i get stereotyped too n i knoe wat u peeps mean..ppl who dunno mi says i look more like a guitarist or a rocker cos i dye my hair, have lots of piercings on my ears n nose, tattoos etc.. they always almost fall off their chairs when they find out i'm a classical pianist.. of course tat doesnt mean i only like classical stuff.. my favorite genre is still classic rock..
plus i teach part time piano at a music school... the school's pretty relaxed with teachers' dressing n outlook.. but the most hurtful thing i've heard is one parent saying they don wan their child to be influenced by me and insist of switching teachers when i first started teaching.. .. tat hurt! n destroyed my whole week...but i get the last laugh tho.. nowadays all my slots are full and i have students requesting for me personally..
so i think.. let those fools think wat they like.. as long as i'm happy expressing myself the way i am.. we only live once, why live for others?