I always say:
If you care what other people say about you, You live their life, not your life.

Read this excellent post By @jaynie, This is a quote from the post:
"I don’t think we should ever be afraid to express “who we are” and "what we feel" simply because of what other people might think of us or what we do. If you love someone – tell them and show them! Just do whatever your heart tells you to do! And screw the rest of it!"