By Terrence Chappell

Glimmers of car headlights and street lights shine onto the North Halsted strip to spotlight the weekend denizens of Boystown. A laugh too loud for any genuine authenticity annoyingly escapes from the mouth of a bouncy bottom surrounded by a group of good looking guys. His deliberate joker smile and painfully obvious tight jeans to show off his even bouncier butt both have goals of their own: "we're going home with one of these guys tonight."

As the night progresses into the bar, eye-catching impressions seem to dominate every social circle including mere friends. Neither a ghost nor goblin, it's a guy wearing foundation about five shades too light for his skin tone. To complete his look, he's wearing eye liner, a very subtle color of lip gloss and what seems to be a hint of glitter on his exposed chest. His air is not arrogant enough to be snobby, nor displaced enough to be aloof, but reads "come talk to me, don't I look interesting?"

The many and varied personal façades constantly seen and experienced on Halsted - guys trying to cover up who they really are with a false front of who they want you to think they are - leads to the ultimate realization that in Boystown you really don't need to wait until Halloween and October 31st to see a parade of men figuratively, and often times sometimes literally, wearing masks and costumes.

There's no secret that first, second, third, and beyond fourth impressions are everything on the visually stimulated Halsted Street. Such lasting impressions seem to develop into an everyday costume with a heightened attention to details on the weekends. According to Kelly Ducheny, Director of Behavioral Health Sciences at the Howard Brown Health Center, a little image management is actually smart when first meeting people.
"Lots of time when people put on these images it's a short-term fix, but it creates long-term difficulties. It can eat away at your self-esteem to receive all this attention for something that's not even you, so you slowly invalidate it," says Ducheny.

Ducheny goes on to offer a solution that guys should be aware of what they are compromising for their interactions with other people.

"Slowly let your guy know more about yourself because then you can take the true temperature of how good you are together," says Ducheny.

There's nothing wrong or pretentious with grooming regimens, going to the gym, dressing nicely, and putting one's best foot forward. However, one's best impression transitions into a costume when that impression masks the true self or is a stark exaggeration of that self. Dyeing your hair color just because it'll trigger his fancy will become a vicious cycle of not enough. Wearing G-Star jeans just to flash a label that will impress your night crew will drain your wallet. Sticking your nose in the air to appear above it all will not get you noticed, at least by anyone decent.

According to Patrick Fuller, owner and stylist of the very chic Robert Jeffrey Hair and Skin Care Studio in Boystown, the best haircut or the best of anything is one that reflects the client's lifestyle. Specializing in giving his clients a look that fits their true identity, Fuller says, "If people feel like they look good then they are going to feel good. However, some people want things that don't look good; so we always give them a consultation."

Jason Hardin, Assistant Manager of the trendy and local favorite Universal Gear clothing store sometimes even feels the pressure to look a certain way when at work. According to Hardin, Universal Gear workers aim to represent the brand in the best light, which drives sales and entices customers.

"We have lots of people that will come in here asking for the latest jeans or ask what I wear. I think clothes can give you that extra kick in confidence. That's not always a good thing. People can become very superficial and get caught up with how other people see them," says Hardin.

Just be impossibly gorgeous, but with an adorable personality. Just be funny, but with a sophisticated tone. Just be what he wants. How about just being you, which comes from a place of confidence that is independent from what others think? Of course, with competing stimuli from friends, boyfriends, bedroom prospectives, and the media, just being you has become just being what they want or what you think they want. It's completely okay to present your best self. But that's just it, it has to be your best self - not some concocted presentation that you think will captivate and dazzle people. The Superboy and Hercules outfits only belong on October 31. The greatest disservice you can do to yourself is to don a fake, exaggerated mask and an ill-fitting costume - to not be yourself.

Stories From The "Front"
BOI hit the streets to find out who has and has not been putting on false fronts when out and about. Kai M., 38, of Uptown talked about acting completely out of character one night: "I was at this party a while back and I saw this really cute guy. Now, I'm not usually the type that just goes up to a guy and starts dancing on him, but damn was he a cutie. So I made my way to the dance floor and rubbed my rear against his crotch very seductively. I've never done that to anyone, but I wanted his attention. This was totally out of character for me I surprised even myself. We did hook up and started dating, but it didn't work out as we didn't last past four months."

The West Side's Benjamin S., 35, did more than a dance floor stunt to snag a guy he was once after. "This guy wasn't just cute. he was beyond cute. He was fine, hot. Everyone wanted him. The only way I would really be able to get to know him would be to join the same long-distance running team that he belonged to. I don't mind running, but I'm more of a sprinter, not long-distance at all. So I joined the team, got the guy and made all the other guys who wanted him mad. It turned into a relationship in its infancy stage but never got more serious than that. However, I still jog to this day/"

Being true to himself, Jonathan F., 21, Gold Coast, was able to resist another guy's superficialty. "One night I was out with some friends, and as usual I was being the introvert. All my friends had moved to the dance floor and I was standing alone when some guy in his thirties approached me and asked if I wanted a drink. I kindly declined and he asked why I wasn't drinking. 'I'm driving plus someone has to watch over these boys (my friends),' I replied. He then proceeded to tell me that he always takes limos and starts to go on and on about how much money he makes. I was completely turned off and needless to say, that was the end of that conversation."