Tolerance for radical style choices are one thing but unfortunately in IT circles, it's all too common to have people that have no sense of basic hygiene at all

Tolerance for radical style choices are one thing but unfortunately in IT circles, it's all too common to have people that have no sense of basic hygiene at all. If you constantly wear dirty (maybe also worn-out?) clothing, smell like the dead and your hair's always greasy, it is bound to affect what people think of you. I don't think that there are many places where unshowered folks automatically mean good code.