Sexy Blond Julia
Beautiful blonde haired model Julia posing in a white blouse.
Beautiful blonde haired model Julia posing in a white blouse.
The blonde
stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two
aspects. On one hand, over 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 and as a "woman who relied
on her looks rather than on intelligence." The latter stereotype of
"dumb blonde" is exploited in
blonde jokes.
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. -Wikipedia
