As I was responding to a fellow member here, I figured I might as well make this a separate post.
It is my feeling that guys WITH BEARDS who have long DARK hair, get more negative stereotypes their way than guys with long BLONDE hair.
To my knowledge, here is the list I came up with:
long DARK hair (w/ beard): stoner, homeless, serial killer
long BLONDE hair (w/ beard) : surfer
LOL. Yeah, I'd rather be a surfer dude.
I suppose, without a beard, we can be labeled goth, metalheads, gay, regardless of hair color.
But I suppose it kinda balances out since more women seem to favor dark haired guys? *shrugs*
So if you are a dude with long BLONDE hair, and you get a bad rap, please feel free to add to this thread.
Its not that long yet but I have gotten many comments ranging from gay to girly to even viking (don't know why cause I don't have a beard) But I do plan to grow a beard as soon as I can just because I think it looks cool so I can guarantee homeless or some other stupid comment will be added soon.
-animosity
I see your point on most of this.
However, I would like to add that blonde longhaired guys are seen more as "pretty" or "feminine". I've always envyed dark hair because it is seen more as "swarthy" and "masculine".
You won't see many blonde pirates. But the weak, pretty-boys are always cast blonde or red haired.
Banana
Well I did shave my goatee and moustache for the bank job to try and compensate long hair, so I suppose that excludes me from serial killer. Although the fact that I've finally bought myself a trench coat that I like probably raises me up a few notches on the stereotype ladder.
I got frisked twice at shop exists since i started wearing the trench coat two weeks ago :/
I got frisked twice at shop exists since i started wearing the trench coat two weeks ago :/
Oh what I would do to get frisked. Lucky man, you. LOL
here's the list i came up with in about three and a half seconds. i'm sure if i had more time i could come up with more.
men with long DARK hair (w/ beard): wrestlers, rock stars, cowboys, knights, and pirates (yum!)
men with long BLONDE hair (w/ beard) : surfers, yoga teachers, classical musicians, vikings, and hippies (more yum!)
i tend to see long hair on men in a VERY positive light.
peace,
nic
LOL
Well yeah, ofcourse I know about the positives :)
well, it confused me when you listed 'surfer' as a negative. i mean, c'mon, surfers tend to be pretty dang hot. try and name one movie where the surfer dides don't get the hot chicks. i bet you can't do it.
peace,
nic
Well, in some situations the surfers are the ones who never get anything done or are the nutty crazy ones or else the vacuumed-out head people.
Besides, it seems like the "hot" surfers are the shorthaired pretty boys who are totally arrogant and the longhaired surfers are the less "hot" ones. At least in terms of portrayal. Like those advertisements for those teen clothing stores like A&F or AE..."surfers" or at least "beach people" but with short hair.
You forgot for the darks the following: graduate students, poets, writers, and professors (well academics in general). What, you don't love my type, Nic?
Viking should be in both categories!! There are plenty of attractive dark-haired vikings throughout history.
And red hair!!!
I think you're on to something. On a basic level it seems like it comes down to a light/dark perception, typically light = good and dark = bad, in some cases. This is from a symbolic viewpoint such as in white is associated with purity and black with uncleanliness/sin from a Christian-centered perspective. Also, darker hair colors might be perceived in this way in our Western society due to the long history of marginalization and subjugation of other non-European cultures by Europeans, those other cultures typically having dark and/or curly hair. Especially now, having a dark, full beard is not the best thing to head to the airline ticket counter with.
Also, I have noticed over the years that often female characters will fall along these lines. For instance, in Dynasty, the 1980's TV soap, Alexis (Joan Collins), the bitchy thorn in everyone's side, always had dark hair. Krystal Carrington (Linda Evans) was the innocent blonde who could do no wrong. Compare that with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) on the current soap opera, Days of Our Lives. She is blond and usualy wears white; her character is the heroine-type on the show who tries to do the right thing. Her enemies and the ones who scheme against her are usually dark-haired.
But, with everything, there are exceptions. But at least in television and film, this sometimes holds true. I can think of some literary examples too, but I will not bore anyone with such pedantry. I do think though that even with a guy, that blond hair is better received long than when a darker color, though I'm not exactly sure if that's because I secretly have always wished that I again had the blond hair of my early days or that there really is that light/dark perception at work.
And the redhead is the crazy fiery one. Yay stereotypes.
The most "evil" guy I ever met had long blonde hair. Go figure!
If you can be called it, I've heard it. And guess what?....none of it bothers me at all;) Long hair is long hair. Gay, straight, happy, sad...it doesnt matter to me so long as the individual is doing exactly what they want.
I do have long blond hair and no beard. When I get the "girly" comment I just thank them for the compliment.
peace
clayton
Ah but you forgot one category....Long dark and graying with graying beards. I think we're labeled as simply "Old".
LOL
Kevin
Blondes get mistaken for women a lot more, my younger brother (6'2) gets mistaken for a chick all the time. My boyfriend (who has gorgeous jet black hair) never gets any negative stereotypes (except gay, but that for a whole lot of reasons other than the hair, the makeup for example) and goth... well he is, so... yeah