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Not the most useful info, i know, but i'm very similar. Most people would assume i'm sort of chud or prepper type if you based it on looks alone. However, i'm laughing, joking around, smiling, dancing around, and generally willing to entertain any conversation with someone. If there's one thing I know, working in a field where the average person has hitler particles physically emanating from them, is that chuds are fucking miserable. Constantly complaining, getting angry at absolutely nothing, and lashing out at everyone all the time. Just being willing to strike up a convo and have a laugh is what gets people to trust you.

If you make this face, stop making this face

😷

nail polish, instant vibe changer

Have you considered being under 5’6”? I spent a good portion of my life trying to appear chud before I fully embraced being a cute lil guy.

Palestine pin? Rainbow pin? plenty of little ways you can signal you're normal

I second the nail polish rec if you're cool with that. If you wanted to, you could do non-natural hair color, too.

I mean having a beard doesn't automatically make you a chud, and I wouldn't clock you as one based on how you describe yourself, so I personally wouldn't worry about it. BUT, if it bothers you it bothers you and if you want to change up how you look then so be it. Or, is this about looking like a chud, or just not feeling as comfy dressing unassuming and masculine? You bring up possibly being nonbinary, so just a thought.

Usually things that flag people as chuds to me are: T-Shirts with stupid corny jokes on them about guns, beer, women, "don't tread on me", "come and take it" type shit, white power symbols... Also shirts/hats/bumper stickers etc. with the American flag on it unless it's like, super small or an elderly person. Also glasses that look like these lol. Perhaps bootcut jeans too, that's a stretch and idk why but it is sus to me

If you want to "look more leftist" I guess it would just be t-shirt signaling, really, or backpack patches, stickers on your water bottle if you always have one on you, or something. Leftist/alternative band t-shirts, if there are any local leftist orgs/mutual aid groups or like nonprofits that do good work in your community that sell swag, those can be good indicators. Or you can get spicier, SRA shirt, "kill your local nazi shirt", something like that.

I wouldn't worry. It might actually work in your favour because they'll assume you believe one thing and then you can surprise them

Red Star T-shirt or a Mao shirt, everyone and their brother has a Che shirt.

From your description you sound more metal than chud.

A hammer and sickle tattoo

The most time efficient thing you can do is paint your fingernails. It's easy, CHUDs don't paint their nails, they don't require much maintenance, and you can keep all your regular clothes. You can even just do black fingernail paint and you still will get rid of chud energy.

You are enough as you are now and you should be kinder to yourself.

Now for some suggestions:

Regarding glasses I suggest getting two pairs, if possible, for the purpose of redundancy. If one is broken or gets lost having a second pair will prevent it from becoming a catastrophe. One of those pairs should be fun. Fun can mean a lot of things, it can be an interesting shape or an uncommon color or something else. There are guides out there about matching face shape to lens shape but its all up to you, trust your judgement.

Accessories! 4th Reich dudes dont really go around with bracelets and necklaces, and they tend to avoid piercings. If you want to get your ears pierced its inexpensive, the aftercare is easy and the healing process is quick, plus there are a zillion options for earrings. If you've ever considered something more adventureous like a brow piercing or what have you, go for it! It can be a very liberating experience.

Pins are very explicitly state where you stand and what you believe in. Its extremely rare to be challenged for whatever pins youre wearing and it is very common to recieve compliments over them. I can personally attest that many trans people notice, and greatly appreciate it when people wear symbols that indicate their allyship.

I also think that you (and many others) would benefit from developing a personal sense of style. Confidence in the way one presents themselves translates into confidence in general. It's easier than you might think, although it takes time and a little effort. I have some pointers on that if youre interested.

Addendum: yes also wearing masks is a pretty strong signal AND they serve a practical purpose. Its really nice basically never getting sick.

Should I try to change my appearance or should I just learn not to give shit?

Dress how you want to comrade, whatever you're comfortable in. You're probably worrying about something that's not really necessary.

May your field of fucks to give be barren.

I'm also going to be getting glasses in the next few days and have to decide on a frame. What should I get to try to minimize chud appearance? I have kind of a squarish face but maybe a bit rounder now as I get older. Do certain kinds of glasses scream redditor or chud? Any advice on what I should go for is welcome.

I feel like the right pair of glasses can "soften" your look enough to look less chuddy. I personally like ones with keyhole bridges, rounder shapes, and tortoise shell style plastic, but your personal taste can vary. I'd say just be willing to be a little more adventurous with your frames - maybe even pick a fun color or odd shape if that appeals to you!

I tend to think there's a certain type of rectangular rimless glasses that read stemlord redditor, and the oakley wraparound style reads very chud to me.

Contrary idea, go full but Chinese flags

i've gotten lazy with boymode fashion and just wear obscure lefty-adjacent hardcore/metalcore band t-shirts but the rest of me just screams countrified outdoorsperson so i can blend in. basically punk-redneck-dadbod. unfortunately where i live punk-redneck is your standard libertarian-chud so they just think i'm one of them. helps at work though, because i can inject leftist concepts right into people's brains, their shields are down

at home i go butch girlmode

i used to have little markers of non-gender conformity, like colorful bracelets, nail polish (metallic and generally chipped), more femme hair cuts (either long undercut or spikey emo style), clean shaven all over, tongue ring/nipple piercings with that rainbow oil slick looking steel. all of my tats are kind of femme, colorful stars and stuff, but under shirt sleeves. basically i used to dress like a punk lesbian and most of my friends were such

don't know if any of this is useful (im about your age, sans beard)

buuut about the glasses: i don't wear regular glasses and can't help much (besides maybe do some round frames if they look good?)

does anyone know what are considered non-chud coded sunglasses? style, brand, whatever? only ever had a pair of aviators back when they were hipster, and my eyes are being vaporized by UV

You're probably worrying about something that isn't there. I sincerely doubt anyone is gonna assume youre a chud just cause of that look. A lot of perfectly cool people also rock that look. If i could be bold I think the commonality with chuds that you're worried about is having no sense of style. All black clothes and no logo just sounds like people would think youre into metal based on the rest of your look.

So if you wanna keep going on the sol black thing and make thet work that's how I dress so i can say what I do at least. My shirts are either borderline rags or black button up dress shirts. I cut the collar and at least half the sleeve off of em, theyre also mostly punk band shirts. I'll get into making your own graphics later. For pants, skinny is best, baggy black pants kinda just look like a blob cause its harder to see the folds and stuff that can make baggy lighter pants look cooler (im anti baggy for pants regardless but I get a baggy blue jean better than a baggy black jeans. Having a jacket that goes with most of what you wear also rules. I recommend getting 2 nice black jeans jackets that fit good and turning one into a vest for summer time. Then you're all black but the different fabric and tones will add some distinction. I don't give a shit about shoes, but don't wear white ones with all black unless you need to. I mostly wear nondescript non slip sneakers that I get tax write-offs for cause of my job and have engineer boots that are the only thing I shelled out any real money for.

For graphics id start by learning to stencil and then see if anywhere in your town has a screen printing workshop you could take part in. Or just buy the gear. Its worth it.

For stencils, make or find a design and make it stencil friendly. In grocery stores around the plastic wraps and stuff you can find something called freezer paper, its cheap af and the important part is its waxed on just one side. So you can draw your design on the unwaxed side, cut it out with an exacto knife and then use an iron or even just a the bottom of a pot you heated up a bit on the stove to melt the waxed side down. Then you can just go over it with a paint roller. The wax will keep the paint from seeping through l. Just make sure to seal around the graphic real good for clean lines. You can get fabric paint at any art store, it costs a bit but you can dilute it with regular cheap acrylic to 2/3rds acrylic although you'll get a top layer that will either flake or wash off, what's underneath should be sturdy. I still have patches and stuff I made back in high school 20 years ago that look fine.

nose ring!! or eyebrow ring

I think just the barest little counter-messaging could still be helpful if that's your concern. You don't need to wear a hat with "marg bar amerikkka" printed on four sides, but a little rainbow wristband or something will get a message across to most people without drawing a huge amount of attention unless you're in a really chuddy place.

Personally I think most people probably profile me as like a channer or a drug dealer, but well, I think that most people aren't going to make very grave assumptions about you and if you aren't a chud, it'll probably become obvious if you just behave in a manner that shows even an interest in being empathetic to them. You come across as gentle enough -- partly for asking this question at all -- so I think most people aren't going to stubbornly hold on to an image of you as a rightist, and those that do (because of trauma or something, I'd expect) aren't going to be persuaded by you wearing an earring.

Honest question.

Do chuds look like dumb footbal fans with big trucks and Bud Lights talking about Merica assholes or like the Nothing Ever Happens meme guy? I always figured it was the former.

A former coworker had this problem, some of the people I work with would say some transphobic shit about me behind my back to him and he’d tell them off

Yeah, as a fellow white guy approaching 40 with very traditionally masculine tastes and interests you really aren't going to be able to avoid it. People who know you will know and that's all that super matters.

I probably shouldn't care

This is correct.