Study finds tattoos, shaved heads, goatees no longer intimidating
According to a recently published study, shaved heads, goatees, and tattoos, once worn almost exclusively by bikers, bouncers, prisoners and pirates are no longer as frightening or intimidating as they once were.
This finding comes out of the Violence Prevention Foundation, an educational organization that studies the impact of violence on American culture. The report shows that while these characteristics have historically instilled a sense of fear or dread in the populace, they have since been relegated to mere fashion accessories.
“Long gone are the days where you run into a man in a bar, who has most or all of these indicators, and expect to be robbed and pounded into a coma,” said Sheila Saunders, director of the foundation. “Now, he could very well be an accountant, or in marketing, maybe even your hair stylist.
No longer will such an individual necessarily take an aggressive stance with you either, according to the study. Now there is overwhelming evidence that he might very well shrink away to avoid any confrontation.
“It really is an astounding shift in behavior that we are really only now starting to understand,” Saunders said.
In years past, a clean bald head was often brandished by a ruffian, a gang-banger, or say, a gladiator. It comes as no surprise that the public would want to avoid such a character. In fact, the foundation had only recently updated its brochures and counseling guidelines which previously recommended staying clear of these people at all costs.
Now, explains Saunders, the fashion fad of shaving one’s head, for example, is one of the most common styles that men choose when their hair begins to thin out. “It really is the 21st century version of the comb-over,” she said with a chuckle.
What are commonly called “goatees” are actually a variation of the Van Dyke, a distinction that is brought up all the time, but one that no one seems to care about anymore.
“They were invariably worn by musketeers, in common depictions of the Devil, and popular with early 20th century magicians,” Saunders said. “We often associate this style of facial hair with alternate universe counterparts of ourselves or evil twins. . .that and eye patches for some reason.”
The research indicates that now goatees are worn by almost a third of all 30-45 year-old men as an ineffective way to draw attention from a receding hairline.
Now that these once frightening characteristics are no longer good indicators of ferocity, the Foundation instead recommends that you visually inspect to see if the man standing in front of you is wielding some sort of weapon, such as a knife or a gun.
“We now recommend you should avoid that sort of person,” Saunders warns.
