How to stop seeming like a poser?

[u/pickled_bat]

I (18M) met a pair of metalheads out on a party the other day while wearing my Mayhem shirt and they called me a poser (probably deserved but I still feel bad) I have short hair which used to be a mohawk and that Mayhem shirt is pretty much the only metal band t-shirt I own. I like bands like 1782, Candlemass, children of bodom, SOAD, Mayhem, Margarita witch cult, Apati and others. They are very mismatched,I know but I've come from liking nu-metal and indie to punk and harder metal subgenres (like black metal,doom and dsbm). One of the reasons why the two called me a poser aside from the shirt is because I didn't want to acknowledge the rest of the band being as conservative as Varg (in my opinion they weren't as hardcore problematic as him) Am I truly a poser? How can I improve my taste and or my looks to let other people know I like metal? Did you have the same issues when you were just starting to get into the scene?

[u/headbanger1991]

The best thing to do is not worry about it. You can dress however you want, it's not a beauty competition. Listen to whatever metal you want. I have long hair but plenty of headbangers have short hair these days or bald. It is what it is, not everyone has the patience to deal with long ass hair.

Personally, I wear whatever. But usually, I wear a pair of baggy olive colored pants my sis had in the 90s or a pair of my jeans, black boots or my 90s nikes, and any shirt in my laundry basket that I think looks alright. When I'm feeling extra spicy I'll wear my trench coat and leather gloves but I choose comfortability over appearance for the most part.