Does physical appearance equate to personality?

[Amelia G]

Does what someone looks like indicate what their personality will be like? In what ways?

[Velvet-Tongue]

depends how conforming they are to social stereotypes. But for the most part i'd say no.

[Kidthorazine]

no, unless they have like swastika tattoos or something like that, then that might give you a general idea, although even then there are exceptions to the rule.

[Janiac02]

Hmm. Yes, maybe. Or at least, it reflects certain aspects of their lives, ie how hectic their schedules are, etc. It takes me 10 minute from the time I wake up to be out the door for school or work. I'm generally a pretty low-maintenance individual, so I suppose my appearance reflects that

[Morning Glory]

In general I'd say yes. most peoples looks are tied to thier self-identity, so they dress accordingly. even someone that doesn't care about how they look is ultimately basing thier look on thier perspective of things. On the other hand, some people may dress/look opposite of the way that they feel on purpose or because they aren't aware or don't want to realize it, which also reflects their inner self. How acurately other people will be able to pick up on it is what is the variable.

[Mr Karl]

yeah, unless they're in disquise, but then that's probably part of thier personality

[grebo]

i work in retail and some of the best looking people have the worst attitude because theyre so used to getting what they want cos of their looks, if you dont give it to them they have a tantrum
some of the best customers ive had are the people with physical disabilites

[a_small_death]

Physical appearance means nothing. Mearly the dressing on the main course. Then again I work in a call center and that has no bearing at all just the fact of how you sound.

[inox]

Appearance itself often tells little, unless you're really looking at the details and not the overall "look".

You can get a lot from poise, mannerisms, and other body language items, though. Hell, something like 55% of communications are nonverbal.

[TheDeathKnight]

Yeah, it depends if you are talking about good looking people, versus ugly people, or a specific style, or fashion... People are stuck with their basic physical appearace for most of their life, so sometimes you can get some ideas from that. But not always. And the same thing is true for style. I was just mentioning to someone the other day, that one of the interesting things about stereotypes, is that you tend to notice the most obvious people. So if someone of a specific race is really loud, or wearing really gangster clothing, you notice them. Where you may not notice the person who is just wearing normal clothes, and doing normal stuff. And the same thing is true about gay people. You notice the raging queens, and the bull-dykes. Because they look and act noticably different from everyone else. So it creates a stereotype. And the same is true for goth, punk, and other subcultures. People notice the person with tattoos and a mohawk. So to most people, that's a punker, or a goth. But there are many people who are really into the music, and culture, but don't dress that way all the time. And some of the people who act extreme, or dress extreme, are doing it for attention. So yes, I think that sometimes you can get info from what someone looks like. But I think that if you really want to know about someone, you have to go a little deeper. But I know for myself, that I try to look a specific way, because I want to attract people who are cool with that kind of stuff. I don't want friends, or girlfriends, who aren't ok with tattoos, or colored hair, etc. I don't want to be with someone who is uptight. So I tend to look the way I do, so there is no mistaking the fact that I am not ever going to be a dockers and dress shirt kind of guy. So my apperance is partly designed to communicate that fact. And to show that I like to be creative, and I want to attract people who are into that kind of thing.

[Mr Karl]

i work in retail and some of the best looking people have the worst attitude because theyre so used to getting what they want cos of their looks, if you dont give it to them they have a tantrum
some of the best customers ive had are the people with physical disabilites

of course I see a bad attitude display as part of a persons physical appearance

[Evilbink]

Let's not overlook something as (imo) important as hygiene. Your look starts with your body and how you care for it. And it does give out a very specific personality trait. Even a person who some would consider to be an ugly person, can be much more "acceptable" if they are well groomed at least. On the other side of that coin a beautiful person can be putting people off by the lack of hygiene.

Its how they come off to others that give away alot of hidden personality traits. The smelly guy who may not even realize hes a stinky fucker, or the smelly gal who knows it but just dont care.