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You might be surprised how little of a “disguise” can make you unrecognizable. Shakira took a history class at UCLA and just by not wearing makeup and using her

You might be surprised how little of a “disguise” can make you unrecognizable. Shakira took a history class at UCLA and just by not wearing makeup and using her legal name Isabel, nobody recognized her (or if they did, they didn’t say anything). The “Shakira” you see on TV is such an artificial construction that someone seeing her without any of the artifice has no idea it’s “her.”

dunnevens 6y ago
Agree. David Bowie once demonstrated it to a reporter. They walked together through Manhattan. No one bothered them. Bowie then said he was going to “turn it on”. Something in his expression slightly changed. And then he was mobbed by fans.
- jw1224 6y ago
  Wasn’t that story about Marilyn Monroe? https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-marilyn-monroe-effect-the-nonverbal-communication-of-confidence https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-marilyn-monroe-effect-the-...
  - dunnevens 6y ago
    The article I'm remembering was linked as part of an obit right after Bowie's death. I wish I could find it, but I'm apparently not coming up with the right phrase for Google. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a common trait of celebrities. Wear a mask, literally or figuratively, on stage or camera. Take the mask off and you're just an ordinary person that no one else will notice. Bowie talked about that mask here, and how he used it to face his fears: https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/166082106996/my-friend-told-me-a-story-he-hadnt-told-anyone https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/166082106996/my-friend-t...
    - SuoDuanDao 6y ago
      What a beautiful story. Bowie's invisible mask reminds me of the 'glamour' that fey creatures were imagined to have in the old stories. Puts the term 'glam rock' into new perspective for sure...
    - joshstrange 6y ago
      Is this the article you remember? https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/fashion/david-bowie-invisible-new-yorker.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/fashion/david-bowie-invis...
      - dunnevens 6y ago
        Thanks! I think that is the one.
- edent 6y ago
  I've heard that story about Marilyn Monroe - but it has probably been ascribed to hundreds of celebs. https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/2610/No-One-Recognized-Marilyn-Monroe-In-NYC-Then-She-Says-Want-To-See-Me-Become-Her- https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/2610/No-One-Recognized-Marily...
  - chokeartist 6y ago
    Yeah but to be fair.... who wouldn't be stunned by her beauty? ;)
- justinator 6y ago
  Honestly this just sort of sounds like Manhattan. The east coast vibe is certainly more of a “get out of my way” mentality.
  - dunnevens 6y ago
    You're probably right. If I'm remembering the article correctly, he would just put a bland hard face on. Wear boring & ordinary clothing. No one would pay him any attention.
  - greggturkington 6y ago
    in NYC or LA it's relatively common to see famous people but poor etiquette to approach them (but do please get out of the way)
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- sjwright 6y ago
  I’m sure when Bowie acted like the famous person, it subconsciously cued other people to treat him like a famous person. Act like a private person and most people will treat you like one. I’m not saying that this is a universal constant, or even the dominant explanation for what Bowie demonstrated, but there’s definitely something to it. My local neighbourhood has its fair share of nationally known famous faces. I’ve never once seen any of them treated like a celebrity because they don’t act like one.
0xdeadbeefbabe 6y ago
Really undermines the title "hips don't lie"
- spoonjim 6y ago
  LOL. The way she moves her butt is so distinctive that if she just walks like a normal person that’s a disguise of sorts.
  - vmception 6y ago
    I recognize alot of people by how they walk, from behind I could see that being a disguise
    - oarsinsync 6y ago
      Gait recognition is a thing, in humans and in ML. Shame we're seeing places explicitly banning facial recognition rather than biometric recognition.
      - core-questions 6y ago
        Facial recognition is being banned for law enforcement use not because it doesn't work, or is ineffective, or is undesirable, but because it reveals politically uncomfortable truths about who commits crime that existing crime stats were already pointing out in a less visceral way.
        oarsinsync 6y ago
        That's a pretty damning statement to make. Can you provide some citations to back that view up?
        orestarod 6y ago
        Without links ready, and not being the OP, I have seen many articles saying that "this ML recognition/analysis system has racial bias because the targets it finds are more {insert trait} than average." It struck me how such an unscientific thing made it to so many articles. It's a symptom of a cause that a specific group has greater representation in something, e.g. crime. You can't call factual observations, racist. You should rather find the root cause and solve it.
radicaldreamer 6y ago
A lot of it is context as well… you see this in videos of world class violinists busking in the NY subway and everyone just goes along on their way and doesn’t stop for a minute to listen. Celebrities on campus is likely also a much more normal thing at UCLA, USC and in LA in general.
- sumedh 6y ago
  Do average people really know any famous violinists?
EricE 6y ago
I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. On more than on occasion I've passed someone and went "Was that.... naw, couldn't be" then found out later that yes, it really was that person. The corollary to the S.E.P. field in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (SEP - Somebody Else's Problem Field - loved the concept for the ultimate invisibility cloak)
- flycaliguy 6y ago
  I’ll never forget learning that Sinead O'Connor had been recording in my hometown. Must have walked by her a dozen times and although I felt a “vibe” off her, I never pieced it together.
  - intrasight 6y ago
    Peter Gabriel chilled out in Rochester NY (my home town) for a while. In an interview he mentioned that it was nice to be anonymous. Not sure what that says about my home town that nobody recognized him ;)
- cgriswald 6y ago
  > I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. Even if you somewhat it, you don't really expect it. One early morning at tourist area (where I'd already seen a few celebrities), my friend and I are playing Daytona USA and this sunglass-wearing dude comes down and sits next to us to play. He looks vaguely familiar, but I guessed I had just seen him there before — there were a lot of regulars at this arcade. I'm bragging, but not exaggerating, when I say we were world-competitive at this game. This guy was good, but we destroyed him. After the race, the guy got up, smiled at both of us, said nothing, and left. My friend and I talked a bit about the race — a sort of post-race analysis we often did to see if there was anything new we could learn — and during that process it sort of dawned on us that we had just played against a NASCAR driver.
- mindcrime 6y ago
  I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. This reminds me of a celebrity encounter I had once. I walked into a Gold's Gym in Raleigh, and saw a guy doing triceps press-downs on the machine right by the path to the locker room. I had to walk past to get to the locker room and as I approached I realized I was looking at Arn Anderson (professional wrestler). I was a bit shocked and as I walked by him I did a double take and blurted out something stupid like "Tell me you're not Arn Anderson!?!" Of course he dead-panned the whole thing and just looked at me and said "I'm not Arn Anderson". By this point I realized it was absolutely him, but I was too awe struck to think of anything intelligent to say, so I just kept walking. Probably about as stupid as I've ever come off in public in my life. :-( The conclusion of the story though, is that he wound up in the locker room while I was still getting ready for my workout and I got a chance to chat with him for a while. We talked about the "good ole days" of Crockett Promotions / WCW and the 4 Horsemen, etc., etc. He seemed like a nice guy. I just regret forgetting to ask for an autograph. It turns out, that gym is (well, was... it's closed now) close to the arena in Raleigh where the WWE shows take place, and it used to be common-place for professional wrestlers to stop in when they were in town for shows. That just happened to be the first time I personally met any of them.

dunnevens 6y ago

Agree. David Bowie once demonstrated it to a reporter. They walked together through Manhattan. No one bothered them. Bowie then said he was going to “turn it on”. Something in his expression slightly changed. And then he was mobbed by fans.

jw1224 6y ago
Wasn’t that story about Marilyn Monroe? https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-marilyn-monroe-effect-the-nonverbal-communication-of-confidence https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-marilyn-monroe-effect-the-...
- dunnevens 6y ago
  The article I'm remembering was linked as part of an obit right after Bowie's death. I wish I could find it, but I'm apparently not coming up with the right phrase for Google. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a common trait of celebrities. Wear a mask, literally or figuratively, on stage or camera. Take the mask off and you're just an ordinary person that no one else will notice. Bowie talked about that mask here, and how he used it to face his fears: https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/166082106996/my-friend-told-me-a-story-he-hadnt-told-anyone https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/166082106996/my-friend-t...
  - SuoDuanDao 6y ago
    What a beautiful story. Bowie's invisible mask reminds me of the 'glamour' that fey creatures were imagined to have in the old stories. Puts the term 'glam rock' into new perspective for sure...
  - joshstrange 6y ago
    Is this the article you remember? https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/fashion/david-bowie-invisible-new-yorker.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/fashion/david-bowie-invis...
    - dunnevens 6y ago
      Thanks! I think that is the one.
edent 6y ago
I've heard that story about Marilyn Monroe - but it has probably been ascribed to hundreds of celebs. https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/2610/No-One-Recognized-Marilyn-Monroe-In-NYC-Then-She-Says-Want-To-See-Me-Become-Her- https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/2610/No-One-Recognized-Marily...
- chokeartist 6y ago
  Yeah but to be fair.... who wouldn't be stunned by her beauty? ;)
justinator 6y ago
Honestly this just sort of sounds like Manhattan. The east coast vibe is certainly more of a “get out of my way” mentality.
- dunnevens 6y ago
  You're probably right. If I'm remembering the article correctly, he would just put a bland hard face on. Wear boring & ordinary clothing. No one would pay him any attention.
- greggturkington 6y ago
  in NYC or LA it's relatively common to see famous people but poor etiquette to approach them (but do please get out of the way)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
sjwright 6y ago
I’m sure when Bowie acted like the famous person, it subconsciously cued other people to treat him like a famous person. Act like a private person and most people will treat you like one. I’m not saying that this is a universal constant, or even the dominant explanation for what Bowie demonstrated, but there’s definitely something to it. My local neighbourhood has its fair share of nationally known famous faces. I’ve never once seen any of them treated like a celebrity because they don’t act like one.

0xdeadbeefbabe 6y ago

Really undermines the title "hips don't lie"

spoonjim 6y ago
LOL. The way she moves her butt is so distinctive that if she just walks like a normal person that’s a disguise of sorts.
- vmception 6y ago
  I recognize alot of people by how they walk, from behind I could see that being a disguise
  - oarsinsync 6y ago
    Gait recognition is a thing, in humans and in ML. Shame we're seeing places explicitly banning facial recognition rather than biometric recognition.
    - core-questions 6y ago
      Facial recognition is being banned for law enforcement use not because it doesn't work, or is ineffective, or is undesirable, but because it reveals politically uncomfortable truths about who commits crime that existing crime stats were already pointing out in a less visceral way.
      - oarsinsync 6y ago
        That's a pretty damning statement to make. Can you provide some citations to back that view up?
        orestarod 6y ago
        Without links ready, and not being the OP, I have seen many articles saying that "this ML recognition/analysis system has racial bias because the targets it finds are more {insert trait} than average." It struck me how such an unscientific thing made it to so many articles. It's a symptom of a cause that a specific group has greater representation in something, e.g. crime. You can't call factual observations, racist. You should rather find the root cause and solve it.

radicaldreamer 6y ago

A lot of it is context as well… you see this in videos of world class violinists busking in the NY subway and everyone just goes along on their way and doesn’t stop for a minute to listen. Celebrities on campus is likely also a much more normal thing at UCLA, USC and in LA in general.

sumedh 6y ago
Do average people really know any famous violinists?

EricE 6y ago

I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. On more than on occasion I've passed someone and went "Was that.... naw, couldn't be" then found out later that yes, it really was that person. The corollary to the S.E.P. field in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (SEP - Somebody Else's Problem Field - loved the concept for the ultimate invisibility cloak)

flycaliguy 6y ago
I’ll never forget learning that Sinead O'Connor had been recording in my hometown. Must have walked by her a dozen times and although I felt a “vibe” off her, I never pieced it together.
- intrasight 6y ago
  Peter Gabriel chilled out in Rochester NY (my home town) for a while. In an interview he mentioned that it was nice to be anonymous. Not sure what that says about my home town that nobody recognized him ;)
cgriswald 6y ago
> I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. Even if you somewhat it, you don't really expect it. One early morning at tourist area (where I'd already seen a few celebrities), my friend and I are playing Daytona USA and this sunglass-wearing dude comes down and sits next to us to play. He looks vaguely familiar, but I guessed I had just seen him there before — there were a lot of regulars at this arcade. I'm bragging, but not exaggerating, when I say we were world-competitive at this game. This guy was good, but we destroyed him. After the race, the guy got up, smiled at both of us, said nothing, and left. My friend and I talked a bit about the race — a sort of post-race analysis we often did to see if there was anything new we could learn — and during that process it sort of dawned on us that we had just played against a NASCAR driver.
mindcrime 6y ago
I think a bit of that is you don't expect to see someone famous just walking down the street. This reminds me of a celebrity encounter I had once. I walked into a Gold's Gym in Raleigh, and saw a guy doing triceps press-downs on the machine right by the path to the locker room. I had to walk past to get to the locker room and as I approached I realized I was looking at Arn Anderson (professional wrestler). I was a bit shocked and as I walked by him I did a double take and blurted out something stupid like "Tell me you're not Arn Anderson!?!" Of course he dead-panned the whole thing and just looked at me and said "I'm not Arn Anderson". By this point I realized it was absolutely him, but I was too awe struck to think of anything intelligent to say, so I just kept walking. Probably about as stupid as I've ever come off in public in my life. :-( The conclusion of the story though, is that he wound up in the locker room while I was still getting ready for my workout and I got a chance to chat with him for a while. We talked about the "good ole days" of Crockett Promotions / WCW and the 4 Horsemen, etc., etc. He seemed like a nice guy. I just regret forgetting to ask for an autograph. It turns out, that gym is (well, was... it's closed now) close to the arena in Raleigh where the WWE shows take place, and it used to be common-place for professional wrestlers to stop in when they were in town for shows. That just happened to be the first time I personally met any of them.