Blonde stereotype

Blonde-hair is often seen as the mark of certain character traits

The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over the history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable. On the other hand, a blonde woman is often perceived as making little use of intelligence, as a "woman who relied on her looks rather than on intelligence." The latter stereotype of "dumb blonde" is exploited in blonde jokes.

Background and typology

Grace Kelly, an ice-cold blonde, in To Catch a Thief

Blonde hair has been considered attractive for long periods of time in various European cultures, particularly when coupled with blue eyes. This perception is exploited in culture and advertising.

At the same time, people tend to presume that blondes are less serious-minded and less intelligent than brunettes, as reflected in "blonde jokes." The roots of this notion may be traced to Europe, with the "dumb blonde" in question being a French courtesan named Rosalie Duthe, satirised in a 1775 play Les curiosites de la Foire for her habit of pausing a long time before speaking, appearing not only stupid but literally dumb (in the sense of mute).

Annette Kuhn divides blonde stereotypes in cinema into three categories in The Women's Companion to International Film:

• The ice-cold blonde: Kuhn defined it as "a blonde who hides a fire beneath an exterior of coldness". She provided Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake, Kim Novak, Mae Murray, and Eva Marie Saint as examples.
• The blonde bombshell: Kuhn defined it as "a blonde with explosive sexuality and is available to men at a price". She provided Brigitte Bardot, Lana Turner, Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell, Mae West, Barbara Eden, Marilyn Monroe, and Diana Dors as examples.
• The dumb blonde: Kuhn defined it as "a blonde with an overt and natural sexuality and a profound manifestation of ignorance". She provided Jayne Mansfield, Marion Davies, Alice White, Marie Wilson, and Mamie Van Doren as examples.

Blonde bombshell

Main article: Bombshell (sex symbol)

Jean Harlow, the original blonde bombshell, in Riffraff

A blonde bombshell is a gender stereotype, used mainly in journalism, that connotes a very attractive woman with blonde hair.

Media

The blonde bombshell is also one of the most notable and consistently popular female character types in cinema. Many showbiz stars have used it to their advantage, including Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. A review of English language tabloids from United Kingdom has shown it to be recurring blonde stereotype along with "busty blonde", and "blonde babe".

Jean Harlow started the stereotype with her film Bombshell). Following her, Monroe, Mansfield and Van Doren helped establish the stereotype typified by a combination of curvaceous physique, very light-colored hair and a perceived lack of intelligence. In 1993, Sharon Stone hosted a documentary about Jean Harlow, Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell.

Theories

In cognitive linguistics, the stereotype uses expressivity of words to affect an emotional response which determines gender role of a certain kind. In feminist critique, stereotypes like the blonde bombshell or the "dumb blonde" are seen as negative images that undermine the power of women.

See also: Pin-up girl

Dumb blonde

Main article: Bimbo

Marilyn Monroe, the iconic dumb blonde, in Some like it hot

The notion of "dumb blonde" has been a topic of academic research reported in scholarly articles and university symposia, which tend to confirm that many people hold to the perception that light-haired women are less intelligent than women with dark hair. At the same time, there is no evidence of intellect disparity based on the shade of hair, which leaves the question about the origins of this perception. A possible explanation is that attractive women have less pressing incentives to cultivate and demonstrate their intellect in order to ensure their future, since attractiveness is an asset as well. The validity of this explanation is corroborated by a its applicablity to a similar pervasiveness of "dumb athlete" stereotype. The dumb blonde stereotype (and the associated cognitive bias) may have some negative consequences and it can also damage a blonde person's career prospects.

Media stereotyping

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (a comic novel, a Broadway musical, and two films) explores the appeal of blonde women. The film starred Marilyn Monroe as the blonde and Jane Russell as her wise brunette friend. The Encyclopedia of Hair describes Monroe's role as that of "a fragile woman who relied on her looks rather than on intelligence—what some people refer to as 'dumb blond'." At the same time, in the film she demonstrates a certain amount of wit regarding her life position expressed in her hit "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". And when her fiancé's father (who initially disliked her but eventually was won over) asked her why she pretends to be dumb, she answers that men prefer her this way.

Many blond actresses have played stereotypical "dumb blondes", including Judy Holliday, Jayne Mansfield and Goldie Hawn, best known as the giggling "dumb blonde", stumbling over her lines, especially when she introduced Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In "News of the Future". In the American sitcom Three's Company the blond girl (originally Chrissy played by Suzanne Somers, and later Cindy and Terri) is sweet and naïve, while the brunette (Janet played by Joyce DeWitt) is smart.

Counter representation

At the same time, there are many examples where the stereotype is exploited only to combat it. The film Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon featured the stereotype as a centerpiece of its plot. However the protagonist turns out to be very intelligent and is shown to have been underachieving due to society's low expectations of her. Country music entertainer Dolly Parton, aware of this occasional characterization of her, addressed it in her 1967 hit "Dumb Blonde". Parton's lyrics challenged the stereotype, stating "...just because I'm blonde, don't think I'm dumb 'cause this dumb blonde ain't nobody's fool...". Parton has said she was not offended by "all the dumb-blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb. I'm also not blonde." The author of the comic strip Blondie, Chic Young, starting with "Dumb Dora", gradually transformed his subsequent Blondie into a smart, hard-working, family-oriented woman. The Simpsons' season 21, episode 20 To Surveil With Love: Lisa faced prejudice from her brunette peers because of her blonde hair at a debate meeting. Refusing to give up and wanting to prove the stereotype wrong, she intentionally dyed her hair dark brown. In the 1970s and 1980s, actress Loni Anderson portrayed curvy blonde character Jennifer Marlowe as an intelligent, eloquent, and sophisticated anti-stereotype on the American sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.

See also: Valley girl and Essex girl

Blonde jokes

There is a category of jokes called "blonde jokes" that employs the dumb blonde stereotype. It overlaps at times with the jokes that generally portray the subject of the joke as promiscuous and/or stupid.

Blonde jokes have been criticized as sexist by several authors, as most blondes in these jokes are female, although male variations also exist. Research indicates that because of this, men report being amused by blonde jokes significantly more than women do.

Blonde jokes nearly always take the format of the blond(e) placing himself or herself in an unusual situation, performing a silly act because he or she misconstrued the meaning of how an activity is supposed to play out, or making a comment that serves to highlight his or her supposed lack of intelligence, lack of common sense, or cluelessness, or promiscuity.

See also

• Sex and intelligence
• Ganguro
• Sex symbol
• Sex appeal

References

• Encyclopedia of Hair: a Cultural History, by Victoria Sherrow, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-313-33145-6
• Stephanie Ann Smith (1 January 2006). Household words: bloomers, sucker, bombshell, scab, nigger, cyber. U of Minnesota Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8166-4553-4. Retrieved 13 September 2011.