People always view me as “innocent”, how can I change this?

Pentagram tattoo, black lipstick, mohawk, nose and/or lip piercings.

@ragingloli Already got a nose piercing, will have to look into your other suggestions hahaha

leather jacket with spikes, trousers with holes in them.

Drop f-bombs all over the place.

Just be smart, and speak your mind. Don’t do something foolish or attention seeking, or else you’ll end up looking like a fool.

Hang out with auto and diesel mechanics for some spot-on colorful language training!

Going to prison? Bing watch Orange is the New Black, I guess….

Do you agree with them?

People sometimes have tried to characterize me as innocent, but I usually just know they’re mistaken and/or posturing, and either don’t particularly care about their mistake, or consider where their thoughts are coming from. Usually they’re being superficial and think they’ve got me figured out from their misinterpretation of some way I’m being or not being.

Sometimes they seem curious or unsettled and are trying a domination tactic (which often they don’t understand themselves what they’re doing).

Either way, it tends to give me a negative impression of them, and not make me very interested in correcting their mistake. At most, I tend to just give them a look of contempt and try not to give it more attention or energy than it deserves.

I think it’s good that folks see you as innocent when you are not. You have the element of surprise. They’ll never suspect you when…you know…

I second @cookieman. haha

Yeah – people always see me as just a librarian until I take off my glasses and shake my hair down.

I agree with @cookieman. Let them think what they want and hold your cards close. That’s how I won many a game in pool against men who assumed no one who looked like me could have the brains to do much of anything. Till I ran the table on them. It’s an advantage.

I just had an interesting visual of a penguin with glasses and long hair.

Anyone who thinks a waddle can’t be sexy is not welcome in my liberry!

Give me liberry or give me death!

@Sunshinegirl11, I can understand your frustration. Sometimes people say “innocent” when they mean “childlike”. I was always small, and looked much younger than my age, which made for having zero credibility. As charming as some of the stories above are, in any kind of professional circumstance, it can be a serious disadvantage. It’s hard to close the deal, present the design idea, get the ear of the person in charge, whatever, if you are seen as a child.
I don’t know what to tell you, getting old helped me out. Sorry that doesn’t help you out here.

@canidmajor Good points. I have had that trouble in the past at times too; being seen as “sweet” when I wanted to be taken seriously.

I do think if you speak tentatively it can contribute to the perception of you as innocent or sweet so if that is true on your case, you might try developing a more assertive way of speaking (no uptick.)

Well, even the name you picked for your screen name sounds..innocent. Like @janbb, might check your own behaviors.