Blondes

I am so annoyed! I think it's weird that there is such a double standard regarding blond hair women specifically.
In contemporary popular culture it is often stereotyped that men find blond women more attractive than women with other hair colour and it is believed that these women may enjoy increased attention of men.

Stereotype, myth or fact?        
                                                                         
It is fact that on all movies there it must be at least one blond hair woman if not more though.
Furthermore, Alfred Hitchcock preferred to cast blond women for major roles in his films, (as he believed that the audience would suspect them the least) hence the term "Hitchcock blonde".

I, personally, do not believe in the stereotype. But sadly, there will always be stereotypes in society.

At the same time, women with blond hair are often made fun of with "dumb blonde jokes". It's like you cannot have blond hair, be beautiful, and be smart at the same time.
It seems like society sends mixed messages to the young ones.

I really dislike " blonde jokes" and wonder why people still think they are funny and politically correct when so many other jokes would be considered a hate crime.

It's just so random...who started the "dumb blonde jokes", anyway?

This post is sort of one of my everyday rebellious ways. I take a stand and refrain from jokes tinged with such references.

Isn't it comforting to know that there is a listening ear out there in the blogosphere? What say, dear readers? xx

67 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

Being born blond (I really was) I have probably heard every blond joke out there. When someone starts telling them I join in and they quickly lose interest.

A Mother Always said...

Rant away.. but then 'blondes' aren't the only ones they have joke books about... ...
Is there a line ?
Seems like stereotyping is acceptable if you can make a bug out of it.

Matty said...

I think that all segments of society have jokes about them. Dumb blonde jokes just seem to be the most common. I get it for being bald.

S. Susan Deborah said...

Betty:

Cultural jokes as 'blond jokes' are found in every country. It would have started with one person who fitted the bill of being 'dumb' and immediately blind stereotyping would have started. In our country, there is no much stereotyping based on hair as such but dark skin, yes!

One cannot alter the age-long cultural stereotypes but we can take a stand (as you have done) and refrain from cutting jokes tinged with such references.

Have a lovely remainder of the week.

Joy always,
Susan

athina said...

I had heard that men prefer blondes because they assume from the colour of hair that blondes are more "innocent" but I disagree.

Caio Fern said...

soryy honey . i am a man and for me there is only one standard : Blondes are hot .
....and most part of the ones i met in my life were very very smart ... so....

and what about you Betty ?
are you blond or Brunet today? ( i love brunets too ) .

Cindybrown said...

I am blonde, so I totally get where you are coming from!!

steveroni said...

Never enjoyed the 'Dumb Blond' jokes not because they are prejudicial BUT because they are so DUMB!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I've heard some pretty funny jokes about blondes, but no one I know believes in the sterotype. One of my best friends is blond and sends me blond jokes.

Somehow, as I get older my hair is becoming more blond...it's magic...and money.

Teresa

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Yes, like the jokes about Tracy's (we have loose morals, wear white slingbacks, our best friend is Sharon and we have a boyfriend called Wayne or Kevin who is rather dumb and drives a fast car)we also have blonde jokes.
Amazing the number of women who play along to this stereotype - the number of times I have heard niece #1 say I'm having a blonde moment (argh). I wouldn't care but most of these women are not blonde anyway, their hair is bleached. And this comes from someone who was white blonde until their early teens when their hair slowly started to go mousey.
Apologies for the rant, I bet you wished you hadn't asked me now. x

Joe Cap said...

Don't worry, its a myth. Women of all colors are beautiful. In fact, show me too many blondes, and I am loving seeing a brunette.

Mike said...

To me it really depends on the look of the woman as a whole. Some women would not be as attractive with blonde hair as with dark hair.

Dan Gliubizzi said...

I am with Ciao, "Blondes are Hot"...then so are Brunettes, and Black hair is amazing...and then there is that disproportionate amount of Red heads in my life...Oh! never mind.
I did have a thought about when the first blonds appeared on the planet. That had to be pretty special!
A "Clan of the Cave Bear" thought.
M-mmm Darrell Hanna!

Mandy said...

Very good post, Betty and I agree on so many levels.

Anonymous said...

Very good post. I rarely find humor in the blonde jokes etc. Those jokes could be setup with any stereotype. Don't see the point in it.

Bossy Betty said...

I was born and blond and remain one with the help of my hairdresser. I tolerate blond jokes only because I know they aren't true in my case!

Kelly said...

I have two daughters, one a blonde, the other a redhead.

The blonde is not dumb at all, in fact she's quite smart. The redhead likes to tell me that ALL redheads are brilliant! (and I'll agree that she's pretty darn smart)

Personally, I'm a brunette who's gone salt & pepper in her old age.

Anonymous said...

but they have more fun right?

right?

ok... I dont know, but I do know they tan nicely.... right?

Candles by Nature said...

I agree that such stereotypes are just ridiculous. I'm a blonde and have been teased countless times with blonde jokes. Yet I also wear glasses and have heard so many "four-eyes" jokes. This just goes to show that 1) being blonde does not necessarily mean you are dumb and 2) wearing glasses does not necessarily mean you are smart.

RA said...

You know, blond jokes are culturally bound. Here in Finland, where 90% of all people are blond, we have shifted the "blond-qualities" of those jokes to bass players and engineers. :D
Btw, I'm blond.

KrippledWarrior said...

I'm actually a blond from birth. But, no one has ever told me a blond joke. I'd be interested to hear one though. Because I do enjoy a good laugh. I'm particularly fond of Lawyer and politician jokes.

;-)

Unknown said...

I am a blonde, but natrually a Red head! I hear more Red Head... "Red on the Head, Fire in the whole" which I dispise more than dumb blonde jokes!
Who cares. Ya think I'm dumb. Stay outta my life! You think I'm pretty just because I'm blonde... then you have a lot to learn about woman. Pretty is what Pretty does!
I LOOOOOVE Brunettes! I think they are absoultely beautiful, but my skin tone says, NO NO for me! :D

Betty Manousos said...

Cindybrown, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Yet I wonder if you thoroughly have read my post though, I mean from start to finish. As I said I DO dislike the "blonde jokes",
I am from Greece and my hair category is: Dishwater blond.

Thank you. :)

Betty Manousos said...

Candles by Nature, thanks for passing by and providing your (own) experience on this matter. Your testimony is casting light on the matter.

Thank you. :)

Bobbi said...

I'm a blond and I think people assume I'm dumb.

I even went platinum blond a while back and my bosses at work said I "dumbed myself up"!

Just because you're blond doesn't automatically mean you're stupid.

Betty Manousos said...

Bobbi, of course NOT!
Thanks for sharing your experience on this matter with us. :)

Fetesha D. said...

Hmmmm...Well, the issue is that the stereotypes keep getting feed, so they continue and expand.

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Thank Fuck I'm a Red Head!! I LOVE blonde jokes (my skin 'n blister aka big sister) is a blonde.

Anonymous said...

I just love woman...hair color not important ;)

The Blonde Duck said...

I am a dumb blond!

yonca said...

I read this post to one of my friends who is blonde. She says' life is more fun with blonde hair:)

Anonymous said...

I used to be a (fake) blond and I have to admit that I had A LOT of fun back them. But I think it was because I was young and silly and not because I was blond.

Wild Rose said...

Wish i was a dumb blonde lol but i hear you and i don't like the jokes either, great post sweetie and see you around soon :) x

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Take those jokes with a grain of salt lady!

Liz Mays said...

I never thought about the fact that men will tell blonde jokes but then ogle those same blondes! Harrumph!

Sam Liu said...

I think, sadly, there will always be stereotypes and prejudices in society. Against women, homosexuals, those of different ethnicity and indeed hair colour and many, many others. They are always untrue - for one simply cannot generalise a whole sect of people based on the characters of a certain number of them, because humans are unique and complex.

Ojibwe Confessions said...

Don't believe the "blonde" dumb stereotype. BUT I do think there are lots of people who do believe there is some truth to it. After all the "Big Lie" is said so many times that we start to wonder if there is twinge of truth to it. Like in all stereotypes.

Together We Save said...

I was also born blonde and I have heard so many blonde jokes I really don't even notice them anymore.

Pat said...

I am not a true blond, so maybe that's why I find blond jokes so funny. I never think of them being offensive to blonds. Maybe because there are so few REAL blonds out there? Ha ha! I don't know. Should I be rethinking this?

Timoteo said...

Is a natural blond supposed to be dumber than a bottle blond? Please clarify this important point for me!

Nevine Sultan said...

It seems that every type of group has some kind of joke or other going around about them, and this is truly a misfortune. I don't think the jokes are restricted to "blondes", though blondes do seem to bear the brunt. Whatever the type of joke, though, it is no longer a joke if we are laughing "at" somebody rather than "with" them. I try to draw the line, whenever I can.

A great post, Betty. As the world becomes more "flat", I feel the truth is it is becoming more round. Awareness changes that. Thanks for spreading awareness.

Warmest hugs to you, my dear friend.

Nevine

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

Yep, you called it. We humans have so many stereotypes it blows the mind, doesn't it?

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Sadly, dumb blondes like Paris and Britney reinforce the stereotype. I do hate stereotyping, but I did have more fun for the phase of my life during which I went blonde.
xoRobyn

dennistheeremite said...

Preachers/ministers are the butt of a lot of jokes too; though seldom about dumbness. I'm also part Irish and Polish...Are you a pole vaulter? Yes I am a Pole but how did you know my name was Valter(Walter)? I think we secretly enjoy pondering the mystery of the stupid and the clueless because (admit it or not) we have all been there.

Bitch said...

I find the jokes about blond girls
very stupid and senseless.
Remember the Monroe movies?
In every role she had to play
a stupid character. But was she
really?
Have a very nice Thursday, Betty!
M.

Penny Layne said...

I had blond hair most of my childhood, but as I have gotten older my hair has turned brunette. When my hair first began to change color, I used to get blond highlights in it, then one day I decided if I was becoming a brunette I should just accept it. My grandma actually told me I should continue to highlight my air because I looked better as a blond. Isn't that kind of like saying God has made a mistake on me? How can I look better with a hair color that is not my natural color?

Willoughby said...

I don't know if people really believe the stereotype that blonds are dumb, I never thought about it. Either way, most dumb blond jokes are rarely funny.

Betty Manousos said...

Penny Lane, thanks so much for stopping by and your interesting comments. :)
Imho, if You think you'd look better you should continue to highlight your hair even if it is not your natural colour. I think as we are getting older may need to change some things on how we look, and also may find some new ones that would fit better our looks.

Unknown said...

People come up with jokes about everything. Its hard to avoid. I think its not nice to make fun of someone and disguise it as a joke. Which is what bothers me. I love to laugh at a good joke, but when they are meant to make fun of someone or be mean, they aren't really funny. I think we should be encouraging and kind to each other. =0)

Unknown said...

HI Betty,
I am following you back and am really looking forward to your next post. =)

Kathleen said...

Anyone who thinks that they can make a realistic assumption about a person by what color their hair is...well, that's pretty funny. Especially considering the number of women who color their hair. Hmmm, should be judge them by what color they are naturally or colored? Ha ha.
I'm a redhead by the way.

Heather said...

I don't think I've ever heard a blonde joke that I thought was the least bit clever, LOL

thanks for stopping by my blog hop!

Songberries said...

Aah, I'm blonde. I'm not sure if I believe that or not.
Thanks for stopping by and following my blog!
I've been following you.
Songberries

Eat To Live said...

I was born blond, as I got older my hair turned darker. I am now blond again..... It beats being grey.

I am a new follower.

Maria said...

Oh, yes you are so right. I hate blonde jokes. I'm not a blonde myself. Somewhere between a redhead and a brunette - sort of....

Stopping by from SITS.

Have a great day.

Crystal said...

I'm a blonde- and definitly NOT dumb. I am very offended by those jokes, too. BUt, you know what, there are many a blonde bombshell that plays into that stereotype...and I would like to slap the blonde right off them!!
I'm following you-I hope you follow back.

Crystal
http://survivingandthrivinginmom-dom.blogspot.com

Go Long! Go Green! said...

following u back!

Jim said...

Do blondes really have more fun? LOL

Claudya Martinez said...

Not totally related, but the other day my husband and I were watching "Weeds" and one of the lines was something like, "No one takes a blonde man seriously." That line stuck with me and then I tried to think of blonde men in powerful positions and couldn't come up with any, then I tried to think of blond men that I know in real life and I couldn't think of any.

Melissa B. said...

I'm a "blonde," of sorts. And I promise you, I don't get special treatment. I stopped noticing, anyway, many years ago...

jennyfreckles said...

I'm blonde and I find some of the 'blonde' jokes really funny. I know they don't apply to me... I'm also deaf and I found your joke last Saturday really funny. That does apply to me!

Betty Manousos said...

Thanks so much to all of you for your feedback. :)
I also thank you for sharing your opinions and experience on this topic.
Your views are so valuable for me.
xx)

septembermom said...

I hate blond jokes too. I'm a brunette who walks away once those jokes start.

CIMPOACA LAURENTIU said...

i love women; no matter their hair colour :)

first photo is so sexy...well done

Claudya Martinez said...

I linked to you today.

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