People Change

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1086388]

I ask this because me shaving off my beard always elicits option 1. Every single time. Without fail.

Edit: Removed second poll, as LJ won't let you add a poll to a post without going Horribly Wrong.

Comments

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Wow, if you really adopt that option either you have no friends left or they tend to give you white canes for your birthday:)

[likeneontubing.livejournal.com]

beard and hair are different though.

[dapperscavenger.livejournal.com]

I'd say no. 3 is the correct option but in reality I go for option 6: utterly fail to notice it until its pointed out, desperately try to pretend that I had actually noticed, was playing it cool, and try the 'OMG YOU LOOK FABULOUS' approach to flattery in the hope that you'll forgive me.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Your gender and the gender of the person upon whose appearance you are commenting is -crucial- to the method of answering.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

In your case however, when you shave off your beard, I generally comment that you look more Jewish and less like a well-known terrorist.

[chuma.livejournal.com]

There is no correct behaviour. It depends on your closeness to the person, if they can take a joke, if the haircut is good/bad/unusual to what you normally expect and so on.

Give I like you, I probably wouldn't say anything that I thought would be interpreted as rude or insulting, but I reserve the right to make comedy comments if I think they will go down well

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

In my case its usually the, 'My god!', response - even if the person in question knows. The only person I've sprung it on was my manager and he deserved poleaxing :)

[spaj.livejournal.com]

Exactly correct.

X = male
Y = female
First letter = respondant
Second letter = changee

XX - oh my god / haaaaaaaaaaiiiiirrrrcccuuuuuuuttttt
XY - how wonderful you look
YX - oh my god / how wonderful you look *
YY - how wonderful you look

* depending on the severity of change.

[poisonduk.livejournal.com]

I tend to go for the ignore option. I see you so rarely nowadays that commenting would be obtuse, unless you started with 'Oh I shaved my beard off' I'd probbaly just ignore it.

If however you took the Billy Connelly route and died it purple or green I'd probably just take the 'ripping the shit out of you' option! Which is actually my endearing way of showing how much I love and respect you.

I cannot comment if this would be the normal female reaction as I've long since realised I fall squarely into the male brain trapped in womans hormones scenario.

[accordingly.livejournal.com]

It's only because people notice and feel the need to point it out to show that they've noticed! Would you rather no one paid any attention and didn't care?! I like people I know remarking on {positive} changes in my appearance, personally.

Although I did not like random people coming up to me and shouting "YOU'VE GOT PINK HAIR!" at me when I had pink hair. Yes, thank you, I realised.

[andrewducker]

_My_ beard is made from hair.

[likeneontubing.livejournal.com]

(!) presumably not the same as that on your head, nor located on the top of your head.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I only do that to people with blue hair. EVERYONE has pink hair, doncha know! :-P

[accordingly.livejournal.com]

Haha, I had it done to me when I had blue hair, as well! And yeah, pink is so passé :P

[rab-the-ex-chef.livejournal.com]

Another option would have been my choice: " not notice initially and/or until a few weeks later. For 2 reasons...1. it's been a while since last we met, so would probably gloss over mere appearance & go onto other stuff.
2. i grew a moustache not so long ago & exactly 62% of friends didn't really notice...then I posted a few pics & all teh folk I don't see often (ie mainly online...) said " OMG...WTF...etc..."