November 27, 2007
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First Impression
I received this message in my message box from Spacey1.
“I wanted you to ask people what the first thing they notice about a person’s appearance is…I’m going to do a toothbrush experiment and I want to see how many people say teeth. If you do that, though, I want you to wait until tomorrow so they don’t all say ‘hearing aid.’”
Besides a hearing aid, what is the first thing you notice about a person’s appearance?
Comments (130)
Face. You know, general expression, attractiveness.
EYES
Smiling gets extra points.
Smile and eyes.
Their smile.
Eyes
anything thats different than the norm, but if they have a normally proportioned face, it would be the nose.
Skin
their eyes… and then hair.
but those nose usually gets first if it’s large and obtrusive, is that mean?? but it’s true.
face in general, then eyes
I don’t even notice peoples’ ears first, much less whether or not they have a hearing aid. The only reason I know my best friend’s ear lobes are attached is because she told me. I’ve never looked at her ears in my life.
I usually notice their hair first.
Face.
hairstyle.
I have heard that people notice teeth, but I think for me it varies.
hair
Their eyes.
their gender
Posture and facial expression.
hair or skin
skin, overall.
about the face? the mouth.
Shoes
Yeah, I would never say hearing aid. And I would never look upon someone negatively if they DO have a hearing aid.
I think teeth are a HUGE thing to me though… It’s somewhat based on genetics, so I do pity people who have teeth that are just naturally crappy (my friend’s teeth crack easily, for example), but it’s something that you can personally effect. Not many things about our looks are that way..
(why didn’t Spacey1 post that..?) I tend to focus in on the complexity of pixels. =P
Whatever feature seems to dominate.
their skin…
agreed with YourOuterCritic, i mean, hair usually, but if they don’t have long hair then its their skin color.
This is through my nearsightedness though
Hair and clothing. If they’re walking; the kind of swagger/strut they have.
For women: Torso and face
For men: nose (don’t know why)
hair and face
Smile, unless there’s some really dominant feature that draws attention (like Jimmy Durante’s nose or Marty Feldman’s eyes).
gender
Eyes…. do they make eye contact? If they don’t, then I wonder what they’re hiding or what they are afraid of…
The smile!! Did you ever notice when a person geninuely smiles they have a twinkle in their eyes too!!
Eyes
I think it is different for different people I meet, but I suppose their clothes and hairstyle. It gives me a general impression of who they are or their outlook on life. Although, sometimes it is the general demeanor of a person. I had to go to the laundromat last night with nine loads of wet laundy. (Broken dryer) There was a guy there who went out the door as I was going in. I immediately disliked him, which is very unusual for me. My first impression was reinforced as the evening went on. I’m not sure what it was that caused the first “You’re a jerk, aren’t you?” impression.
I notice face structure (if they’re not dressed in an extreme manner).
Eyes. I love eyes.
Definitely their eyes-they communicate so much, especially if they’re sparkly!
Well Dan, being a dental hygienist…teeth/smile. Honestly, I do not notice hearing aides initially. I actually have taken a panorex Xray on persons with hearing aides because I don’t notice them.
eyes, then smile
How much they laugh or smile.
How can she do her toothpaste experiment if you post that part of the message?
Facial expressions and then the smile.
Smile, eyes
Height.
I honestly don’t know. There isn’t one feature of either face or body that I definitely look at every time. And how would teeth be the first thing someone notices? People don’t walk around grinning all the time… or do they?
Honestly? Their age. Must be the time of my life I’m going through or something. Next would be their smile, and I guess you could say teeth because if they’re rotten and nasty I’ll notice that before your eye color.
hmm. usually the one thats in your face. [ha pun]
but usually the one thats unusual. Like big eyes. or huge mouth. or way cool hair. =] but otherwise then smile, i think…
If their hair appears clean. I have a big hang up on hygiene, and if your hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in it’s life, odds are I’m going to avoid you. Because if your hair is greasy, you probably haven’t showered, and you probably smell. You probably have a bad sense of hygiene overall- and while I don’t mind dirt, (I’ll be the first one jumping in the mud puddle, yee haw!) I do mind when personal hygiene isn’t taken care of.
By the way, hearing aids aren’t the first thing I notice. I spoke with someone for several days before I realized she had a hearing aid.
Eyebrows.
Also, the space between their eyes. The closer, the better.
That was sarcasm, by the way.
Shoes!
I first notice their gender. Sometimes it can be tricky, though.
whether or not they’re put together in an attractive format or not. haha. but actually, in general, i think its clothes. and not that i’m some name brand fanatic who judges people on what they’re wearing because i’m not – i rarely shop for brands. but with women, i always notice whether or not i’d like to wear their outfit. guys get the overall appearance once over. geez, how’s that for a long answer?
their teeth.
Weather they have any hearing aids!
Eyes….then smile. NEVER a hearing aid. Really, Dan, it’s not that big a deal. My best friend wears one, and has had similar ear surgery, and honestly, I don’t even notice whether she has it on or not. (Sometimes she leaves it off.)
Face. And if a person has something really obvious that really stands out. For example, if someone has really big eyes, I notice them first, but if someone has purple hair, I’ll notice it first.
How they carry themselves and what their attitude is. It seriously tells alot about a person, the way they do normal things.
Well, I’ll be honest. I don’t notice anything appearance-wise. The first thing I notice is their shoes. I’ve always done it. I don’t know why…possibly just weird.
it depends if i am closeup or far away
Eyes and smile.
Honestly, I notice clothing.
If a person is sloppily dressed, I instantly dislike them.
face in General
oh their eyes.
Attitude.
I’m going to be honest and say that if it’s a girl, their figure. I don’t do it on purpose, It’s just that my eyes naturally…well you know. But voice is a close second. even though that’s not a physical thing.
their face and hair, and also just their general apperance.
their eyes, always.
eyes. But teeth is a biggy for me. If someone has bad teeth, forget it, they are out, it would be hard for me to even be friends with them. I know horrible right? It’s just my thing.
EYES. Definitely
teeth, i have a thing about bad teeth.
bulge.
no, seriously…anything that strays from the norm. i notice mouths a lot… is that weird? my bf always looks at upper lips
Hair at first, but once I get talking to someone, I do tend to look at the teeth a lot.
good thing i don’t have a stache
first thing I notice is how they carry themselves…after that I zero in on the eyes-that tells me more than anything-general appearance, and yes, teeth matter. it’s a good indicator if they take care of themselves or not.
Come on, are you serious?
Right below the neck–no lower…alright now a little to the left…yea, right there.
Seriously, come on.
eyes, then smile (lips, teeth)
Smile, not a fake smile, a true HAPPY smile!
Acne.
As it is a personal problem.
face or shoes depending on the situation because shoes tell you a lot about that person
eyes.
complexion.
smile
strangely enough, I think I usually see hair first.
Teeth…just to see if they’re white or not. It matters for me to some extent.
Sort of the general being… you know, behaviour, voice, motion.
It’s weird how so many people said teeth… Americans are crazy. I usually try not to look at the teeth because so many people have boring smiles now (like, they’re all the same because for some reason perfectly straight teeth are the norm) and just focus on the lips or something instead if I’m looking at the mouth.
the whole package. if the whole looks wrong the pieces soon fall into place as to why.
Hey, I wear hearing aids, and no one ever notices them first untill I point them out.
Re-adjust the question.
’nuff said…
the basic symmetry of their face, their smile (usually notice how white their teeth are), and then their eyes.
what lies behind their eyes
I tend to gauge their reaction to meeting me by watching their eyes
Beauty and harmony. Or lack of beauty and harmony.
Face. Eyes and lips. Neatness.
hair. Especially if it’s a woman with long pretty hair or a man with dark hair. (I have long hair myself, so I love seeing other women wear it long, and I’ve always had a thing for dark haired men)
Their teeth ,that is if they have any.
hair, face, smile, nose
The first thing I notice about someone is their face and eyes. The eyes say alot about a person
Their smile…
you totally ruined this person’s experiment.
everything
Face.
Reminds me of when I was little, my babysitter (I think she was 16 or so) had braces and hearing aids. I didn’t know what they were at the time but I thought she was so cool and that her hearing aids were so cool. I wanted to be just like her.
Jawline and neck.
I wouldn’t notice either of those things at first, unless they really called out for attention– like teeth that are abnormally white or discolored. Usually the first things I notice are more things like their outfit, hair, eyes, smile, etc.
I think I just take in their face in general…
Eyes. I love love love eyes. But funnily enough, I am scared to death of direct eye contact. Sucks to be me.
I have a friend who is nuts about teeth – she says she can’t stand a guy with bad teeth. I once noticed I knew a guy for months without noticing he had really bad teeth. When I look at a smile, I don’t care about the teeth so much as the jawline, dimples, and eyes involved in the smile.
Smile or lack of it.
clothes they wear
i would think their eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks.
Thanks, Dan. The best comments were the people who say the first thing they notice about a person’s appearance is his/her attitude.
Whether or not they’re smiling. Generally, I’ll talk to anyone, no matter what they look like, as long as they’re wearing a welcoming smile!
eyes, definitely. Rotten teeth take a close second though.
Teeth. Just kidding. Probably eyes.
I’m all about the eyes then smile.
I notice a person’s mouth first. Are the lips thin or full? Do they smile a lot? Then maybe arms for guys and hair for girls…
Their eyes
i am a sucker for teeth. i love a perfect smile. i think its because ive had so much dental work done i appreciate someone who got lucky with some nice choppers.
there is a guy here that has a hearing aid, i just noticed a few months ago and I have known him two years.
Height if I first see them from a distance.
Their hands and their shoes. My grandma used to say that you can always tell about a man by how he keeps his shoes.
How a person carries themself.
Nothing really big to be honest.
It varies from person…but I don’t like looking people right on all the time…so their cheeks. Never ears, and maybe teeth eventually when I’m taking them in…their lips…I watch people’s mouths when they speak…
The most attractive feature of that person’s face or body.
Weight. That sound so shallow… butits true…. I dont mean to but that is the only thing you can really tell from far away and that would be the first impression i would have of them. Plus, it is the most simple thing to notice.
eyes and fingernails. they both tell alot about a person.
smile or eyes
eyes
Anything that is out of the ordinary.
the entire experiment has just been violated because the entire thing was posted, and it’s a leading question. good job, Dan.