The mirror has little function in my life. I can shave in the dark and I don't do anything with my hair. Unless I've got a bit of grit in my eye, I am not a mirror person. I am probably at a point where I should look at my face a bit more than I do. I take it for granted and just use my face like a windshield, to protect what's going on in the mind. That's a more private and personal place, something that I am more concerned with.

I am 46 now. When I was younger, I was more interested in appearance. Like a lot of young men, I fantasised about being on stage, and I guess part of the rock-star fantasy is about striking poses and looking right. I wrote a book about it and the front cover was my National Union of Students' photograph from when I was 18. I look like Michelangelo's David with a New Romantic fringe.

Somebody once wrote they could tell straight away by looking at me that I'd listened to the Smiths in 1984 and never got over it. I think that's still relatively true. I still have a fringe. In fact, I've only ever been to one barber since I was born – the guy in the village who charges £4.50. I can't bear the idea of discussing styles – I just like to go in and hear, "Same again?" and say, "Yep."

There'll come a time when the earring will have to go. Maybe when my daughter says, "Dad, you've got to get rid of that, you look like a Rolling Stone." I don't want to end up looking like the oldest swinger in town.

• Simon Armitage's latest poetry collection, Seeing Stars, is published by Faber.