Dumb Blonde Stereotype

Blondes are not so dumb after all:
Scientists claim hair colour is completely unrelated to personality and intelligence.

Blondes have long been the butt of jokes for their supposed lack of intelligence.
But those with a fair head of hair can now take heart - for scientists have disproved the dumb blonde stereotype.
New research has revealed that hair colour is ‘only skin deep’ because it depends on just a single letter of the genetic code.

The study proves hair colour is completely unrelated to any other trait and dispels the shallow claim that blonde hair signifies lower intelligence.

Switching a single ‘letter’ of DNA would turn brunettes to blondes, according to academics from Stanford University in California - and would have no affect on the brain.

Lead researcher Professor David Kingsley said: ‘The genetic mechanism that controls blond hair doesn’t alter the biology of any other part of the body.

Researchers also found that the gene that affects blonde hair isn’t associated with eye colour - suggesting that blonde hair and blue eyes are not genetically linked.


Origin of Stereotype

The concept of the dumb blonde, a common stereotype placed on fair-haired women, continues to pervade society through today. Its origin, however, like many popular-cultural stereotypes, is clouded.

The 1925 Anita Loos novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady (later used as source for a film by the same name made by Howard Hawks and starring Marilyn Monroe) featured the character Lorelei Lee, a beautiful but empty-headed singer.

While some look to this as the source for the concept, in fact, it might be far older.

Since the days of ancient Rome, women who took the time to lighten their hair have been looked at as “bimbos…without serious intentions,” according to a recent article in USA Today.

One explanation dates back to medieval Europe when members of the upper class tended to be darker-haired than the peasantry. This was because the lower classes spent more time outside in the sun. Since peasants were often considered less intelligent than the upper class, an association between fair-haired persons and a lack of intelligence surfaced.

Though origins of this negative stereotype date back hundreds of years, possibly millennia, the concept has gained momentum in recent years.

Numerous actresses of the 20th century have played characters labeled as “dumb blondes.” These include Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Suzanne Somers, and Goldie Hawn. Of course these films have only further brought the stereotype into the limelight.

Many girls who are blonde cite the fact that since so many people are familiar with the stereotype they worry about how they are perceived by others, especially with regard to first impressions. Job interviews are an excellent example of this as some blondes say they are uncomfortable about their hair color in interview situations, specifically that they don’t want a potential employer to automatically judge them based on their hair color.





What I find interesting is that most of the jokes about dumb blondes are about women. Several of them have been posted right here on CS.
What about dumb blonde men jokes? Such men are also blondes.