Meanderings About Hair, Leather, Motorcycles and People

My now fully mature beard is evoking some very interesting responses from folks as I move about town. While friends still recognize me, a number of acquaintances have walked by with nary a glance. I went to my accountant's office the other day (the largess I'm receiving from Associated Content has thrown me into the high income bracket) to drop off some paperwork and the receptionist looked aghast. You see at age 61, I am reclaiming my second childhood and purchased a motorcycle with the essential leathers which are required to make a valid claim on the biker life. As I parked in front of the office, several well-heeled clientèle were also arriving and the stares were penetrating. I could definitely hear the unuttered, "What is he doing here?" I removed my helmet, but kept in place my head bandanna. It's black and has the requisite biker "skull and crossbones" print. That bandanna combined with the leather jacket, chaps, boots and beard must have presented a formidable sight, much to my amusement.

Anyway, I entered the office, amidst a number of derisive looks and handed the receptionist the envelope. The look in her eyes could only be described as strange - guess not many bikers use their services. She did politely thank me and while I would have normally said "you're welcome", I simply grunted for effect. That was not very cordial, but it sure was fun as I watched the behavior of the well dressed others seated in the office. At slightly under six feet, I have never viewed myself as a particularly imposing individual, but the beard, long hair, leathers and other biker apparel have conferred some aura about me that I am having fun propagating.

Actually, I first discovered the effect of my leather dress and beard a few weeks ago when I entered a bank to conduct some routine business and make a withdrawal. The teller appeared decidedly uncomfortable, required two forms of identification which had never occurred previously and asked another teller if the bank actually did what I was requesting. Of course they did, as I have done it repeatedly in the past. Seems a starched shirt and sport coat will evoke a better response, but the surprising thing was that I was dealing with my money which I let the bank use. I guess she may have thought she was protecting me.

I normally rise early and go out to breakfast either at one of the local restaurants or occasionally at a fast-food establishment. It is more fun when I ride the motorcycle. I normally order my breakfast and read the morning paper, but this routine excursion is becoming much more fun. Here again the stares are normal as I enter - I've taken to the "skull and crossbones" bandanna even more lately. Anyway, I'm uncertain if the stares are the result of my dress or the fact that I'm generally reading the Wall Street Journal. Could they be amazed that a biker reads The Journal?

Well, you can see these events and others have made such an impression on me that I have deemed it worthy of penning a few lines. I joined the local biker club several months ago and found it is a very diverse group. Doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, builders, policemen and many other professions and occupations are united by the thrill of the ride. The talk is about bikes, but also includes politics and social issues. The points of view are varied as one can imagine, but the discussions are always stimulating and thought provoking. These are well educated and articulate folks which is why I seem to get such a perverse pleasure out of the discomfort that many have around a bearded fellow riding a motorcycle and wearing biker leathers. The old adage "You can't tell a book by its cover", has apparently been discarded by many.

The final though about my escapades is that I'm wondering more than ever about how dress affects individual behavior. Am I changing to fit a perceived model? How does the public deal with dress that is even slightly out of the expected? Do individual expectations evoke confidence, fear, derision or respect based on the dress of others. The obvious answer is yes, but the degree to how expectations affect responses is worthy of closer examination. I think next week I will go out of my way to help people while dressed in biker attire. I can't wait to see what happens.