Why are most Metalheads (that I've met) unhygenic people?

[TonyVonTonyus]

I don't want to generalize. I'm a metalhead, most of my friends are metalheads and I've met a lot of fellow headbangers over the years and other than black shirts and music I've realized one connecting thing among them. Most of them are just dirty people. It's like none of us wash our hair or take showers. I consider myself quite the hygenic person. I take showers everyday, wash my hair a lot (though i haven't cut it since February) and never wear the same things twice in a row, so why is it that so many other people whom I've met that listen to metal all smell like they haven't showered in a week and have more grease and oil in their hair than in all of Alaska?

So do you know a lot of metalheads who are less than cleanly or do you have a general idea why?


Edit:Reworded the title...slightly.

 

[Fappy]

Uh... most of my metalhead friends are extremely hygienic people. I wouldn't consider any of my smelly friends to be big metal fans.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

Uh... most of my metalhead friends are extremely hygienic people. I wouldn't consider any of my smelly friends to be big metal fans.

Hence the "I don't want to generalize" but most of those I've met are EXTREMELY unhygenic.

 

[Fappy]

Uh... most of my metalhead friends are extremely hygienic people. I wouldn't consider any of my smelly friends to be big metal fans.

Hence the "I don't want to generalize" but most of those I've met are EXTREMELY unhygenic.

Maybe its just the hardcore grease monkeys. Most of my friends that are big metal fans (myself included) are pretty normal people when it comes to appearance.

 

[Giest4life]

You don't have to be a metalhead to be unhygienic. You just hang out with unhygienic people who happen to be metalheads. I'm pretty sure there is no correlation.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I thought that was a grunge stereotype. Or punk, or hard rock. Or pop, if you ignore the metaphorical aspect of "unwashed masses."

 

[Phlakes]

It's not that metalheads aren't hygenic, it's that unhygenic people are often metalheads.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Yeah, that's a pretty silly stereotype. Hell, one of my friends who's into metal showers twice a day, and keeps his hair really, really short so he can clean it easier. He's probably taking it to the other extreme.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

Yeah, that's a pretty silly stereotype. Hell, one of my friends who's into metal showers twice a day, and keeps his hair really, really short so he can clean it easier. He's probably taking it to the other extreme.

I'm not exactly there but I really wish more people were because people assume I'm also uncleanly because I listen to metal.

 

[Rin Little]

Dude I think you've just had some bad luck with the crowds you hang out with. I'm a major Metalhead and go to Rockstar Metal Mayhem every year and I've never encountered anyone that bad. I mean yeah, everyone gets sweaty from being out in the sun all day and being pressed against everyone else in the pits, but that's kind of typical

 

[burningdragoon]

"I don't want to generalize, now excuse me while I generalize" is basically what you are doing, but okay. I take a shower basically every day if you must know.

I've also never heard this from anyone before, but that doesn't mean that much I guess.

 

[AkaDad]

I'm a Metalhead and I shower everyday. Every Metalhead I know showers everyday.

Some people might think that you're intentionally trolling.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

Dude I think you've just had some bad luck with the crowds you hang out with. I'm a major Metalhead and go to Rockstar Metal Mayhem every year and I've never encountered anyone that bad. I mean yeah, everyone gets sweaty from being out in the sun all day and being pressed against everyone else in the pits, but that's kind of typical

Maybe it's because I live in Montreal, Quebec and the metalheads here may fit into the "people from Europe don't bathe" sterotype.

By the way, I went to that both days this weekend (well, we call it Heavy MTL) and it was AWESOME! and I really wish I could accurately portray how awesome it was.

 

[Zantos]

I've never had a problem with this, neither have many of my mates. I know the sort you're on about (actually with us it's usually punks and anarchists), but since we all meet people a lot through work or lectures we like to keep ourselves clean.

 

[TeeBs]

Because

Unhygienic > Loneliness > Anger > Metal. or, Over-obsession (to anything but in this case metal) > Loneliness (But finds solace in other metalheads.) > Not caring > Unhygienic.

Im not saying all Metalheads are unhygienic, i'm just pointing out what I see as a correlation, that would effect to an extent, some Metalheads, since the title metalhead implys obession for metal and one of the defenses I have heard for purietent metal nut jobs is that metal doesn't make them angry it is a way to blow off steam. Which makes sense.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

one of the defenses I have heard for purietent metal nut jobs is that metal doesn't make them angry it is a way to blow off steam. Which makes sense.

That is actually true. I always feel relaxed for a few days after a metal concert. All the aggression and hatred inside of you is wasted. Also anytime I go to band practice because singing black metal requires sometimes a small portion of anger.

 

[Ashcrexl]

how many metalheads do you know exactly? if it is 5 or less that are unhygienic, your sample size is terrible.

 

[Scrustle]

I'm a metalhead and I'd say I'm very hygienic, more than most people even. I shower every day and wash my hands thoroughly all the time and never wear dirty clothes. That said I don't care much how I look, I wear really old clothes and don't really see why I should get new stuff. Or at least not as much as people say I should.

I have many friends who are metalheads, some hygienic and some not. I think that this attitude of not really caring about appearances is something common among metalheads, which leads to the old clothes thing like I have, and also I've noticed a lot of metalheads don't know how to look after their hair, so it can get quite greasy and horrid. Those things together may lead to an appearance of being unhygienic but it isn't necessarily true. Looking messy doesn't equate to being unhygienic.

But I don't think this thing is just limited to metalheads, it's not just their thing. It's more to do with not caring about how others see you. If you believe that you believe that you don't need a wash or clean clothes, and you don't care what others say then you're less likely to wash. I don't think it has anything to do with music taste, it's to do with how much you value how others see you.