Are these historical records about Jesus' appearance accurate?

Various cultures throughout the world tend to depict Jesus and looking like people in their culture. This is seen in art from Africa and South America with Jesus seen looking like the people native to those regions.

The Bible and other historical records hold Jesus to be Jewish, so it is likely that he looked similar to other Jews if his day.

These sorts of records are dubious to say the least.

For the first case Josephus would never have claimed Jesus to be the Messiah, as he seems to have here:

Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.( Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: Complete and unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson.)

In fact Josephus seems to deliberately not refer to Jesus at all accept in a very minimalistic way. I can’t remember but I think only 2-3 times does Josephus refer at all to Jesus or events at that time. This would be more believable and understandable as Josephus was a historian that was opposed to Christianity. Jesus would have been a black eye to his valued history and pride of his treasured nation, which he himself fought as a soldier to defend. It is therefore nearly unanimously understood by Christians that Josephus’s text was exaggerated or otherwise corrupted by a monk/scribe or who have you.

Many think there was an original smaller reference by Josephus, but trying to decipher what it may have been is impossible. One good theory is found in a tenth-century Arabic copy but even this seems (to me) to have words that are too kind for what Josephus would have thought about Jesus:

At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. Many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.( Geisler, N. L. (1999). Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics. Baker Reference Library (254). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. )

The other quotes that make Jesus seem like a European with ‘blue eyes’ and ‘blonde hair’ is clearly corruptions and falsifications of historical documents. Whether they are entire fabrications or just corruptions of earlier records are somewhat beside the point. It is simple outrageous nonsense. The Bible says that there was nothing about Jesus that attracted men to him. If he was walking around like a European runway model it would fly right against the few biblical descriptions of his appearance. Not only so but it would have attracted so many comments about such strange look for a Jew. Our only expectation of his physical appearance is that he looked like an ordinary Jew. That means he would have most likely had olive skin and dark hair.

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Is 53:2–3).

If there are a few Jews that have blonde hair and blue eyes then I suppose it is a possibility but very doubtful. Also his hair was probably short. He was not a hippie like many movies make him out to be. It was considered shameful for men to have long hair by Jews in biblical times unless under a Nazarene vow like Samson, which Jesus was not under.