Always had long hair but no tattoos, beard, piercings. I've listened to a lot of musical genres but now rarely I go outside metal and I play metal nearly always in my car. Usually wear band shirts but never liked the skulls and gore type and I choose carefully the minimal design shirts and mostly grey shirt or military green. I still go to the concerts and festivals, since I like it being there with my friends, the ones that still wear band shirts daily.
One strange thing is that I barely hear thrash metal anymore, let alone heavy or power. When I was in my 20s it was different, but now a days the myriad varieties of black, death and doom genres are enough.

I think this really highlights the difference between stereotypes and reality.

When I think of the stereotypical metal look - leather, denim, band shirts, patches, long hair - that's still alive and well today. But most people don't dress like that and live that lifestyle all the time, not even the bands. It's an idealized aesthetic, but it is hard to maintain that image due to time, cost, and of course needing to live your life in spaces that might not always be accepting of that presentation.

As far as the stereotypical jock vs. nerd thing, I think that is probably highly genre dependent. There's some styles of metal that attract the rowdy young adults and drunks who just want to mosh and break stuff, and there's some that appeal to people who are more interested in the technicality of the music, or the fantasy and imagery it paints.

I wouldn't say I was that much of a stereotypical metalhead apart from a preference for wearing band shirts and black jeans/shirts in general. I've gone through phases of having long hair (grown it back out again in the last few years) and that does help identify me as more of a heavy music fan at times (it's good for headbanging).

The more overt aspects of metal fashion/aesthetic, though, I've always found that it feels like I'm putting on an act if I try and dress that way. I like patches and painting band logos etc. on say an old army shirt or jacket, but the traditional denim patch vest just seems a bit obvious and isn't my thing, really. Ditto with leather jackets, boots etc.

As for attitudes, I did have the usual thing in my teenage years of being insecure about my music tastes to the point of looking down on other genres (not all of them) from time to time, but in all honesty I consider myself just a rock music/heavy music fan. Sure, my favourite band is Sabbath, I listen to a lot of metal, but there's so much other stuff, 70s prog, classic rock, folk, classical, some hip hop and jazz, etc. It's all music at the end of the day, tastes are wide and evolve. I'll always keep listening to heavy music in some way, though.

I do still have an issue with some of the more macho elements of the scene - mainly thinking about the Pantera related stereotypes here. Thing is, Pantera were a pretty varied band who could be quite subtle musically and lyrically, it's just that the meathead aspect of their sound seems to have been the one that dozens of groups have tried to copy, leading to a plethora of dull bands and albums.

Probably? I usually wear black jeans, boots and black flannel shirts. I also have a long beard casually wear band shirts. I guess since I try to blend with my working environment I'm more of a metalhead in a grunge/hip disguise.

I guess I'm a variation of this one minus the tattoos and the booze.

Today at 31, probably less so than say 5-10 years ago. Buuuuut I still probably fit the stereotype. I still have long hair and usually wear band shirts and a biker jacket in my free time. I also probably drink too much, I mainly watch horror movies and I still collect physical media. I go to shows every once in a while, and I play in a band. I have a few tattoos. But I don't exclusively listen to metal.

I didn't really get in to metal until my late 30s.I am 51 now.
I have not been to a concert since February 2020 when my brother and saw Midge Ure.
Most artists I like almost always skip Kansas City when they tour,so I seldom go to shows.
Still trying to decide where I want to drive/fly to catch Helloween with Hammerfall ,next year.
Prog is my favorite genre and obviously I enjoy metal,but for some reason or other I am not that crazy about prog metal.

As for stereotypes,i doubt that I fit.
I am Christian.I am Republican.Never been a smoker,never been a drinker.Never had long hair.No tats.
Are there any others here that are big fans of Dead or Alive,Erasure and Pet Shop Boys?

Yes I guess. Long hair, facial hair (goatee/mustache), combat boots, jeans, band shirts, leather jacket, patch vest, tattoo. No piercings, not my thing, but tattoos, yes.

I go to shows I want to (seeing Skeletal Reamains tomorrow night), buy vinyl and all that sweet metalhead stuff. Been like this for 30 years.

Maybe not a "big" fan, but fan of LOTS of 80s new wave/synthie/power pop bands. I sing karaoke-versions of this stuff in bars and I LOVE IT.

Me?

I had the long metal hair, leather jacket, piercings, etc. through high school and played in a metal band in college. I cut my hair in 1997 right around my 23rd birthday.

No turning back for this guy. At concerts, I see these guys in their 40's and 50's still with the long hair (now greying and thinning) and metal vests, and they look silly. Seems nobody told them they can get much hotter broads if they'd cut their hair and clean up.

Now.

I'm a professional. I'm a suburban dad. I wear suits. I look sharp. A proper presentation is important.

But.

Although I enjoy a wide range of music, I go to a disproportionately large number of metal shows.

Why?

Because they're aggro, and I like to flex my baller guns. Here in San Diego, the full ruckus is welcome at the Brick x Brick and down in the GA pit in Chula Vista.

I like the ruckus, I do. I'll launch smaller men right through the walls of the Brick. Sometimes, I flang them over the bar. I don't care. I do the ruckus my way.

I place several types of music at my center, and each has a uniform, a fashion sense, a lifestyle, etc. I appreciate the uniforms and fashion sense quite a lot, but through a quick bit of exploration when I was younger, I realized none of it was actually me. Even when I was by myself, I wasn't comfortable and felt like an imposter...a poseur. I don't like tattoos. I don't like band shirts. I've shaved my head every couple months since I was young. I can't be arsed with hair or with paying someone to cut it. Has zero to do with balding. I don't even look like someone who likes any music. I'm an audio snob and will never understand why playback isn't more of a priority for anyone who likes any music. I don't wear my love for music and sound on the outside.

Yes:
-Play drums
-Long hair/beard
-Lift
-Into obscure metaphysical shit
-Horror/Lovecraft fanatic
-Go to concerts, mosh

No:
-Band shirts/merch
-Drugs/alcohol (anymore)
-Tattoos

I have standard long hair which I dye red. I wear normal clothes or meme / geek shirts. I used to work as a volunteer for the disabled before I got ill. I watch reality TV and documentaries.
I am closer to the typical middle-aged dad that watches History TV and drives the kids around than any form of metalhead, but at my age and figure, metal clothes really don't suit or fit me. I'm past the days of having to advertise it.

I never had long hair and I enjoy Black and goth metal. But I enjoy a lot more of Industrial, New, Dark, and Synth Wave, Punk and post punk bands. I wear band shirts once in awhile but I usually wear collar shirts and khakis nowadays, when I do go to shows, I dress down in metal shirts and wear my converse shoes.

I had long hair during my teen years and had a band shirt for every day of the week in High School. I never smoked weed though. Sometimes people think Metalheads listen only to Metal. I didn't. I liked various Rock styles and Classical.

Went to NYU, got a degree in finance/Econ, work for a hedge fund, dress Wall Street/corporate, hair is short (though I did grow my hair out freshman year of Uni), got left ear pierced when I was 14 (though long since closed), and no tattoos.

But still go to every show. Anticipate every new release. 99% of what I listen to is metal.

Does that make me stereotypical? I don’t know. Don’t care. All I know is that I love it.

No, love metal but certainly don't feel like my identity is as a metalhead.

For

• Metal is a good 95% of my listening habits and I'm excited by it
• Had long hair through my 20s although due to the unruly, curly nature of it was always in a ponytail making me look like a nerd
• In my youth I was somewhat attracted to the tough image but never really chased it
• Used to be fairly elitist against other genres, especially pop and rap

Against

• Christian, believe in love, mercy and forgiveness, never lived a metal lifestyle or felt the need to rebel against mainstream society in an aggressive way
• No tattoos, piercings, leather, studs or black clothes, barely drink and no smoking or drugs
• Have zero friends in regular acquaintance that listen to metal
• Rarely go to gigs (for most extreme bands I find the listening experience subpar)

I want to party with you.

I would say these days I'm totally not at all the stereotypical metal head but I used to be much more of one.

In my teens and 20s:

Wore all black all the time
Band shirts
Leather jacket
Steel-toed combat boots or Doc Martins
Chain wallet, chain type bracelets and belts, etc.
Grew goatee as long as possible
Read constantly about the occult and satanism and even considered myself a Laveyan Satanist for a while (not anymore really)
played some guitar for several years, even a little bit in a metal band (we only played one show) but I lost motivation to practice
Went to as many shows as I could


Now:

Other than having gauges and earrings, you wouldn't be able to tell from how I dress that I'm a metalhead. I could give a shit about clothes and I don't even like thinking about what to wear regardless of where I'm going. I feel like clothes are unimportant and just an extra thing to think about.

I tried to grow my hair long as a teenager, but it just grew up and up into a curly-jew fro so I just cut my hair short and then let it grow a bit. I have a goatee and some facial hair.


But LISTENING-WISE: I'm 100% a metalhead. I mean sure, I like other stuff, particularly different types of punk, psych rock, prog rock, some kraut rock, 60s-70s proto-metal, some 80s goth rock, some industrial, some funk, a tiny bit of horrorcore and ragecore type rap stuff and anything else that sounds good I'll listen to, but really 90% or more of the time I'm listening to metal.

I collect cds and vinyl, have probably over 3,000 cds and about 80 records.

Basically, I felt that my younger years were when I felt like advertising it. Now I just don't care anymore. It's my listening habits and love of metal that make me a metalhead, but most people wouldn't even know that's my personal taste from looking at me, unless maybe my ear-gauges give it away.

But I do also have some metal-adjacent interests like: horror movies and thrillers, true crime and fascination with serial killers, love gothic novels and horror novels, like good beer and weed, etc.

I never got around to getting any tattoos but I probably will get one or two at some point if I had to guess.

I'm not 100% metalhead. I can play some Necrophagist, The Smiths, Tina Turner, Deadmau5, Gorillaz, and Avril Lavigne in one playlist without feeling "guilty".

I was born listening to Rock, Pop, Latin music, etc... and then I discovered Metal.

I used to wear band shirts, but as I get older, I wear something casual. I rarely wear band shirts.

I stop buying band shirts since 2016. I was never a fan of accessories like leather clothes, rings, necklaces, boots, etc. I don't even like wearing jewelry or a watch.

I don't like tattoos. I don't smoke, and the last time I had a beer was around 2018, so I'm not a drinker anyway.

Overall, I don't fit the stereotypical metalhead.

Yes:
Long hair, although I am sometimes tempted to cut it the hell off.
Black shirts, cargo pants, and dark boots.
Obsessive CD collecting.
Obsessive band shirt buying.
95% of what I listen to is death, thrash, doom, or black metal.
Stoic atheist, and enthusiast of science, logic, and the like.

No:
Im not at all a “tough guy”, or jock, although I think that is mostly a stereotype projected by non-metal heads nowadays.
I don’t at all have a hostile attitude towards other genres of music or non-metalheads.
I believe that Satanism is just as cringy as Christianity.
I have an overall positive outlook on life, love, socializing, and most other parts of the contemporary human experience. In other words, not at all a nihilist or misanthrope.
I don’t go to shows.
I don’t limit my social circle to metalheads, and in fact, I don’t know a single other metalhead.
I don’t believe in many forms of the supernatural.


Jeez, I feel like half of those aren’t even real stereotypes. Oh well, I was bored. Give me a break.

YES:
-Listens to metal.
NO:
-Friends dislike metal, prefer Taylor Swift.

YES:
-Shaved head. (By necessity, balding.)
NO:
-No beard. No tattoos. Plain, inoffensive clothing.

YES:
-Owns Pure Holocaust on CD.
NO:
-It was a Christmas gift. From the cat.

I don’t worry about labels.

Well I do have long hair and a beard and tattoos and wear band shirts more often than not, but that's mostly because I like it as a style these days. I listen to and enjoy most genres of music and metal is just one of them. I happen to blend in better at metal shows than at hiphop shows but I go to both and enjoy them equally.

I also can't headbang to save my life, it gives me a headache.

Do stereotypical metalheads actively listen to Stevie Wonder and Waylon Jennings? If so that's me.

Some metalheads listen to Prince and stuff, so yeah I guess it’s entirely possible.

Metalheads generally love great lead playing, and Prince is a solid (if overrated) lead guitar player.

My daughter told me I should grow a beard a year ago because she thought it would look funny, and it's been going ever since, so I probably look more metal pushing 40 than I ever did as a kid.

I was in the military and always liked the aesthetic. Kept my hair short. I'll never have a tattoo or piercing. I stay fit but have never been ripped. I wore band t-shirts when I was younger as a conversation starter, but it would be rare to catch me out of a plaid shirt, jeans, and green jacket today. I probably look like a bit of a redneck?

But yeah I think I'm a pretty stereotypical metalhead at heart. I went to a GWAR show a few months ago after not seeing a band live for three years. I figured I'd sip a beer from the back row and reminisce. I chucked myself into the middle of the pit by the second track and stayed in through the encore. I majored in philosophy and still engage people in hours-long conversations about obscure topics routinely. All of my friends know me as the metal guy. I just spent three days stringing my house with radioactive levels of Christmas light. I have an incessant urge to take everything to 11 that has maybe tempered with age but not on par with other people my age. I think it's reflected in what I listen to.

Such a stereotypical thing for a metalhead to say. Welcome to the collective!

Damn they got me with their legal mumbo jumbo!

Yes:
-Listen to metal (duuh)
-Collect metal albums
-Beard
-Fantasy fan (Conan, Dragonlance stuff)
-Tattoo - only 1 so far
-Pierced ears

No:
-listen to non-metal genres
-Band shirts/merch (none in my fatass size)
-Drugs/alcohol
-Long hair (Been more or less shaved since I was 5 in '99)
-No instrument (Might pick up guitar again)
-No concerts (Not a fan of being around a lot of people, introvert life)

Actively listen to Stevie Wonder, absolutely! Grew up being force fed that stuff, ha! Music of My Mind to Songs In The Key of Life is a great run of albums.

Waylon Jennings is more metal then any metal bands combined.

yesterday I wore a Grateful Dead longsleeve under my Altars of Madness hoodie.

Pretty sure i'm the only one here who could do that haha

Yes, but not because of the band combination. A longsleeve under a hoodie?!

CreepingDeath16, you're missing out. This is the key to warmth and coziness.

I try to avoid warmth and coziness, whenever possible.

Key to sweat and sogginess, more like.

I'm an overweight, long-haired loser who's angry at the world, so yes I'd say. Though like you I don't have any tattoos, don't go to concerts and am clean-shaven.

Well, first of all, when I got into the metal in the eighties I always found that certain 'sterotypes' about metalfans were also for a large part creations from the 'outside'. However there obviously always were 'dresscodes' without them being an actual code. You just picked from it what fitted you, was our motto (circle of friends) and mix it with other stuff. I remember, there was this one guy in highschool, who had longer hair, always wore a denim jacket but it was filled with Marillion patches only and he hated metal.

I had my jeans, bandshirt and denim jacket phase in the late eighties, with a few patches and a lot of buttons on it. Drawing bandlogos on your backpack. You get the idea. But I also loved the dirty look from the UK crustscene, the fact that young Agathocles often wore white shirts on stage, and even colourful Bermuda-era Anthrax, because those really gave them their own identity. I've always hated being anywhere with all people looking the same. To me metal has always been about identity and certainly individuality. Us metalheads had ways of recognising eachother, right. It could even be a single button on a backpack, or minimalistic headbanging with your walkman on. What was the sterotype? Was it some kind of Eddie Weinbauer? What a new generation would see in the 'ticks-all-eighties-stereotype-boxes' Eddie Munson character? Well, a lot of us were freaks, geeks and outcasts but that goes for the eighties mostly. Honestly in the nineties (and where I lived) the geek and outcast 'types' would hang out more in the alternative scene, we called them 'altos', listening to Pearl Jam and anything released on the Sub Pop record label. That slowly started changing when Life of Agony released 'River Runs Red' and Type-O released 'Bloody Kisses'. So, somewhere '93 I guess when a lot of (popular at the time) metal got the "altos" attention as it became more 'introvert-friendly' for that new generation as well.

And with each arriving new generation, the continuously adding of subgenres, subcultures and diversity of types based on taste, age and obviously also the geographical element (Because it's logical that for German metalheads in the eighties the world was quite different to that of a teens from Los Angeles. I still love watching that "Thrash, Altenessen" documentary from 1989), the amount of sterotypes has equally grown.

Right now in 2022? There are so many subcultures in metal it hurts my brain on one side and fascinates me on the other. Plenty I have zero affinity with though and I try to avoid any association.

I can't say I 'look' like a stereotype all the time. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I go to a black metal band dressed in the brightest colours I have but wearing an old battlejacket to a pop concert. Whatever I feel like. I only dress for myself, not others, to be honest.



Damn, I am still laughing about this. Personally I don't like bald men, at all. But most can't help it.
I do agree a lot of the beards feel like 'compensating' though. Not only for baldness but possibly a double chin as well.
Sorry if I offended anyone but I am just laughing too hard right now to keep my mouth shut.

I am not ashamed to admit that this is spot on in my case. So no offense taken, haha. I did start to grow my beard out longer when I still had my hair, but it was when the baldness started to become noticeable, that I decided to let it grow as long as possible.