“Dumb Blonde!” Have you ever heard that phrase before? I’m sure you have.
For this post, I’m going to discuss the stereotypes of females with blonde hair. I chose to write about this stereotype because I can speak from a personal perspective since I am a blonde haired, blue eyed female.
First, let’s define what a stereotype even is. A stereotype can be defined as “an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic” per the Britannica dictionary.
So what’s the stereotype with blondes you may wonder? To me It goes without being said, but let me clarify if need be. Blonde- haired women have been sexualized for years and labeled “dingy”, “dumb”, “fun”, “flirtatious”, “ditzy” etc., the list could go on and on. In fact, according to an article from Refinery 29 the history of the dumb blonde dates back hundreds of years to a play called Les Curiosités de la Foire, where a blonde female woman was sexualized and appeared absent-minded. In 1953, Marilyn Monroe played a character that was the epitome of the “dumb blonde, in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. These portrayals contributed to the dumb blonde narrative we now know in popular culture.
In addition to the Marilyn Monroe movie that was cast over 70 years ago, we’ve seen this stereotype in pop culture media as well, such as the movie Legally Blonde”, where the actress Reese Witherspoon plays a persona, Elle Woods, that successfully overcomes these blonde stereotypes. As a blonde female, I find this movie inspiring as it broke many of the stereotypes I had heard and experienced most of my life.
Another instance is the sitcom “Friends”, where Lisa Kudrow played the character of Phoebe, a blonde woman that played into the role of many blonde stereotypes as well.
I’ve heard a lot blonde jokes since I was a child, whether it was being from other kids, peers, or the abundant amount of media portrayals. I’m sure no matter where you sit as you read this, you have heard or witnessed it was well. As a blonde, I’ve always wondered why people have defaulted to this stereotype when a blonde woman makes a mistake. Surely people don’t actually believe that someone is smarter than someone else just because of their hair color….but they do. Why are blonde men not perceived to be a certain way just because they are blonde?
So if I’ve been able to convince you that the blonde stereotype is real, you may wonder why its even a big deal. It’s just a joke, right? Just like anything else that is a stereotype that is harmful, this one is no different. Painting untrue and unrealistic portrayals of the blonde-haired woman sets an expectation in society that it is accurate and true. This type of stereotypes is harmful and it impacts lives from careers to self-esteem.
I enjoy being blonde although I have seen it come at a cost. I challenge you to be more mindful of biases you may have when it comes to stereotypes and to pause to reflect on where that came from and whether it could be harmful to someone.