I'm in two minds about the staring thing--I know people often look away because they don't want to be impolite. For me, it'd feel worse if people stared at me, but I don't mind people looking away nearly as much. Staring feels far more threatening and judgemental, IMHO. I noticed people diverted their attention from me much quicker when I gained a lot of weight a few years ago. I don't mind it as such, because attention tends to freak me out (interacting with strangers, even more so), but when you *need* someone to notice you (like a waiter or a shop assistant, etc), it can be a pain in the arse.