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I am constantly told there is more to a person than appearances. I know this. I know I hate it when people judge me on how I dress or look before they know me.

I get tired of dumb blonde jokes and people assuming because I like to wear black
I am a delinquent.

But really, if you think about it, appearances do matter, and they send important messages about the type of person you are. The band shirt you wear not only tells me what kind of music you like, but what some of your values are based on the design on the shirt.

How a teen dresses shows the world the type of person he or she is. My question is, do people
realize what message they are sending to the rest of the world?

At the grocery store where I work, there was a customer the other day who was shopping with an older woman whom I took to be her mom. This girl was wearing a shirt that shocked me. The shirt said, in bright green prominent letters, "Mount and Doo."

Seriously, what mother would let her daughter wear that kind of thing in public? Does the girl wearing it even realize what she is advertising about herself?

Then there are the shirts that say, "Can't You See That I'm Taken," or something to that effect, but certain letters are a different color and spell out "call me." What guy would go out with a girl who would wear something like that?

Guys wear all sorts of equally off-putting shirts. "Going Commando" is one shirt saying that stands out prominently in my mind. I really don't need to know that. I don't even believe that you really are. Guys get away with wearing shirts with sayings that I cannot believe they have let their mothers see.

Parents, do you even look at your kids?

I have this policy with my own clothes. If the shirt I buy has writing on it, I read it first.

Then, I ask myself if I really truly agree with the statement. Am I willing to deal with the attention this shirt is going to draw to me? Am I willing to comply with what the shirt says?

If I put on that shirt that says "WARNING: Extreme Attitude Problem," would I really be surprised if my sarcastic remark gets me sent to the office? If I put on a shirt that says "My Boyfriend Is Out Of Town," am I really willing to take other offers?

I refuse to put on a shirt with a saying I don't agree with or one that will make me look cheap.

It's the same with the cut of the shirt. Do I really want to show that much skin to my teacher? Or the old guy on the street? No, thank you, I'll keep it to myself.

What you wear is the first thing people notice about you.

Is the message you're sending really what you want people to think about you?

* Alex Bacon attends Eisenhower High School.