I’ve been blonde for as long as I can remember. My childhood was filled with ‘dumb blonde’ jokes, and even after my bright locks faded to a light brown, I felt connected to the hair color. So much so, in fact, that I began dying my hair back to blonde at the age of 14. However, this hair color has always subjected me to playground insults. Classic ‘dumb blonde’ and ‘dishwasher blonde’ comments have been spat at me almost my entire life. While I acknowledge that these stereotypes aren’t nearly as harmful as what others may experience, in researching the truth behind the ‘dumb blonde’ narrative, I have discovered that these stereotypes actually impact blonde women more than you might think.
The earliest findings of this stereotype date back to nearly 250 years with a play titled Les Curiosités de la Foire. With the main character Rosalie Duthé taking long pauses before she spoke as well as being openly sexual during a relatively conservative time, this play portrayed blonde women as stupid and sexually available. The stereotype continued to show up in media productions for years to come. Although Les Curiosités de la Foire was the first instance of this stereotype, the 1953 box office hit Gentlemen Prefer Blondes truly epitomized this stereotype. Lorelei, portrayed by the notably blonde Marilyn Monroe, is characterized as a spacey and absentminded gold digger. These early forms of media set the stage for this concept to become mainstream.
Further permeating these stereotypes are old movies such as ‘Legally Blonde’ and “The House Bunny,” both written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. These movies reinforce the idea of blonde “dumbification”. While some people may argue that these movies comment on the irony and stupidity of the ‘dumb blonde’ trope, they truly don’t empower their female leads. Instead, they use the classic ‘dumb blonde’ tropes to work in the favor of their leads so the leads are able to “succeed” in a way that simply adheres to the sexist and demeaning stereotypes of your classic blonde. While these movies are, at their core, just silly pieces of media, they subconsciously embed these stereotypes into the minds of viewers.
This stereotype doesn’t just cause insensitive jokes in the media and pathetic social commentary — it also negatively impacts blonde women in the workplace, says Jay Zagorsky, a researcher at Ohio State University. “If blonde women are incorrectly perceived as less intelligent than women with other hair colors,” he argues in his research paper, “then blonde women might be sorted into lower-paying and less mentally taxing jobs than they have the ability to handle.”
In my experience, I feel as though most of my interactions with acquaintances and strangers have been plagued by this stigma. The evident shock on people’s faces when I explain my interest in gender studies or take an AP class always serves as a reminder that I feel the need to prove myself because of a stereotype made decades ago.
Social media interactions also prove to be no better in eliminating this stigma. Now more than ever, people can hide behind a screen and demean others. This ‘dumb blonde’ phenomenon has proven to be the perfect way for trolls and social media users alike to take each other down. I personally have received a handful of ‘dumb blonde’ jokes in the comments of my social media posts.
For bigger social media stars, it’s even worse. Paris Hilton, who some may argue was once at the forefront of this stereotype, has been typecasted as the ‘dumb blonde’ her entire life. In September of 2020, she opened up in an interview about her feelings toward society’s perception of her. It is important to note that the article itself calls her a ‘Barbie’ as well as uses the term ‘dumb blonde’ in the title, further proving that even media exposes that are meant to bring these struggles to life fail to suppress the stereotypes. Paris states, “I felt like I was this kind of fantasy, Barbie-princess, fairy-mermaid unicorn… I was almost like an escape for people. But also I think the media would just use that and treat me like… [pauses] Sometimes I would feel like a punching bag. A lot of people felt they could just be mean to me and say anything.” Her words truly speak to the way society treats celebrities, specifically those who are blonde.
It is important to recognize that ‘dumb blonde’ stereotypes are untrue and harmful so that we can question other stereotypes and see them for what they are. As Jay Zagorsky says, “if you have believed for years that blondes are less intelligent, stop perpetuating this myth. Regardless of your prior beliefs, spend a minute thinking about all the other prejudices society still blindly assumes are true.”
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