Why do English people look German?

[sarahlayton06]

Why do some white English people (especially women not so much men) look so extremely German? Not French or Italian or Spanish but German.

This is not so much the case with Welsh or Irish or Scottish people.

For example, don’t you think Samantha Womack (who plays Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders) looks extremely German?

Because the country is a melting pot of different cultures who've invaded or otherwise settled over many centuries.

I'm very fair, blue-grey eyes. Often assumed to be either German or Scandinavian descent.

DH has dark eyes, strong features, "Roman" nose, tans very easily in summer.

Both our families are British as far back as we know, but earlier than that, who knows.

Yeah but not really. Much more recent germanic invasions - Angles & Saxons, Jutes being the main influence with remnants today.

My point is:

A poster on here said that she can always tell when a person is irish.

I said how can she tell, when a lot of irish people are mixed nationalities these days.

Wow, isn’t it strange that it’s just a very slight difference in each face but seemingly very accurate. It is fascinating.

😀

I spend a week in Germany once a year. The people are a mixture, like they are here. Lots of immigrants from all over, lots of Germans who fit the Anglo-Saxon look. Lots of Germans with dark hair etc. I look reasonably Anglo-Saxon-ish and I speak very good German. I think a lot of what marks you out as a local is manner though, and what you're wearing or carrying (brands, styles). I've never been asked if I'm German in Germany even though I speak the language.

Of course there are more similarities between North Europeans ( English and German) then between North and South Europeans ( English and Spanish) but still English people don’t look exactly like Germans.

Want to know what ‘extremely German’ might look like. 😂

Usually people from the same race can tell other people of the same a lot more easily. My dad can tell if someone is an Afghan, the Ukrainian refugee we host can tell if someone is Ukrainian or Russian just from a glance. I am mixed race (4 different countries) but if I meet someone they can identify one of the countries if they share one with me, but they ask about the others.

I've noticed I can tell mixed race people a lot more easily than my white friends can (any mix of races). For example I made a joke about not kidnapping a ninja because they'll easily get away while we were watching a Netflix series, and all of them were completely confused because they thought the person I was talking about was white. I was all, no, she's very obviously Chinese and they didn't believe me, so we had to google it and they were shocked. No idea who she was before googling her but she was very obviously not western looking to me. I would say the only person who's caught me out is Steve Jobs because I did think he was a white American rather than mixed race. Once you think to look his nose is the biggest clue.

The English are such a mix that one English person can look completely different to the next. I certainly don't look German, I look Celtic.
My DNA results were 37% English. The rest was Irish and Scottish which I expected (grandparents)
Then Germanic and Norwegian - assuming from Anglo Saxons and Vikings.

I look German. German people ask me things in Germany and I just stare blankly back at them.

As someone with German grandparents, I can say that I can always tell when someone is German or part German. We've been abroad (my mum and I) and had people approach us speaking German to us. They seem to just 'know'.

It’s not as obvious this time of year, but in the summer you can see the tribal lineages. The Angles and Saxons get golden tans while the Celts blister, burn and get speckled.

This is a bizarre thread, English women don’t look all the same for one thing. Samantha Janus is one English woman.

Also if you have a very quick look at British history it’s not hard to understand why our genepool may be slightly different to the other countries around us.

@Moonfasa100 I can tell when someone is Irish too. It's the eyes.

Some do. My uncle is very tall and blond, very scandi looking. OTOH in London my nan and aunts would often be mistaken for Jewish or Greek. Not everyone has the obvious big Irish head look to them.

Not if you are 'Black Irish'

My point was- are you just talking about fully irish people?

What if she is half irish?

My friend has an Irish mother and a Portuguese dad. She is born in Ireland. She looks very Portuguese.

This thread made me laugh.
I'm actually half Scottish and half German but look English so not sure what you're trying to say here OP?! We're all a big old mix of a massive gene pool going back many generations. I also spent time in Germany this year and the whole German blonde thing is definitely not the norm!

I would assume your friend looks more Portuguese than Irish because of dominant alleles. Dark eyes, olive skin, dark hair etc.

But there is a typical Irish look. 9 times out of 10 if I see someone on TV for example and say 'they're Irish or have Irish ancestry' I will Google it and I'm right.

Yea I think the fully irish people have a certain type of eyes.

I'm half irish myself? and I don't look it. My mother is Irish.

No one thinks I'm Irish. They usually think I'm Polish or some other eastern European country

Photos from Victorian times to present day show my female Irish ancestors with very striking dark hair, black eyebrows, blue eyes and very pale skin. Both DDs have this Snow White look. I associate it with Irish girls.

Snap. My mum is Irish too.
So half Irish, but I do look Irish.

When I lived in France, I realized how much we sound it too! I would hear people talking in the distance, think they were speaking English but then get close enough to hear them and realize it was German. Lots of shared history.

I look like my dad I think