What do you call 10 blondes standing ear to ear? Answer: a wind tunnel. *cue laughter*
The dumb blonde phenomena allegedly stems from an 18th century French prostitute named Rosalie Duthe, who is said to have been the inspiration for “Les Curiosites de la Foire”, a play about a beautiful, but dumb, woman in Paris. Hollywood capitalized on and further propelled the “dumb blonde” stereotype, using blonde actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Goldie Hawn to play character roles that were less than intelligent, all for the sake of a chuckling audience.
There are many reasons for this cultural acceptance of the “dumb blonde”. Let’s start with the scientific factors. With the invention of hair-dye, there are thousands of blonde men and women walking around, but in actuality, the blonde gene is pretty rare. Only two percent of the population is naturally blonde. According to a primal theory, supported by evolutionary psychologist Carole Jahme, Paleolithic men chose blonde women more often because they “stood out from their rivals.” In other words, it’s all about competition.
Many studies have shown blonde women to be more approached in social and dating environments because they are considered “different” and perceived as more approachable, due to their presumed intellectual short comings. Despite the stereotype, blonde women are actually more intelligent than any other hair type.
In a recent study by Ohio State university named, “Are Blondes Really Dumb?", the nationally representative survey tracked young baby boomers to analyze the IQ of white women and men according to hair color. As a proud blonde woman, I’m quite pleased with the results. The study found that blonde women had an average IQ score 3 points higher than brunettes and redheads. Blonde men were found to stand with the same level of intellect as other men with different hair colors. There was no direct correlation between hair color and intellect, but the blondes studied, on average, grew up in homes with more reading material than their dark haired counterparts.
According to a Forbes article, a study showed that blondes get paid seven percent more than female workers with another hair color. The boost in pay is equal to the pay bump that a worker would realize from an extra year of education, according to the study.
As a natural born blonde, I can confidently say I know the punch line to every dumb blonde joke in history. I’m probably the inspiration for a few to be honest, but as a natural born blonde, I can also say that this stereotype is pretty darn hurtful. How would you like to be constantly underestimated because your hair is missing a few genes?
The existence of the "dumb blonde" affects the way society sees all blondes. People are less likely to take a blonde seriously. Growing up, I was underestimated by my peers. Not many people took me seriously, and even less thought I was smart enough to do `anything substantial with my life. I always felt the need to defend my brain cells from people who thought I was insignificant.
Anytime I heard a blonde joke in high school, I felt personally victimized. So I strived to prove my intelligence to friends and even myself. No matter how hard I work to grow my "ditzy" brain, people will see what that they want to see. Don't get me wrong, I love my hair. I plan to remain a blonde until old age takes over, but It would be nice to have a different identifier other than, "oh ya, the blonde girl."
As a senior in college, I can definitely say that I have proved my intellect. I've worked as the Executive Managing Editor of a newspaper for 2 years, took up permanent residence on the president's honor role and will graduate in May with a degree in Journalism and a business minor, all while maintaining the drive to reclaim the societal intelligence of my fellow blondies.
In the light of equality, let’s just say all people no matter their hair color or skin color have the potential to be dumb. As the saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
