What is the first impression you give off?

topic posted Fri, February 8, 2008 - 4:27 PM by  Maura
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When someone first meets you, what is usually the first impression is you give off? (If you're not sure, ask a friend).
Is this first impression who you really are? If not, what is the real you?
posted by:
Maura
Connecticut
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  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Fri, February 8, 2008 - 10:20 PM
    Well, depends on the situation. But if it's in a crowd of people I don't know, their first impression is probably that I'm shy and quiet.

    If it's in a situation where I'm surrounded by people I do know and there's only one new person, I probably come off as aloof as I tend not to talk to people I don't know as I'm never really sure what to say to them. So, I still with talking to the people I do know.
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Mon, February 11, 2008 - 11:42 PM
    It's a great question that I don't have a great answer.

    I think it largely depends on how I come into contact with a person and what their attitude is at the time. Some will tell you that I'm silly ... others that I never crack a smile. Some will tell you I'm the sweetest person on the planet ... others will tell you I'm the angriest, most violent person they've ever met (I have been violent in the past ... still am when it's necessary ... and most think it's necessary long before I do). This question does need more exploration if only for my own mind.
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Tue, February 12, 2008 - 7:39 AM
    It depends a lot upon the setting, my mood, and the person judging the context of meeting me. Most folks agree I come across as loquacious, friendly, smart, silly and confident.

    I've rarely been accused of the opposite on the first two and only those who really have a chip on their shoulder or are just plain ornery would not perceive the rest.

    Because of my outgoing personality, folks tend to either really like me or really dislike me at first blush. This can be a pain in the ass.

    Also, I tend to make better impressions with men and those who are above-average intellectually, but perhaps a bit low on the maturity scale. Those who are older than their years and of average IQ find me a bit haughty and a know-it-all. And if the person(s) I'm meeting doesn't have much of a sense of humor, they find my silliness repulsive.

    Of course, this applies only to meeting in-person. On the Internet is an ENTIRELY different matter.

    :)
    Feiruz
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Tue, February 12, 2008 - 7:27 PM
    Short answer: I did ask this question of people in my community last summer, as part of a community project, and was surprised to find that I was generally perceived to be a happy, chatty, friendly sort of person who makes others laugh. That was weird to hear, since I perceived myself as fairly gloomy and awkward. Hearing others tell me how they see me had a huge impact on my life, making me think about who I really want to be for others and what I was trying to cover up with gloominess, and I'm now very comfortable being joyful. I get this as who I really am because others tell me they feel comfortable being who they are around me.
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Sun, March 23, 2008 - 10:14 AM
      Do I detect Landmark Self Expression and Leadership program?? If not, it's scary. Anyway, I come off as being friendly, yet a bit unapproachable. People have told me (in interviews for my community project and otherwise) that when they first met me, they thought I was very social and friendly, but that I was a snob at times. They'd see me having a great time with others, but shut down with them, as the new person. That's not snobbery, that's my childhood shyness peaking out, unsure of what to say to you...because you as a stranger frankly scare me and I want to make sure I have a good idea of who you are before I'll let you see the real me! Story, yes. Do I HAVE to be this way? No. It's a tendency that I do recognize!
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Tue, February 19, 2008 - 4:53 PM
    for some reason people say that i am intimidating.. i don't believe I am.. but apparently i am. I am the nicest person if you just try to talk to me!
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Tue, February 19, 2008 - 11:57 PM
      well...hehehe! as a tattoo artist....most people meet me in my shop...and they see my art before I even say a word...then when I introduce myself....well...I've got the last name " Joynt" and its all shits n giggles from there!
      • Unsu...
         

        Re: What is the first impression you give off?

        Wed, February 20, 2008 - 8:26 PM
        ***well...I've got the last name " Joynt" and its all shits n giggles from there!*** Lol ;)

        Lauren, how could anyone ever find a beautiful flower intimidating?
        • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

          Thu, February 21, 2008 - 9:41 AM
          It seems that beauty can be very intimidating. I think anything can be intimidating to different people.
          • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

            Thu, February 21, 2008 - 7:27 PM
            most people who walk in my tattoo shop for their 1st tattoo always look like a deer in some serious headlights!
            • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

              Thu, February 21, 2008 - 9:05 PM
              How many of them are sober? (This is a serious question.)
              • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                Thu, February 21, 2008 - 10:43 PM
                all! I won't ink em if their boozed up! makes em bleed more! ya lose ink..and I really hate having to do a job twice!
                • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                  Thu, February 21, 2008 - 10:55 PM
                  > I really hate having to do a job twice!

                  The first one being what the first asked for while drunk, and the second one being what they want you to fix or change once the sober up. That kind of twice? ;-)
                  • This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.

                    Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                    Thu, February 21, 2008 - 11:53 PM
                    it ain't rocket science....i can tell if someones been drinking 24 hours before get'n their ink..alcohol thins the blood alot and if its weeping blood alot..it push'n the ink I'm try'n ta put in back out...its difficult to ditermine the amount of ink loss until healing has occured....then its touch up time.
                    I don't hang flash on my shop walls ....so anyone coming in hammered ...can't randomly pick somethin wiyhout my intervention of design time of artwork.....don't get me wrong if its somethin small and their sober...I can draw somethin pretty quick !
                    I've got some customers that will try eat perks or oxys ta dilute the pain level....opiates have a tendency ta make ya itchy if ya take to many and then they don't sit still ....at witch time I stop the gun.
                    some smoke weed....mixed results..
                    the only thing that works is ta know before going in that its gonna hurt...yer gonna have this art forever so the responciblity for good work is'nt all on the artist....your cooperation is just as important!
                    People bitch about tatto prices...yet will go out and pay $30 or $40 thousand for a brand new car that is built with a life expectancy of 5 years...the ink lasts a life time!
                    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                      Sun, February 24, 2008 - 11:10 AM
                      joynt,

                      "People bitch about tatto prices..."

                      yeah, I've never understood that. like, dude, seriously, this is going to be a PERMANENT part of your body. you're paying a one time fee for something you'll have the rest of your life. you're putting ART on your skin. and on top of that you're paying someone to inject a RAPIDLY MOVING NEEDLE into your skin. that's kinda something you might want to (a) invest in and (b) pay enough to insure the person knows what the hell they're doing.

                      I once met a girl who had Tinkerbell tattooed on her ankle. I said "oh, you're really into Tinkerbell, huh?" and she replied "no, not really. I just wanted a fairy and this was the only thing they had". uh-huh. so you don't care enough about yourself or have enough conviction for your beliefs or passions to wait another day to find an actual fairy. instead you're walking around with a Disney advertisement. well, thanks, at least that told me everything I need to know about you and I won't be wasting much time here now. ;)

                      I think that's why my bf says "people get the tattoos they deserve" ;)
                      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                        Sun, February 24, 2008 - 1:24 PM
                        some peeps will go out and pay...I dunno like $30 or $40 thousand on a brand new car..that has a life expectancy of 5 years..then add in insurance and gas ect.
                        yet will also bitch about the price of a sleeve tattoo...I don't get it !
                      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                        Sun, February 24, 2008 - 5:50 PM
                        > I once met a girl who had Tinkerbell tattooed on her ankle. I said "oh, you're really into Tinkerbell, huh?" and she replied "no, not really. I just wanted a fairy and this was the only thing they had"

                        Back to my original theme ... must have been drunk ;-)
                        • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

                          Sun, February 24, 2008 - 6:00 PM
                          alotta tattoo shops out there don't have an artist on staff...just tattooists!
                          I know lots of guys that could'nt draw a stick man...but they know how to technecly push ink...they can follow a stencil line then colour it in with the needles...but don't ask em ta draw an original picture!
                          I can pretty much draw ya up anything ya want...right now depending on the size and complexity! I swear ta god I can draw a butterfly with my eye's closed!
                          Even Miami ink...Omi James..I think thats his name...is constantly try'n ta get Chris Garver ta draw for him!
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Sun, February 24, 2008 - 11:19 AM
    "Is this first impression who you really are? If not, what is the real you?"

    I no longer have any idea what first impression I give off. and I've probably changed enough that asking friends wouldn't help because the first impressions friends had is no longer accurate. Though I'm beginning to realize it has more to do with the clique or culture the other person comes from and the circumstance of meeting, more than actually being about me.

    Sometimes people project what they need onto you (you're "sexy" because they're lonely or just a horn dog). Other times they are assessing you from only a small and limited life experience (you're "strange" because they live a very sheltered existence).

    Then there are times when someone meets you while you're sick, or in a hurry, or focused on a specific task, or at an event that requires you to observe certain etiquette. So they're getting a tiny specific glimpse that doesn't represent you on the whole.
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Tue, February 26, 2008 - 4:49 AM
      Ms. Dynomite, thank you for such an insightful and thought provoking answer. It's so true when you think about it and happens probably more than we even realize.
      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

        Tue, February 26, 2008 - 12:28 PM
        Maura,
        thanks. :) I have my moments. they're brief and fleeting, but they're there. ;)

        As I mentioned to you, my bf and I have had many convos about first impressions since people online seem get build this little story about who you are, and it's usually surprising, and we've found usually more about them than you. :)

        Sometimes it can be helpful or enlightening to know how others see us, as Stephanie mentioned above. You can learn positive things about yourself, or learn ways to better deal with others. For example, when I was in college I had a few people tell me they thought I was intimidating and had been shy about approaching me. What was really happening was that I was focused, not intimidating: I was holding 21 credits, working toward 2 majors, while working a 1-2 part time jobs, while fully supporting myself, while also applying to art schools in NYC.

        So my time wasn't approached like most of the other students, who could afford to be laid back and casual. My day was tightly structured, full of strategies and juggling and things most of them hadn't yet had to deal with. The experience of being focused and having responsibilities was foreign to them, so they labeled it as intimidating. Which again meant that their first impression had more to do with where they were coming from than my actual personality. But it was helpful to know so I could understand people's comfort zones a little better. :)

        Other times knowing people's impressions just tells you that they're ignorant arses, which also is helpful -- then you know to avoid them. ;) Like the guy I meant who thought that my pink hair meant I was "easy" (he might have said "slut", I'm being kind). I'm still baffled by this. ;) My best guess is that he was wound so tightly that dyed hair was "way out there" for him, so that translated to sexual free-for-all fantasy in his head.
  • hahahaha... at the moment I come off as a very pregnant woman who is about to eat her arm off.... :D :D :D


    otherwise maybe a bit too boisterous sometimes, but great to be around non the less!

    I'm told It's easy to remember me.... can't imagine why?! hahahaha.... :D :D :D


  • i seldom experience the gratification of receiving feedback on my firsts. and i'm usually too caught up in the developing impression being marked upon me at the time. so the only substantial answer i could give would be based on my first impression of theirs which would also be part of my overall first impression of them and so on, ad infinitum.

    i've often thought that destitute and needy people find me easy, easy to engage. i can't tell you how many people on the brink or already out there - rich, poor, what ever will have you- familiarly engage me, especially on subways, with shit so heavy -relatively- that i'm always beside myself, so to speak. i can say, for the non obviously destitute though, that i perceive their impression is one of familiarity, a good amount of them. i get 'do i know you' all the time. but more so, my intent is to commune with all things on earth so, my will is to project an impression of unity and composite humanity. wow that's preachy but, i feel that each Own's will projects a cross-platform impression to some extent and my weird, "change my mind so much i can't even trust myself", ass can't be trusted to give a uniform, to any extent, one.

    one,
    kaimbus
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Sun, July 13, 2008 - 4:36 PM
    I give off the " i dont give a f*ck vibe/ don't bother me im angry/deep in thought" vibe....which is a bit upsetting because Im actually rather shy and have been told by my friends Im a very nice and caring person. I think its the features of my face that give me this brooding look- e.g. deep set eyes and no cheek bones and a natural pout mouth. go figure.
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Fri, July 18, 2008 - 5:51 PM
      Slow moving, beautifully filmed. NOOO that's a movie I absolutely hated.

      Depends on the mood, time. Sometimes I'm totally mellow, laid-back. Unfortunately at my job I have to be a lot more detail oriented, so I'm a bit more uptight. But I always try to thank people for their work.

      Now if I'm in a wicked pain spike -- cranky, cranky, cranky
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Sun, July 20, 2008 - 9:01 AM
    I am intimidating and unapproachable. That was my fiancee's first impression of me. I met him at a show, was there strictly for him. I love the way he plays...but I thought that something was wrong with me because he did not talk to me...he says I carry myself so that I am intimidating...and unapproachable. I guess that all those years of practice bieng scary finally paid off...toward the wrong person, but hey...it all came together anyway..
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Wed, March 11, 2009 - 10:05 PM
    I'm not totally sure, but I think people typically notice the hair and the blue fingernails. Lots of people think I am a surfer, but I suck at surfing. LOL.

    A lot of people might think I am very outgoing, but I have to work sooooo hard at that, cuz I'm actually a totally shy person.
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Wed, March 11, 2009 - 11:37 PM
      yeah... i think i even mentioned that when we were first talking. *bonks self on head*

      but I got the gist of absolute playfulness wrapped up in a warm smile and maturity. which is what you are.
      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

        Thu, March 12, 2009 - 10:44 AM
        Thanks cutie. :-)
        Maturity.......hahahahaha....I'm not sure that everyone would agree. I try to conduct myself with integrity, but at the same time, would prefer to still experience the world with the wonder and joy of discovery that is child-like in nature. But then, there's that brooding need to be alone with my dark and brooding thoughts a lot too....
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Sat, March 14, 2009 - 10:38 AM
    Most people in this rural dump of mostly human waste is that I am a freak. Old men and women frequently step away from me and prissy women with children usually check on their kids. The funny thing is... I am a freak. I try my best to be as strange to the average human as I can possibly be. The REAL me just wants to appreciate life and all its wonderful and not so wonderful mishaps.
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Mon, April 6, 2009 - 10:21 PM
    Hmmm... I'm not sure. Since most of my friends have been so since childhood, I doubt they remember. Some others are guys who hit on me, I know what they would say. My other friends would probably tell me the things they have learned about my character, first impressions have probably been overwritten by those thoughts and feelings.... So, why don't you guys tell me. Would that count?
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Mon, April 20, 2009 - 11:28 AM
    Confidence...though I really do not have that much, I seem to radiate that. I seem to give off the impression that I am all caring and can heal the world, as people constantly approach me with their problems. Some people think I am a know it all and a bitch...lol
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Mon, April 20, 2009 - 12:15 PM
      Hmmm...All this from a lonely girl....

      Can't understand why that pic is titled lonely...

      It gives off a look of "come hither and do my bidding"...
      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

        Fri, April 24, 2009 - 2:14 PM
        Most people see me as a freak...most people find that to be intimidating. I must be scary and crazy to have a tatoo on the back of my neck...lol. BTW, no, it really did not hurt all that much. I am lonely because the few people that I can find to be around are not very intelligent, are very boring, and pretty much a waste of time. More than anything I truly desire someone that can equal me in intelligence, still be fun, and accept me for who I am. I am sure that I will be forever lonely until I find such a person.
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Tue, June 16, 2009 - 8:24 AM
    That i am an ignorant , i don't talk with everyone.. I usually know from the beginning when i get well with a person or not...
    Well, i may be, but in a good way because i think i am free to choose with who i wanna talk or be, i am free to choose my friends, free to choose the space i wanna be in...

    A person needs to spend more than a little time to find out how i really am.
    The first impression doesn't always say all about us...sometimes it can be wrong , must always be a second chance, don't know...
  • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Tue, June 16, 2009 - 7:09 PM
    Damned if I know, but it might be fun to guess. I know it is a bit different depending on my environment. My professional "game face" isn't what you see at a burner festival. I am more severe on the job which probably comes across. I couldn't tell you much beyond that. People probably get an impression from my appearance, too (6 foot tall women can be intimidating to some folks).
    • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

      Wed, June 17, 2009 - 5:35 AM
      Being 6'-1" tall myself I find it easier to talk to a woman close to my height...
      • Re: What is the first impression you give off?

        Wed, June 17, 2009 - 7:48 PM
        :)
        • Unsu...
           

          Re: What is the first impression you give off?

          Thu, June 18, 2009 - 9:22 PM
          Looks like Brooke has found all the tall guys. I'm 6'4".
          • J
            J
            offline 19

            Re: What is the first impression you give off?

            Thu, November 12, 2009 - 1:18 AM
            Most of your answers remind me of the Anais Nin Quote
            "we don't see things as they are we see them as we are"
            hi i'm new i got invited to this tribe which was just
            what i needed tonight
            if you go to my profile please don't judge me
            i just rejoined tonight
            and i threw something together quickly
            and i brief little response to someone
            who most likely won't even come to my profile
            and i really could care less ..it's honest
            it's got some humor in it
            but it's most likely temporary
            i don't feel like doing it tonight
            i'm having so much fun reading your posts
            and i'm struggling with pain but being here
            reading these threads has been the best medicine
            Thank you Guido for inviting me
            i didn't get to bookmark you and i didn't see your profile
            i really wanted to ask you to be my friend...j
  • Amy
    Amy
    offline 3

    Re: What is the first impression you give off?

    Thu, November 12, 2009 - 10:27 AM
    Well, I'm sure as hell not intimidating. I had a conversation with my mom once about that a few years ago. It was about me trying to appear as though I'm someone not to be messed with while going by myself across the country. I pointed to myself and said, "Does THIS really look intimidating?" She was forced to admit that I'm really, really not.

    I have no idea what people think of me at first. It's probably "quiet", but what a joke that is. Once I have something to say (which is certainly not always upon first meeting a person), you'd have a hard time getting me to shut up if I care enough about the topic. I can say for sure that unless the person is VERY insightful (which is sadly not a characteristic most people I've met have) their first impression will not be completely correct.

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