Schmutz

In Steven Katz's essay, we see that appearances mark the "first impression" in his interactions. It takes his friends to tell him that he is doing something wrong, as friends should. Some of us have heard our friends say how we have "something in our teeth". Personally, I am grateful for such honesty, but I know of people who would prefer to not be told anything. I wonder why. Are they embarrassed by the truth and prefer blissful ignorance (while posing a humorous distraction)?