Like it or not, we're all judged, and we all judge others, based on appearance, at least before we have other ways to change our judgment such as through a conversation. It may not be important to any particular individual how well they are judged by others, but the author of the article is very correct that the general public often has a negative impression of cycle touring because of how people look. For anyone who is interested in attracting new people to the sport, this is a valid concern. On the other hand, if one takes the approach that cycle touring in the US will always be a relatively unpopular activity where only those who have some sort of "calling" (for lack of a better term) will get interested, then looks really don't matter.