Neckbeard (slang)

For the general hairstyle, see List of facial hairstyles.

"Neckbeard" is a pejorative term and stereotype for a man who exhibits characteristics such as social awkwardness, underachievement, and pretentiousness.[2] The term is derived from the neck beard style of facial hair, wearers of which may neglect social norms of facial hair care and identify with nerd, gamer, or geek subcultures.[3] The term has also been associated with anti-feminist internet users.[4]

Examples

  • Some regard Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons as a neckbeard due to his appearance, pretentiousness, and love for comic books.[3]
  • Some regard the character Plague in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as a neckbeard.[3] The titular protagonist also shares some traits associated with the stereotype.
  • In South Park's "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode, there is a neckbeard named Jenkins who spends all of his time playing the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.[3]
  • Hal Stewart from Megamind has been regarded by some as someone who fits the description of a neckbeard due to his lack of any achievement, the slovenly state of his small apartment, his video game hobby, his obsessive fixation on Roxanne Ritchi, and his angry reactions when things do not go his way.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Christian, Scott (May 8, 2014). "Confessions of the Self-Righteous Nerds Known as Neckbeards". GQ. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Wilcon, Daniel (December 10, 2016). "A Thoughtful, Critical Analysis: Am I a Neckbeard?". Study Breaks. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Rosewarne, Lauren (February 11, 2016). "How neckbeards have become a screen stereotype". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Rensin, Emmett (February 5, 2015). "The internet is full of men who hate feminism. Here's what they're like in person". Vox. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  5. ^ "Why Tighten is Not Actually a Deconstruction of Nerds and Nice Guys". YouTube. September 27, 2022.
Look up neckbeard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.