic step in one’s appearance radically alters the projection you give to the world. Suddenly strangers were either very positive or very negative toward me, based on appearance alone. I stopped being Normal Guy and became What’s-His-Agenda Man. Was I a Hell’s Angel trapped in a white-collar day job? A very small bouncer with a runner’s frame? Or just that middle-aged, balding guy? Looks were now more inquisitive than glancing.

But the interesting part is that I could feel myself falling into a pre-described role. Natually, I picked the hardass, rather than the balding old guy, persona. ‘I look like I’m going to smack someone or, at the very least, glare at them balefully,’ I figured. ‘Time to stop being a nice guy and smiling at people.’

And the permanent scowl really does have its time and place, such as at a very crowded concert - rather than pressing up around me, people seemed to give me a bit of room. And walking to the bar was a breeze. Granted, there was drinking involved, and I could have been imagining things, but perception is nine-tenths of reality. Or something like that.

While the hair is gone, the angry outlook is still a work in progress. I’ll keep you posted how it’s progressing.