Long-haired slugs vs short-haired slugs

In the comments to the preceding post, Blogblah! asks the question:

1. MCARP, does the length of your hair and/or beard impact in any way your struggle with the guy on the couch picture/self image?

I've thought about that myself, and I don't know the answer.

I like my hair longer, and as I mentioned, I get some favorable comments on it. But when I see other men with hair this long, especially if they're my age or close to it, they look to me like skid row bums. Of course, some of them are skid row bums, and maybe I'd view them more favorably if they were wearing something other than wife beaters and corduroy cutoffs.

As for the guy on the couch, well, that photo was a real eye-opener for me - the difference between the way I perceived myself and the way I look to others.

I might mention that the photo was taken by a woman to whom I once thought myself rather attracted, and who clearly felt no such attraction to me. We had a lot in common, or so I thought, but one thing we did not have in common was that she did not look like a beached whale when sitting on a sofa.

If I had applied my rule of thumb right from the start, I would have seen that instantly.

Did I answer your question? I don't think I did, but that's all I've got.