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Tall, dark and handsome

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"Tall, dark, and handsome" is a phrase that refers to an appealing man. It originates from cheap romantic fiction produced in the early 1900s.[1][2]

Rudolph Valentino in 1919. Valentino was a popular target of the term in early American film press.

History and interpretation

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According to British lexicographer Eric Partridge, the phrase "tall, dark and handsome" originates from cheap fiction novels produced in the early 20th century.[1] The term was commonly used in Hollywood during the 1920s to describe Rudolph Valentino.[3] As an idiom it is both lexically and sequentially fixed.[4] Alan Axelrod writes that "tall, dark and handsome" is often assumed as a compliment, but notes that Eric Partridge wrote that it is actually a mild insult, given the term originates from cheap and cheesy novels from the 1910s; making it an ironic phrase.[5][1]

Studies

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David Puts is an associate professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University who has studied the evolutionary bases of human sexuality. In 2017 he was asked if "tall, dark and handsome" is universally attractive in the human experience and he stated that not enough cross-cultural work had been conducted to be very confident in the concept's scientific validity.[6]

In 2023, Doxsie wrote that "tall dark and handsome" is essentially a myth, and that the only attribute that is consistently desired is handsomeness.[7] In India, 'darkness' is essentially erased from the phase, as only tall, light and handsome men are considered attractive.[8] According to Fluehr-Lobban, the phrase really emphasizes height, because a "short, dark and handsome" man would not be considered appealing.[9]

Examples

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David Gandy has been often called tall, dark and handsome by media such as Vogue and GQ.[10][11][12][13]
 
Ranveer Singh, a Bollywood actor, has been called tall, dark and handsome in the media.[14]

In the 2010s, Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh, Randeep Hooda, and Arjun Kapoor were described by the phrase in the Indian media.[14]

Model David Gandy has often been called tall, dark and handsome in the media.[10][11][12] The New Zealand Herald described further that "At 191cm, he's taller than most models and up close - with his dark, almost black hair and bronzed olive complexion - he's like a live version of Michelangelo's Statue of David."[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Partridge, E.; Beale, P. (1992). A Dictionary of Catch Phrases, American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day. G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Scarborough House. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-8128-8536-1. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  2. ^ Nigel Rees; Mark My Words: Great Quotations and the Stories Behind Them - page: 564
  3. ^ L. F. Shitova ; 350 Idioms with Their Origin, or The Idiomatic Cake You Can Eat and Have It Too - page: 130
  4. ^ Chitra Fernando; Idioms and Idiomaticity - page: 30
  5. ^ Axelrod, A. (2011). The Cheaper the Crook, the Gaudier the Patter: Forgotten Hipster Lines, Tough Guy Talk, and Jive Gems. Skyhorse. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-1-62873-017-3. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  6. ^ Sloat, Sarah (November 20, 2017). "The Science of 'Tall, Dark, and Handsome' Is Extremely Complicated". Inverse. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Doxsie, D. (2023). "How Tall Are You?": The Pros and Cons of Exceptional Height. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4766-4950-4. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  8. ^ Varman, Rohit; Belk, Russell W; Sreekumar, Hari (23 September 2023). "Post-Colonial Consumer Respect and the Framing of Neocolonial Consumption in Advertising". Journal of Consumer Research. 51 (2): 362–382. doi:10.1093/jcr/ucad063.
  9. ^ Fluehr-Lobban, C. (2018). Race and Racism: An Introduction. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-4422-7460-0. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  10. ^ a b Rippon, Remy (19 October 2015). "David Gandy on what it's really like to be one of the world's biggest male supermodels". Vogue. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b Russell, Chrissie (10 November 2010). "Why women think that David Gandy is the sexiest man alive". The Independent.
  12. ^ a b Fetters, K. Aleisha (29 April 2015). "The 20 Hottest Male Models on Instagram Right Now". GQ. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b Glenn, Andrew (15 October 2013). "Face To Face With David Gandy". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Ranveer Singh, Randeep Hooda, Arjun Kapoor: Actors who define tall, dark and handsome". The Indian Express. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.

Further reading

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