You know the old adage "Tall, dark and handsome", as it pertains to women being attracted to men. What does the "dark" mean and do you agree with it?

Question

A quick websearch says "dark" as in dark hair, black or brown hair and dark eyes. And an often tanned or olive complexion.

Do you agree with this? I know some women prefer Latino or Mediterranean skin tones. But it's not like every woman is dating them. So do you agree with the "dark" in Tall, dark and handsome?

When I was younger I liked women with blue eyes. Now I view things like eyes and hair color as window dressing. If I like her I'm going to like her eyes and hair color whatever color they are. I think this is true of MOST people.

What do you think?

RavVid · Accepted Answer

Dark could be hair or eyes or skin darkened by sun. A dark mood implies hidden emotions and could be that too.

Photos of men, of the time the phrase came into vogue, usually showed serious determined powerful faces. Men didn't smile or laugh back then - they went about life looking powerful in Edwardian times. Even women had to look serious back then.

So I think it would allude to a man who looked powerful. That is what the hero needs to be in romance novels and the phrase seems to come from that genre.

I agree with you on hair and eye color but you know what?

Blue eyes are taking over. Britain meticulously recorded the eye color of pilots in WW2 and blue eyes were only 20%. It now seems at 50%. There does seem to be some preferential sexual access for blue eyes

capriVib · Accepted Answer

That dark, mysterious vibe with the mature masculine aesthetic is a total mood. It’s that Mediterranean look. I kind of agree that masculinity is a major turn-on for a lot of women. It’s the same way blonde, light-eyed feminine girls get nearly all the attention from men.

Jennahymen27 · Accepted Answer

I thought it meant skin color, ngl. Like Idris Elba or something.

Apulu_backagain · Accepted Answer

I used to think dark meant brown or black or tanned.

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

Dark as in mysterious and brooding; it’s part of the bad boy fantasy common among the vast majority of women.

OlderAndWiser · Answer

I believe it refers to a tanned complexion, like George Hamilton.

MikeMcMansion · Answer

Dark means “healthy complexion, white people who are too pale can signal illness, also as its a saying from white US, women are attracted to mystery-and exotic men (darker signaling different ethnicity).

However, women fetishize and/or fall for psychopaths at alarming rates. Its sad and hilarious at the same time. I hate psychopaths, most men do. They never fight fair and have no honor, they are usually cowards and backstabbers. Women are easily trucked into believing they are alpha males and capable of protecting and providing for them. If they are a functional sociopath or psychopath it can often be the case, at least for providing.

Jersey2 · Answer

Dark hair as that was in at the time of the saying which goes back to 1827 but was mostly popular in the 1910s in pulp books and then in the 1920s movies such as Rudolf Valentino.

From Grok AI: “Classic Hollywood "dark" types: young Sean Connery, young Antonio Banderas, young Cary Grant (in some roles), young Marlon Brando, young Javier Bardem, a young Italian or Latin American leading man, etc.”

JSmuve · Answer

You mean it doesn't mean BBC? Nahh, say it ain't so.

I think it's true women like dark hair/facial hair on men. You don't normally see women swooning over redheads. Blonde guys, sure. But I think they'd generally prefer dark hair over light hair.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

That expression was always meant as dark-haired, because they are/were considered more masculine than blonde or red-haired guys.

Zack-Bann · Answer

I always assumed it meant dark hair and non-pale skin  It seems like the guys who get called tall dark and handsome typically fit that exact description

Open2Wisdom89 · Answer

Wouldn’t the dark like be referring to like slick like other words how black is when you wear black clothing?

I don’t think it’s really referring to the hair color or skin color.

But like another word the way, the man has prepared himself.

With tall being like matured and grown.

jazzy34 · Answer

Never been my type. I’ve always been attracted to white men.

Phoenix98 · Answer

It doesn't mean literally dark. When it refers to dark it's meaning someone is mysterious brooding, you know attributes like that. Not necessarily skin colour though it can mean that also ( just depends on the women you ask )

msc545 · Answer

I don't think that women are nearly as interested in blond-haired men as they are in dark-haired men. This is the inverse of men's usual interest.

funnyguy11 · Answer

I think dark means a dark-haired, confident, mysterious man ( a lot of women are drawn to mystery). Women just prefer dark hair on men. Tall, dark, and handsome is the typical romance hero.

strateguy632 · Answer

I disagree because dark means dark brown hair. Only. That is the part preferred. Only. With gray eyes or blue or brown no difference.

DextroShade · Answer

It means the Dark Triad: narcissism, sociopathy, and machiavellianism.

mrkdvsn · Answer

I would agree with the "websearch" description personally

NerdGuy89 · Answer

They mean they want a brooding asshole they can “fix” and when they can’t, they use it as an excuse to blame every man for it.

ABC1x1x · Answer

To me it means fucked up, bad vibes, probably a serial killer. Im thay and I clean up with the ladies. Im not big, handsome, or funny. When they think I could kill them they get hot.

AngryCarl2 · Answer

They say once you go black, you never go back.

queenofcardio · Answer

Yeah, I prefer dark features on men

guesswhereivebeen · Answer

It means they are burning coal

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

Usually NOT black !!!

You know the old adage "Tall, dark and handsome", as it pertains to women being attracted to men. What does the "dark" mean and do you agree with it?

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What does dark in the phrase "tall, dark and handsome" mean?

You know the old adage "Tall, dark and handsome", as it pertains to women being attracted to men. What does the "dark" mean and do you agree with it?

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What does dark in the phrase "tall, dark and handsome" mean?

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