When people think your punk but you're not

Problem:
I have a bad reputation in my town. I don't exactly know why, but everyone thinks I'm rough and dangerous. People point and whisper at me when I walk past, and at achool if I sit near a group of kids they run away. A lot of them yell at me.
Maybe it's because I have long-ish hair. Maybe the way I dress. Maybe because I always have a guitar on my back. Who knows?
What I'm really worried about is how to mend that reputation.
Any tips?

That's not a problem. That's my life too, and I use it to my advantage.

Yesh, same here. I have the nearly the same exact problem. Most people are afraid of me (like, a few days ago, I chased this little 6th grader around in our gym, because I told him I was going to punch him, and he was running for dear life!! xP). So I use that to my advantage.

And I ignore all the people who stare and whisper at me while pointing (). It makes things easier. Even when they talk to me, I act like I can't hear them. It's funny when they get ticked off! '^^

Thanks guys, if I think of it like that it helps^^.