Stereotyped almost more than metal music are metalheads. But as previously stated, most metalheads are just "normal" people, whatever normal is.
Not just one type of person can like metal music. Heck, I love metal...and I'm a super sheltered, religious pastor's kid, one of those unfortunate souls who without fail gets that ridiculous "You like metal??????" exclamation every time someone realizes the truth. Wearing a lot of black is probably the only way to identify me as a metalhead, but I know people who don't even do that. But as metalheads, we all get thrown into the same pool of stereotyped characteristics and expectations.
Many band members appear to be "normal" people on stage as well. When seen on the street or at the mall, they are indistinguishable from the general population. (Yes, long-haired dudes are finally coming back.)
In addition to the band members themselves, metal fans get stereotyped as well: how we act, what we wear, how we talk, what we believe - our entire way of life is decided for us. Many chose to defy this decision though; we are still unique individuals (with a great sense of humor, as seen below).
This picture shows multiple types of people, as will be found at probably all metal concerts ever. You will see both extremes: people who fit the stereotypes of black clothes, tattoos, piercings, 20,000 wristbands; and those who are the complete opposite, having none of this and being dressed in daily street clothes.
MOSHING
One of the most common activities many people love to participate in at heavy metal concerts is moshing. In a mosh pit, everyone simply throws themselves against their neighbors, fully embracing the ceaseless, adrenalizing ricocheting from one sweaty body to the next. Many people look down on mosh pits and view them as being dangerous and stupid, which they may be in some cases, but there is a method to the madness. First and foremost, moshing is one of metal's unique forms of dancing: you ballroom dance to classical, twerk to rap/pop, and mosh to metal.
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Mosh pits tend to be viewed as death traps by many people from their occasional occurrences of injury or even death. However, not all pits are like this. In most cases, moshing is a friendly encounter - people will protect you. (You do still have to be careful and use your judgement of which scenarios are safe enough to enter into. My idea of moshing barefoot as a 5 foot 6 inch girl probably wasn't the smartest. But hey, I'm alive, and still have all ten toes.)
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For those who are skeptical about what could possibly make one desire to mercilessly slam their bodies into others' over and over, I will simply say this: When you enter a mosh pit, you automatically enter a family. Everyone is as one, and no one person is judged or singled out - you physically can't. Flying back and forth between bodies, you become much like a gas molecule, and the world disappears from the first person you hit till the moment you fall out of the ring, laughing and 100% hyped, ready to go back in. The act of moshing in a way even makes you "high". The adrenaline and energy created by this acting as a gas molecule bouncing back and forth somehow alters the chemicals in your brain, putting you on a "high" that can't feel and quite frankly can't think. The physics of this are partially explained and proven in the link below:
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