"They discovered that - against the odds - atypical candidates like youngsters, skinny people and women can now be successful in the role of Father Christmas. 'There are pretty strong societal expectations around what Santa looks like, but we found that most anybody can be Santa if their heart desires it,' co-author Borbala Csillag said. 'When we looked at the people behind the suit, we found that the folks playing Santa are really more diverse than would be expected.'"
"Their findings revealed that Santas fall into three distinct categories, with the first being the prototypical Santas, who bear most of the traditional physical attributes. Next came the semi-prototypical Santas, who bear some of the key features, and finally non-prototypical Santas, who do not bear much resemblance at all to the famous man in the red suit. Semi-prototypical Santas, meanwhile, found ways to explain any differences in their appearance to suspicious children."
850 professional Santas were surveyed and 50 were interviewed in-depth. Atypical candidates such as youngsters, skinny people, and women can succeed as Father Christmas. Santas were categorized as prototypical (older white bearded men with round bellies living the identity year-round), semi-prototypical (bearing some key features and offering appearance explanations to children), and non-prototypical (little physical resemblance yet often feeling called to the role year-round). Examples include a skinny Santa citing a health kick and a Santa with cochlear implants describing them as a microphone to the 'head elf'.
Read at Mail Online
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