That's why I married one.

Hair is one of those things...I'm not blonde, but i'm a curly-head...That will need a post of it's own.

I dyed my dark brown hair blond once. It looked terrible with my skin tone.

i'm partial to red heads and black hair myself...

peace.

As a natural blonde (very blonde), I'm frequently accused of dying my hair. It's actually very annoying. I wish my hair were red...much more alluring I think.

I read this article a few months ago inside a local paper and although I found it very fascinating it's almost--oudated. Five years ago I would have whole heatredly greed with the general sentiment of blondes as the "ideal" and somehow superior to their dark haired counter parts, but now that almost feels like a fading memory. It seems now that the "ideal" is almost for females to almost have darker features. There is now an embrace for ethnicity and consequently a new found interest in dark hair. Chistina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Mandy Moore-- all once trade marked for their blonde hair have now dyed it dark brown and black. Our idea of "beauty" is shifting considerably, to the point that it encompasses a large variety of traits, and in particular dark features.

i'am a brunnete but i recently dyed my hair into a very light honey blonde.and ever since i made that choice everything has changed people say it looks really good and that i look so much sexier and attractive.so i'am just really happy

Some people look better blond - I do.

Thanks for the post. i need a topic for my college research paper, and i hated doing something so normal, so i decided to write on : Why are blonds considered Dumb? I am a natrual blond, brunette, and redhead...pick one, and you'll find it. I often get lumped as a dumb and easy blond, and a bitchy redhead or a wannabe-blond brunette, but I just wanna know...I'm smart enough to be in college, then why am I considered dumb?

Hmmm...blonde hair is only pretty when it's 100% natural, IMO. Marilyn Monroe was in fact brunette, as was Jayne Mansfield. I notice that many people stereotype all dark-haired people as "exotic" or "ethnic", as if being brunette is a foreign trait somehow. Incidentally, brunettes are the majority throughout the world, in almost every race. Blond & red hair, when it naturally occurs, are recessive traits. Blond children rarely remain blond into adulthood.

I happen to be a brunette. Dark hair, dark eyes, creamy pale skin. I'm white of Dutch/Welsh background but here in Miami I'm constantly being referred to as Latina by those who don't know me or spoken to in Spanish. Other whites look at me as this exotic creature because unlike them, I don't dye or bleach my hair to play up my "whiteness." Never mind the fact that I burn instead of tanning (people assume that all brunettes have dark skin or a rich tan), I speak very plain unaccented English, and I have a very English "white-girl" WASP first, middle, & last name.


Not all brunettes are Latin, foreign, or of African descent! Some of us are as all-American as the blond next door. Having blond hair does not make one white woman "whiter" than another. It is your bloodline, not your hair/eye color, that counts. Look to people like Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Phoebe Cates, and yes, even Marilyn Monroe...who has been oft-praised for her "blondness" when in truth she had hair of a rich coppery brown. All hair colors & textures are beautiful, as long as the hair is healthy and worn with confidence.

Blonde hair can look good on some women.
I think that it's the way she wears it
that makes it look good and not just the
color itself. I've known natural blondes
that look so much better when they go a
shade or two darker and vice versa.

I have also seen some beautiful black &
other dark skinned women with dyed blond
hair that are just sexy as all get out
even though it's obviously not real.

Again, I really think it's got a lot to
do with facial structure and the style
it's worn in as much as the color itself
IMO.

Eric, tell us about being on TV. Are you famous?

Don't hesitate to get highlights if you need them. Ask women with good highlight jobs who does their hair. Only some hairdressers are good colorists, but they're worth it. Do not do your own blond highlights. Do not!

Black hair is sexy. Fuck blonde.

Shouldn't all the godd's creatures be loved equally?

I haven't a problem with blonde, but it's overrated. Black is better. Brown is very good, too.

Actually, I really don't care about hair. A girl needs to be intelligent and have other ASSets.

To be totally anal, "blonde" is the correct adjective for a female person with that color hair. Men, dyes, and the hair itself take the adjective "blond." And as a noun, a blonde is female, a blond, male. No -e.

I always figured that's where -E took her screen-name from...

You have it mostly right, Eric, but not 100%. So I just HAD to pick that nit!

being on TV is fun but it can be a lot of work - those are my thoughts on being on TV

I will remind myself about that two years ago, DrPat

This is a fascintaing piece, since its a question that people don't like talking about openly -so its perfect for the web. I wonder about this topic often since as much as I try to find beauty in all women, it never fails that anytime there is a natural blonde around, she steals the show. I for one unconcsiously turn my head anytime a blonde passes by, and I always look to see if she's a natural blonde (which I've found is so easy to spot despite all the good hair dyes). Let's face it, for most males, natural blonde women are preferred, and I'm sure that if given the choice, in probably 80% of cases, men of all nationalities will pick the natural blonde woman above all others. I'm beginning to think there must be something innately attractive about women with natural blonde features. I noticed also that in most cases, brunettes do indeed tend to have darker features than natural blondes, despite what Mindy writes. Yes there are some exceptions (such as herself), but having been close physically with brunettes and natural blondes, natural blondes are generally lighter in all areas, especially parts of the body associated with eroticism, where I must admit differences are accented even to a greater degree. I don't like to generalize, but that seems to be the case in 90% of my observations.

I just want to say to Cindi, the natural blonde, that I hear the same thing from other natural blondes I've been with -- that people accuse them of "dying" their hair --no surprise since, as the article above states, only 5% of women are natural blonde, while 33% of non-blondes "try" to be. I can't understand, however, how Cindi would rather be a redhead when she has the type of hair that most women wish they had. I suggest she dye it red once and see how much eaiser it is being naturally blonde.

Whether its the influence of media or not, I've found that in terms of both beauty and personality, I've never been more satisfied than when I'm with a true blonde. A lot of men, and most non-blonde women, probably won't admit to what I've stated above, as was the case with me.

I thought I should lend my expertise here.

First of all, Jenny Finch is a man. She's a hot man and hot for a man, but she's a man. Don't be fooled by the hype. If you've ever seen a picture of her at the wrong angle, it's like watching a blonde version of the Incredible Hulk. The only reason she gets attention for being hot is because she's a chick jock. Kournikova's kinda hot (and way hotter than Jenny Finch), but she's been overrated the same way. Maria Sharapova's kind of hot and has that tall, lean, leggy modelish body, but she strikes me as a little bit touched if you ever hear her speak -- I know she's Russian and all, but she's a little crazy, I think.

Secondly, I'm not fooled by most blondes. I like hot blondes, but if you're a blonde chick, you must A) not be thick, because being blonde makes you look more piggish, and B) must tan. I know this sounds piggish, but it's true: pale Irish blonde women with freckles are the exact opposite of hot. If you can't tan naturally, get spray tans and use a bronzer. I've always been a tanning bed guy, but I've learned that's really bad for your skin, so I have been comfortable enough in my masculinity to have done the spray tan myself a couple of times.

Most blonde women are just not hot and lots of guys get fooled easily by blonde hair. You have to learn the BAB blonde test: if a chick has fake dyed blonde hair, would she still be hot if she had jet-black goth hair or if she was bald? If so, she's beautiful and hot all on her own. If not, she's ugly and not hot. Britney Spears, for example, would always have failed the blonde test. Charlize Theron wouldn't, although she's not looking her best these days -- or perhaps it's just hard to find her hot after Monster.

There are definitely women who are aided by the tan blonde look who wouldn't otherwise be very hot. I don't really watch Big Brother anymore, but I watched part of an episode last week and the tan blonde chick there isn't pretty but she's almost hot thanks to the tan and the blonde hair (although her hair's too light).

If you're brunette and naturally beautiful, you can have the pale creamy skin like Mindy does and it's fine. If you need a tan, Mindy, do the Mystic Tan or get a self-bronzer.

I actually prefer brunettes, but blondes are easier to come across because there's something about a girl's need to dye her hair blonde that makes her really eager to seek the attention of men. Being blonde in America definitely gives you girls an evolutionary advantage, though, because most guys are really dumb and hard up.

Now there's good and bad blonde -- really light, platinum blonde hair is gross. On the other side of the spectrum, really fake dye jobs with dark black roots showing isn't as bad, but is still too obvious unless you mind being regarded as a skank. I think "natural" blondes don't really look as good for some reason because they don't have the variation in color -- if you're a natural blonde, you should still get lowlights done.

For guys, though, I'll be honest and say chicks don't really like the blonde hair, particularly the lighter it is. You can get away with it better if you tan like Olsen did as a blonde. But still, dye your hair a darker color -- that means eyebrows too if you're an albino. And no facial hair if you're a naturally blonde man -- nothing looks less masculine than some transparent, wispy face fuzz. Chicks prefer the darker hair -- you can have highlights, but don't go too yellow or you're either a German techno artist or stuck in 1998.

That is all.

Brunettes that are bleached are still Brunettes. Add the 'bleach' word to their name. Leave Blondes out of it. Do not use the name Blonde when you are talking about Brunettes. If they are bleached then call them Bleached Brunettes. Pass it on.

Anybody get that?

My goodness, is this a touchy subject for some or what?

Currently I have my hair colored to be much much darker than it is naturally. I like it, but I like my naturally lighter hair too.

But hey, I say power to the people for whatever hair they have, because there are plenty of folks without. :-P

Hmmm...well, Chuck, natural blondes are a minority today. Lots of luck finding a woman who has been blonde all her life without the help of artificial agents. They're out there but they're hard to find in most parts. And no offense, but you can't really speak for all men when you say men prefer natural blondes. Men have varied tastes & preferences when it comes to scoping out women. Blondes might be preferred among most men, whether the blonde is natural or otherwise, while other men might prefer a red-haired woman or a brunette. There are other factors besides hair color when selecting a potential mate. Some men like tall women, some men prefer petite women, some like curvy women, some like busty women, some like heavy/plump women, some like glasses, freckles, long hair, small breasts, etc. If the woman per se doesn't have a pretty face or pleasing disposition, her blonde hair serves no real purpose.

While natural blondes tend to have very sparse or light-colored body hair, a brunette's body hair is more visible because it is darker like the hair on her head. I have very little body hair. Brunettes often have brown or hazel eyes, and sometimes olive skin. However, the difference in coloring has more to do with genetics, heredity, and racial background. Some blondes appear differently from others, as is the case with some brunettes. Liv Tyler (daughter of Aerosmith rocker Steve) is a brunette & she's a lot fairer all over than any natural or bleach-blonde that I've ever seen.


She might have dark, shiny, near-black hair...but she also has beautiful brilliant blue eyes & snowy skin. These are traits typically associated with blondes, yet she and many other brunette women have them. My mother has dark hair & blue eyes as well. Her eyebrows aren't nearly as dark as her hair. I sort of look similar, except I'm brown-eyed, following the typical "rules" of a brunette. Maybe the brunettes you've seen tend to be from various ethnic backgrounds & that would explain the allover dark pigmentation, not just the hair and eyes. Hispanic & Indian women are typically dark-haired, dark-eyed, & brown-skinned with dark body hair. The visual effect of dark hair & very fair skin is an attractive combo, IMO. Jessica Simpson has a fake tan & brown eyes and although she's naturally blonde, she appears darker than Liv Tyler. Paris Hilton's natural hair color is dark blond & she has brown eyes, but she bleached her hair white-blond and wears blue contacts, hence she only appears fairer.


There are many variations in coloring. I've seen natural blondes with green, gray, & brown eyes, and tanned skin. Some of them had body hair. It might have been a bit lighter, sandy-brown or dark blond in color and not very much of it, but it was still there. I've seen brunettes with hardly any body hair at all, very fair skin, and bright blue eyes. It is all about what your parents blessed you with. I was blonde as a very little girl & then my hair turned dark brown in my early teens. It is okay to be attracted to a certain type of woman, but would a man turn down a beautiful woman just because she isn't blonde? Women who bleach their hair blonde do so for many different reasons. They might want to feel more beautiful in societies where blondness is revered as the beauty ideal, they might want to deny their heritage, they might be curious about living life as a blonde, or they might want to try a bold new look & attract more male attention because they hear that "blondes have more fun".

I had forgotten all about this thread - it's hysterical. For a lot of people the "yellowness" is flattering. My older daughter has darker blond hair but darkens it because she is sick of "the wrong kind of attention."

My two younger kids have very blond hair thus far in their young lives. they get a lot of attention for it also. In fact a boy on my daughter's t-ball team stared at her for a while when they first met, then asked to touch her "yellow hair."

I've always dug blondes, but my wife has reddish hair and freckles and has completely changed my mind about such things

I have always been partial to blonds, perhaps because I always resented not being one. After hitting the age of majority, I did go blond for a while. It was fun; eventually I went to a deep strawberry-blond shade and then settled on auburn. After getting pregnant the first time, I went back to my natural dark-brown and there my hair remains. I actually have a box of reddish-blond dye in the cupboard. May take the leap again... In terms of lovers, though, as an adult, I tend to fixate on brunets and people with dark-blond hair, and I have a particular love for Irish redheads. Spousal Unit, for the record, is Irish and brunet (though bald); my daughter had blond hair as a child but it's now light brown (dyed cranberry) and David, my wee Irishman, has gorgeous dark-brown ringlets. My blond crush of late is Heidi Klum. (sigh)

Call me crazy, but I don't have a strong preference here. (Well, it's rare for me to find a bald woman attractive, but that seems to be something more of a cultural universal than a personal preference.)

I've been able to see the beauty in people in all the available human color schemes.

Still not sure whether that's a blessing or not, though. Sometimes I think life might be simpler if some of my aesthetic tastes were more particular.

Oh, the Irish redheads! Blondes? Meh.

No personal offense to blondes, of course. I'm sure you're nice people.

And some are actually quite intelligent too.

My first gf was an Irish redhead. (sigh) My last was an Irish lass, though she had dark-blond hair, and wow, was she hot. More importantly, though, they were both extremely intelligent, compassionate people. I suspect most of their beauty stemmed from that rather than their physical attributes.

I've got a beautiful blonde daughter who is brilliant, and I am sure will continue to be brilliant throughout her life.

I know a beautiful redhead who was a smart girl until she realized boys her age were intimidated by smart girls, so she learned to play dumb. Now she can't get back what she lost, something that frustrates her.

So yeah, intelligence isn't tied to hair color.

But blondes still just don't "do it" for me. :-)

Mr. Plenty, the spouse is male and the baldness is the result of genetics and leukemia. Never dated a bald woman, but I have seen some who are smokin'.

The trailer for V For Vendetta shows me enough of Natalie Portman bald to let me know I love the look on her.

um, you would like Natalie Portman if she was inside out

I sure would. Gorgeous, talented, and a Harvard grad to boot. What's not to love?

With some of the getups Lucas put her in, she may as well have been bald. Incredibly, she still looked beautiful even under all that claptrap. Too bad no force in the universe could make Lucas' dialogue so interesting.

Yeah, Eric, you're right. She's brilliant, funny, and beautiful. What's not to, well, fake-love?

Sigh.

we've discussed this before - she's girlish

It's possible for a woman to be beautiful and bald, or nearly so. Sigourney Weaver (Alien 3), Demi Moore (G.I. Jane), Sinead O'Connor (Saturday Night Live), and Persis Khambatta (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) have all proven this to be possible. Still, so far as my culturally trained tastes go, my eyes tend to be drawn toward women who have slightly more hair on their heads than those examples.

hair -- on the head -- is an asset

Victor: thank you for giving good examples of my blonde test. Demi Moore is smoking hot, even bald. She's the best example yet. I don't know about Sigourney or who that Star Trek chick is, but Sinead's another example of a naturally beautiful, if odd, woman.

Natalie Portman isn't super-hot nor sexy and she's not really my type, but I still think she's beautiful and smart. I hate her in those Star Wars movies, mainly because I hate those Star Wars movies, but that hasn't ruined her for me. If you're a geek like me and watched Garden State with the audio commentary on, she has a quite engaging personality. She and Zach Braff should so be dating because they're both the right kind of kids who should be stars in Hollywood (smart, well-educated, artistic). Somehow Zach Braff is dating Mandy Moore, though. I dunno. Maybe Mandy Moore is smarter than she lets on -- she did do a good movie like "Saved," for example. But then her last boyfriend was tennis idiot Andy Roddick, who doesn't have a thought.

Natalie Davis: you're married to a guy but you're a lesbian? How does that work? Is it like an open marriage? I'm really confused. Did you look like Beyonce with your blonde hair?

Olsen and Phillip: are your grown blonde daughters really beautiful? Or is that like proud-dad beautiful? If they're hot, tell em to call me up. We could have a BlogCritics family dynasty if we all converted and became Mormons. I won't break their hearts, I promise :) I'm just a teddy bear. J/K

That is all.

Signourney Weaver is a hot blonde in Galaxy Quest, which is much more fun to watch than Star Trek: The Motionless Picture, as all but the most die hard Trekkers sometimes dub it.

If you've ever seen that movie, you'll remember Persis Khambatta.

She's the bald one.

Persis Khambatta, now that was one beautiful human, with or without hair, and hers was not blond. I hope she is resting in peace.

Damn. I didn't know she was deceased. Probably would have phrased my last comment differently if I'd known, although I meant no disrespect to her in any case. If anything I was more lampooning Roddenberry's artistic decision there. Asking a superlatively attractive actress to play a bald woman may have been a daring and futuristic choice, but it probably didn't help the movie's box office returns.

Mr. Plenty, I didn't see anything at all disrespectful in what you wrote. Just so you know, Ms. Khambatta, who was also a Miss India, died of a heart attack August 18, 1998. She was 47 years old at the time of her passing. As for whether her baldness hurt the box office of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, we'll never know, but the 1979 flick grossed $100 million (though it probably would have earned more if it had been a better movie).

No one cares about Star Trek. Must you geek up a topic about hotness?

The only important question is whether this dead Indian woman you speak of is hotter than goddess-on-Earth Ashwarya Rai. I seriously doubt that's possible.

That is all.

Why have I still not heard back about the daughter hook-ups? I thought this was a FULL-SERVICE site! Full service! I thought we were a family, a big community here. I'm a little hurt.

I think the best threads on this site are about chicks and their hotness. We need more of those, not just once a year when FHM and Maxim release their Top 100.

P.S. -- I looked up that Persis chick and she was pretty, but she's no Ashwarya. The red mohawk was weird. Star Trek was so asexual that they'd make a hot chick look unsexy.

P.P.S. -- I bet I made Olsen laugh and made milk bubbles come out of his nose when he was eating Cheerios. Am I right a little bit or what? Yet he won't hook me up with his hot older daughter.

none of Phillip's kids have reached double-digits, so that pretty well precludes hotness

I cannot address the "hotness" of my daughter as my last name is not Simpson and I am not a progeny pimp, but I suppose I can modestly state that she is quite beautiful. There are those who participate in the site who have met her or at least seen pictures - I will leave it to them to elaborate

Oh, apologies, Phillip. I thought you were an older gent. How embarrassing.

Olsen, I'll let you know how my courtship of Ashwarya Rai goes before we talk daughters. She has hypnotized me with her eyes and no woman can have the same hold on me while I am under her spell.

That is all.

probably for the best

I find it frustrating to have started out life as a natural platinum-blonde, only to hit adolescence & have it all go medium brunette. Subsequent attempts to regain my infant blondness have been dismal failures, as for some reason (skin tone change, most likely) I now find that while I make a decent light-brownie, I am the world's ugliest blonde, which does not augur well for my old age & future grey coloration. Maybe I should go bald, or at least get a mohawk....

Nancy, go to a good hair salon and get a dye job. It's not too hard. All your co-workers do it. If you're convinced you're the world's ugliest blonde, then stay brunette. Brunettes are hotter sometimes.

That is all.

A mohawk is perfect for making sure very few guys will hit on you. If that's what you want, definitely go for the mohawk, preferably a bright day-glo green one.

Blondes appeal accross most ethnic and cultural backgrounds as stated in the Article, case in point, Tiger Woods is married to a blonde swedish hottie.

My last girlfriend was a Mennonite blonde bombshell ( although she did dye her hair since it was a shade of dirty blonde she didn't like) IMO, since most white people are blonde when they are kids, it is an unconscious reminder to men of her fertility and youthfulness when a woman dies her hair blonde.

i am blond and i DO NOT think blonds are dumb! but brunetes arent better ether we are all the same. i suit blond hair better so why should i change it?

BLONDES ARE HOT! wow baby! if i could just get 1 4 myself...

dayam dey are fyn! good 4 a quickee 2!

Marilyn monroe was really a burnette with red highlights so then burnettes with redhighlights should really be representing Marilyn monroe if it is true she bleaches her hair. Same with Pamela Anderson. So some blondes maybe plain joe.

I happen to be a natural blond. Throughout my life I have been called everything from bimbo, slut, airhead, and barbie. I am none of those things. It seems that often a woman's intelligence is overlooked due to the colour of her hair. During a period in my teens I chose to wear fake glasses and dyed my hair reddish-brown in an attempt to be taken more seriously by my teachers and the boys at school. This didn't last very long. I know some very bad blond jokes could be made about my actions, but I felt very uncomfortable with all the attention I recieved, such as winks from my teachers. Now, in my twenties, I have grown my hair passed my shoulders and am wearing my natural colour. I have a bachelor's degree and am currently pursuing an accounting designation, I find that at times people look at me sideways when I tell them of my carreer plans. I go to a university where 75% of the students are asian, and often I am the only blonde in my lecture hall. (aside from the obvious black eyebrowed bleach blonde chicks) It might sound silly, but I often feel being blond has been more a problem in my life then a bonus. My boyfriend loves my hair colour, and sometimes his dad is a little creepy when he looks at my chest. (I actually had an ex who was so obsessed with my long blonde hair that he wanted to brush it all the time, I found that a little to weird, kind of like a guy who has a fetish to be stepped on my women in high heels.. nm) I have women I have never spoken to call me a bitch or a slut, and even had a friend tell me that if she didnt know me as a person, and saw me on the street she would have made an assumption that I was bitchy. This really isn't fair. I would go as far as to say I am discriminated against and face racial harrassment due to the colour of my hair.

My advice? If you really want to be a treated like a piece of meat and not an intelligent being, then dye your hair blonde.

Sorry, I was looking for a website with a message board for blondes who need advice on how to be taken seriously, but this is the best I could find. If anyone has found one, could you please post it for me?

Thanks

I am a natural blonde, I am 5'10'tall and i have a large chest. All of that is natural and sometimes its more of a curse than a blessing people see me a certain way and never as anything else. I also happen to have one of the highest G.P.A.'s in my class.
Through out my life I have gotten a large amount of unwanted attention from friends to complete strangers alike. Most of the time Iam proud that I have naturally what most women have to pay for. But I would give anything to be a short average looking women if it means that I wont be stereotyped. I will always be proud of who I am. But I am not proud of unwanted attention from perverts. Not to say that I am a knock out or anything like that because dont get me wrong i have a whole list full of insecurities butonce in a while I would like not to be called a Bitch by a complete stranger. But I will always hold my head and my naturally blonde hair up high with a little dignity and grace. Giving natural blondes everywhere a good name.

or at least send me a pic of them, haahahaha

My advice to any woman who wants to be taken seriously is to not flaunt your sexuality (except maybe with your significant other who knows you quite well), otherwise you will give the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are probably a shallow person.

Steve...what do you mean by "flaunt your sexuality"?

I don't think anyone should "flaunt" anything, however there's something wrong with the stereotype that a beautiful and sexy woman can't also be intelligent and have something profound to add to a conversation.

And that says more about the people who wrongly perceive that woman, as opposed to her.

Well, I guess what I meant by that was, for women to just be themselves. Sometimes some women think being sexy is like acting like Marilyn Monroe or some other movie star, which just makes her look phoney and forced. I just find women that aren't trying to project a Hollywood stereotype of sexy are easier to take seriously.

I'm not saying a woman CAN'T be intelligent by being beautiful and sexy, by the way, I guess I'm just saying, as long as her sexyness is her own, and not some act, it's easier to take seriously, that's all. I should say, I can't say I've met many women who seem to be putting on an act, in that regard, fortunately.

I've just found that overtly sexual people are often trying to make up for some other deficiency, trying to hide something, or simply just looking for love...none of which have anything to do with the person's intelligence or lack thereof.

However, in my mind there is a difference between being "overtly sexual" and being just a sexual, or sexually aware person, which to me is all apart of personal enlightenment.

Ok, let me put it this way, while it is true that there is no link between beauty, sexyness (spelling?) and intelligence per se, those that are commonly known as 'airheads' do exist, irregardless of their beauty or lack thereof. Not that this makes them 'bad people', just that they don't have much in the intellect department, that's all.

Personally, I have met a number of blondes over the years who are smart that I have also found attractive, so I don't want to give you the impression that I think all blondes are dumb or something, not at all.

I agree Chantal, but it's pretty difficult for a lot of people to figure out what is "just being themselves" and what is influenced by society and culture - very interesting subject!

I actually can't think of any women I personally know who are both really beautiful and really intelligent... but I don't think that has anything to do with any negative correlation between beauty and intelligence; it just means that both qualities are pretty rare.

Basically, I think people assume that because they don't see women who have both of those qualities that the qualities themselves must be mutually exclusive. The reality, however, is that saying "I don't know any women who are both beautiful and intelligent" is like saying "I don't any women who both knit and juggle." It's not as if knowing how to knit prevents a person from learning to juggle, it's just that it's rare enough to have just one of those skills let alone both. Same with beauty and intelligence. It's not as if great beauty prevents great intelligence, it's just that very few people are blessed with one of these things, let along both.

I hope that made some kind of sense.

"...it's just that very few people are blessed with one of these things, let along both."

Do you really believe that TA? That there are few beautiful and/or intelligent people out there?

Perhaps your standard of what is beautiful is too high or unrealistic. Or maybe, when you do meet a beautiful woman, you don't allow her the opportunity to show how intelligent she really is.

Many would argue that right here on BC there are plenty of both beautiful AND intelligent women.

I'll give you some time to take the foot out of your mouth.

Do you really believe that TA? That there are few beautiful and/or intelligent people out there?

Yes. I do believe that there relatively few beautiful or (extremely) intelligent people out there. That's what makes them beautiful or (extremely) intelligent instead of "average."

Now, I think my view does beg one question: Why don't people have this same assumption about men? (This assumption being "beauty is negatively correlated with brains")

After all, men aren't any more likely than women to be attractive or intelligent, so they should be just as unlikely as women to be both intelligent and beautiful, yet we don't have a "hot guys are dumb" stereotype...

Any of the points that I made could easily have been applied to men or women, I hold no stereotypes about hot smart guys or hot dumb ones, or whatever....

But back to the topic at hand...if you really don't know any (or few) beautiful and/or intelligent people, my advice is that you get out there and meet more people. I know a lot of "average"--by your definition-- people, but I also know PLENTY of beautiful men and women, intelligent men and women, and beautiful AND intelligent men and women.

They are definitely out there, just take a look around.

Any of the points that I made could easily have been applied to men or women, I hold no stereotypes about hot smart guys or hot dumb ones, or whatever....


Chantal, I was certainly not trying to accuse you of having a stereotype or being sexist.

I feel like I might be being misinterpreted so let me try to explain.

In comment #61, Steve said:

My advice to any woman who wants to be taken seriously is to not flaunt your sexuality (except maybe with your significant other who knows you quite well), otherwise you will give the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are probably a shallow person.

That made me thing: "Where does our culture's idea that beautiful women can't be smart and smart women can't be beautiful come from?" I don't subscribe to the idea, and it's always seemed very sexist to me. But, I wanted to try to give people the benefit of the doubt and try to come up with a reason people might have innocently come to this obviously mistaken belief.

I gave it some thought and wondered if maybe people think it's not possible for women to be both very attractive and very intelligent just because it's not common for women to be both. Defining "beautiful" as being "far above average in attractiveness" and "very intelligent" as being "far above average in intelligence" it's obvious that most people won't be either of those things and only very few people will be both. In other words, most beautiful women won't be extremely intelligent (just because most people by definition aren't far above average in intelligence) and most extremely intelligent women won't be beautiful (just because most people, by definition, aren't far above average in looks).

A guy looks around himself and sees "most of my beautiful female friends aren't extremely intelligent and most of my really smart female friends aren't beautiful. I guess it's true that smart women can't be pretty and pretty women can't be smart!" Thus, an incorrect stereotype is "confirmed" in people's minds because of the wierdness of probability.


When I made my point in my last post about how this should be equally applicable to men, I wasn't criticizing you at all; I was trying to explain a flaw in my argument that I had noticed but you hadn't pointed out. Basically, If I was trying to find a non-sexist "cause" for this incorrect stereotype I had failed, because my theory does not explain why we, as a culture, have this stereotype about "dumb hot women" and NOT about "dumb hot men."

Obviously, there is some sexism at the root of this stereotype, or it would apply equally to both sexes.

Thanks for reading. I hope this makes what I'm trying to say more clear.

I never took offense, TA, but I appreciate you clarifying.

Be well :)

Interesting points you two, I guess the male equivalent of a 'dumb blonde' stereotype would be the 'dumb jock' stereotype.

Now of course, TA...Chantal does have a point...I mean 95% of any general population will have an IQ of between 70-130. So if by intelligent you mean 'genius', then you have a valid point, only about half of the remaining 5% would fit into that category, presumably being divided 50/50 between men and women so...1 and a 1/4% would be female 'geniuses' and the same number presumably male... rare indeed!!!

However, I'm not sure 'intelligent' should be the sole preserve of the 'genius' category. Otherwise, 95% of the population would be dumb!!! (Maybe I'm just being too touchy, my IQ is only 126).

I have known a fair number of beautiful AND intelligent women in my day, alas all the ones I know right now are spoken for.

Actually, I should have said 97 and a 1/2% would be dumb not 95%, because the other 2 and a 1/2 below an IQ of 70 would be 'mentally challenged' for lack of a better term.

Anyway, you get my drift. I think we need a broader definition of 'intelligence' than 'genius' lol. But then, as I say, I'm biased!!

I think we need a broader definition of 'intelligence' than 'genius'

Fair enough.

You're using two standard deviations above the mean. (95% of people fall within two standard deviations). I would probably use something between one standard deviation and two standard deviations, but to be generous, let's just say that to be considered "beautiful" or "very intelligent" one just has to be one standard deviation above average. 68% of people fall within one standard deviation of the mean. Thus 16% of people will fall above one standard deviation of the mean in intelligence and 16% percent will fall above one standard deviation of the mean in attractiveness. Since these two probabilities are independent, the chances of being both intelligent and beautiful would be the product of the probabilities: P(bc)= .16 x .16 = .025 or 2.5%. Since, as you say, only 50% of these people will be women, that leaves only 1.25% of the human population composed of beautiful, intelligent women.


I have known a fair number of beautiful AND intelligent women in my day, alas all the ones I know right now are spoken for.

I was lucky enough to find a beautiful, intelligent man, who isn't bothered by my average looks. :)

Sorry if this is dull or nonsensical; insomnia is driving me crazy.

ooohhh, stats re. beauty??? You are brave!!! I've never seen such stats and I just wonder how one would go about defining beauty in a woman??? You know, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and all that?? After all, I've seen some (what are to me anyway) real butt ugly couples, so...I don't know...it's wayyy past my bedtime lol.

ooohhh, stats re. beauty??? You are brave!!! I've never seen such stats

These aren't special statistics on beauty. I just assumed that beauty was normally distributed in the population like IQ or height. It was a simplification.

When statisticians study beauty, however, they usually have a group of people (read: grad students, I'm sure) look at a photos and rate the people's attractiveness. I guess they assume that taking the average of a group of people should minimize the "in the eye of the beholder" bit.

I just wonder how one would go about defining beauty in a woman???

If I recall correctly, the quality most correlated with female beauty was the symmetry of her facial features. I also think women with larger eyes and smaller noses were found to be more attractive, but I don't remember if these findings came out of the same study or different ones.

I have read at various times that many of the characteristics considered beautiful transcend cultures, so I imagine there is some kind of objective template shared by humans

As a natural blonde, what I always find disconcerting is the number of people who accuse blondes of being "bitchy" or supposedly "vain". Myself and fellow natural blondes I've come across over the years have never made a big deal out of our hair colour, it's always been other people who have made petty digs at us just because we're stereotyped as being a certain way. Either that or women bleach their hair and play up to the whole "dumb blonde" image, which in turn fuels people's desire to belittle us.

I have golden blonde hair and it suits me, but I certainly don't see myself as being some major sex siren or anything; far from it! I'm not a bimbo and I think that people who stereotype are immature and ridiculous...I don't give them the time of day.

By the way, in response to Bob A. Booey, blondes DO have variation in colour! You can get many tones of blonde, not just white blonde.

you tell 'em Alice!

I am a natural blonde and also happen not to be a bimbo.I am originally from Sweden and dont understand Americans fascination with being blonde. I am your typical Swedish Blonde. I personally prefer darker hair and eyes I think that it is much more sexy.But over all I really dont care hair color only goes so far. And has nothing to do with intelligence.

frankly I am tired of blondes getting all of the attention. To look at the popular media, you would think the only women find love and marriage are blondes!

As a woman of african american descent, it annoys me seeing this obsession with long blonde hair as if the only standard of beauty is to be thin, young and blonde...and no one else matters. It like men look through you like you're not even there if a blonde walks into the room. I dated a man who darn near fell out of his chair when one of those showy blondes came into the bar...I wanted to strangle him! What disrespect

It always amazes me when columns get resurrected like this.

For the record, I'm still no gentleman, give me brunettes any day of the week. With a Redhead on the weekend, and don't tell my wife, she'll beat me.

I was gonna comment, but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...

Let's just leave with this. When i was a baby, I was blond, and so were my boys as babies. We anin't babies anymore.

my favorite hair color for a woman is (not in any particular order) brunette, redhead, blonde, black, gray and salt-and-pepper...

My natural hair color is lightish brown with blonde and red highlights......I have the best of three worlds! Sadly, I did the mistake of dying my hair blonde again (a throw back to my high school days...I am in my early 20's now), and find I dont like it very much. I am part swedish and very light, with blue/green eyes, so the blonde does look "natural" (discounting my dark eyebrows...yes, I'm one of THOSE blondes), yet I do miss my darker hair! I find I am stereo typed much more than I was before: People insinuate I am stupid (I have an IQ of 126), and when I tell people that I like to write, draw, am in the us reserves, and am interested in sciences, I get some pretty dazed looks! I work at a bar and if I say one silly hting to a guy going there, he immediately teases the hell out of me. I always give a sharp reply back, all in good fun, but it does get irritating to always prove yourself after a while. I also attract more lecherous men. Men who seem to only care about how "attarctive" they find me. Guys who blatantly harrass me. To which I give a piece of my mind most of the time. Sadly, people do judge you on your looks. I am planning to re dye my hair a darker brown, which I actually like BETTER, because I find light skin and dark hair more unique than the millions of blondes in society. I've been called beautiful, gorgeous, pretty....whatever! But I find I appreciate it more with my darker hair. I was blessed with decent features....but they are not everything, regardless of what some shallow minded people say. Having a heart and a mind and a sense of humor is sooo much more appealing. To all the people who stereotype and say blondes are better, well, they're not! Personality and kindness do play a huge role in attractiveness. I have met many many people who are not traditionally attractive, but whose personalities rock so much that they look gorgeous to me. I freaking hate stereotyping. No one can think for themseleves anymore. As long as your personality shines, msot people will find you attracive no matter what. And the hell with the rest of em! I know, I know, it sounds preachy.....but the people who only see you for how you look are people not worth knowing one little bit! Since when did we hafta start altering ourseleves for society anyways?? Once you start doing what you want to do and doing those things for yourself and not other people (and by that I mean not doing things for people so they will like you or be attarcted to you).....THAT'S when you're most attracive. =)

Umm. I seriously don't get why blondes are so 'hot', maybe it's cuz I'ma tri-racial Latina/Black/Indian, but its whatever. And also the summary say "choosing to become blond, women may feel younger, whiter and sexier" What, so if you're whiter you're sexier? News flash! Glue-colored skin is no where near as nice dark black, native american, or latina skin. Why is it that 'true beauty' is blonde hair, light skin, blue eyes, fake boobs, anorexic waist, flat butt, and thin legs. I'm like the opposite, black hair, dark skin, dark brown eyes, a C, average waist, big butt, and thick legs. So all yall conceited, blonde, white chicks can kiss it for real cuz I'm sick of gettin ignored as soon as they fake selves walk in the room...

Tiffany-Marie, you will get no arguments from Sir Mix-a-lot on your preferred look

I am naturally blonde 27 year old woman. My hair was practically white when I was a child. Once I hit my teen years, it darkened a bit. My hair is now a golden colour. It gets light in the summer and darker in the winter. Personally, I think being blonde can be disadvantageous much of the time. Throughout my life people feel the need to tell me "blonde jokes", which are very hurtful. Many times I've been targeted while in groups as a "dumb blonde". Once, in grade school while my class was playing a game ("yeah, ask her... she's blonde"), recently on a haunted walk tour in England and countless other times. I was in a store the other day and there was a t-shirt that read "Blondes may have more fun, but I can read!" How absurd!
I have never had a preference when dating men. Ethnicity or hair colour didn't really matter to me. If I was attracted to someone and him as a person it didn't matter. I feel sorry for people who have a preference for a certain hair colour etc. You could really miss out on getting to know a truly wonderful,smart, caring person.
I have been with my boyfriend for five years and he loves me not because of my hair... he loves who I am.

I was born with and have always had naturally very blonde hair(which is so long it reaches the floor), eyes that are bluer, lighter, and brighter than the sky, a very fair rosy complexion, nad eyelashes, eyebrows, and pubic hair that is as light of blonde as my hair. I'm also very slim with naturally very large boobs, and having been born in Sweden I also have a Swedish accent that many guys find to be very sexy.

I always get lots of attention and compliments from guys(of all hair colors, nationalities and races) on how beautiful they find me, and my beautiful ultrablonde floor length hair,(which I always wear down,and boy do guys love seeing it swing and dance around as I walk or move) bright piercing blue eyes,etc. I have traveled to many diefferent countries and have found that countries in which natural blondes are rare to virtually non-existant the guys especially seem to lust after blondes. On my visits to Asia, Mexico, South america, Africa, and the Mediterranean countries the men couldn't stop staring at me and even wanted to touch and play with my superlong soft very blonde hair.

While men everywhere ( from very blonde to the darkest of black men) always seem to be crazy over me, my experiences with brunette and the other darker females hasn't always been so pleasant. Many of them often hate me out of jealousy of how blonde and beautiful I am. I have even had other natural blondes be jealous of me(because they weren't as beautiful and their hair not as blonde and long as mine). I have even had some jealous brunettes threaten to cut offand even set my hair on fire. Fortunately they never did although a few did unsuccesfully try.

I don't hate brunettes. I don't hate anyone. Nor am I trying to say all brunettes are jealous. I have many brunette female friends and friends of both genders of all different races. All of whom are good people that like me not just for my beauty but also for my personality, which is the way it should be.

Now to address the stereotypes about blondes. yes just like many on this thread have said I have received many stereotypes for being blonde. i have had many automatically assume that I'm an airhead because I happen to have extremely long very blonde hair, large boobs, and because I dress in sexy, revealing, skimpy clothes. Like Cindi and Chuck mentioned I have had some accuse my blonde hair of being fake.

A word to Cindi. please don't dye your hair. The people that accuse your very blonde hair of being fake are either just jealous or dumb, or both. Whenever someone accuses my hair of being fake here's what I do. I say to them "look at my eyebrows and eyelashes and how blonde they are. Look at my hair too and how it has absolutely no dark roots.Do you need anymore proof that I'm naturally blonde." If they still isnist on accusing me of being a fake blonde I just laugh at them and say something like "And you say that blondes are dumb. Looks like you must be the dumb one if you can't see that with my light eyebrows, eyelashes, and all my light features that I am indeed a natural blonde."

As for dealing with the stereotypes of being an airhead. first let me say that I am 18 years old, graduated high school with almost straight a's all the way through (had a couple B's in my freshman year and one in my sophomore year),and am now in college. I actually have to say that i don't mind if people don't take me serious at first when it comes to intelligence becuase of my hair color and my beauty. I like it as a matter of fact that people underestimate me in this category. As I hear people who see me for the first time talk about how hot I am but also about how much of an airhead I must be. I have heard many guys say things like the blonder and more beautiful a woman is the dumber they tend to be. So because people of these stereotypes that I often recieve for being blonde and beautiful I enjoy proving them wrong when they see how intelligent I really am. Makes me laugh. As then they look like the dumb ones. LOL! Nothing like making people that make stereotypes about your hair color and calling you dumb for it), look like the dumb ones.


I'm sure that yes I could go through life getting any guy I want and pretty much whatever I want because of my looks without having any brains. However, I don't beleivbe in that. I chose to do good and get high grades in school, and go to college and get a great education. When I got those couple of B's in my freshmen and sophomore years in high school, I saw that as room for improvement. So I studied harder and used that as incentive to get staright A's in my junior and senior year, and hopefully now through college.

Let me tell you it just feels so good to make those who make stereotypes about blondes being dumb look like the dumb ones. So therefore my word of advice to the natural blondes who are intelligent. If someone stereotypes you and assumes your an airhead just because you're blonde let your intelligence prove them wrong. Then laugh at them for making them look like the dumb ones. For those natural blondes being accused of being fake do what I do as mentioned above. If they still insist on accusing your hair of being fake laugh at them as it just proves that they're either dumb, jealous, or both. Don't let others jealousy and/or stereotypes get you down. However don't go hating anyone that isn't blonde because of it either. I hope my message was of help to you natural blondes that have had to deal with stereotypes, jealousy, or accusations of your hair being dyed.

As for men wanting a woman with naturallly blonde hair. Sorry, but I'm happily married already. hang in there though. I'm sure if you guys are good-looking and have a good personality you'll find yourselves a beautiful naturally blonde woman.

I'm blond and I'm an absolute airhead. No two ways about it ... there HAS to be a correlation.

I even used to dye it a bit darker when I was younger so that people wouldn't know, and would take me seriously, but then you end up with a white stripe down the middle of your head like a GT racer, and because I'm a surfer the dye used to go eventually and the sun would bleach it back to blond, so it would be streaky and the tips would always be blond anyway.

Great look, that. Also, putting a darker dye through my hair didn't make me any smarter or appear any more serious (while girls always wanted to go out with me, I had a hard time convincing any of them I'd make a good husband) so in the end I just caved in to the inevitable ...

It's now white, and still getting the shit bleached out of it by the sun & surf.

What can a(n old) boy do?

(Here's a trick though: On my way to work, I often simply pull in to the local service station, and after filling up with petrol, stick the air hose into my ear and pump some more compressed into my head. Because in reality, I secretly love being blond!)

Hey, Naturally very blonde floor length haired Swedish girl

I don't know if its the color of your hair so much as how hot your figure sounds as well as your hair length. I think their is a physcal ideal for women and it sounds like you have it. It could be the contrast too. Meaning in a room full of light haired people, if a women walked in with your features (thin and statueus(sp?), full breasts and long floor length hair) if the hair was jet black and the skin was dark, she'd still turn all heads. Then again I think a women like that would still turn heads even if it wasn't a room full of light haired people. A woman like this and you walking in a room together would probably cause quite a scene.

It was so refreshing to see the comment by "Naturally very blonde floor length haired Swedish girl." She really does speak the truth and sums up the reality that everyone knows but is often afraid to say --that unbiased men of every ethnicity I'm aware of in almost all cases prefer natural blonde (esp. "light" natural blonde) women over all others. No one can deny that when a blonde woman, even an "average" looking one (although admittedly most natural blonde women I've encountered in my life are usually hot or at least above average), walks into a room, all heads, male and female, turn to look. The males look in lust, while the females, as Ms. Natural Blonde Swedish Babe writes, usually look with jealousy, envy or even hostility. But hey, it's not the blonde's fault that she was born blessed with golden hair, blue eyes and fair rosy skin. Nor should she be ashamed of it...rather I think she should be proud of her looks and flaunt it. That would certainly make me and a lot of other guys happy! Just picturing Naturally Very Blonde Floor Length Haired Swedish Girl makes me so excited...now that's powerful!

Sabrina makes a comment above that if you look at the popular media, you would think the only women who find love and marriage are blondes. I agree that the statement may not be too far from the truth. That must explain the explosion of fake blondes, since women are becoming more and more aware that love and romance could be had in a much more prevalent way when one is blonde.

I've also noticed, from my observation of others and my own experiences, that when it comes to marriage or a long-term relationship, guys usually seek out blondes. The reason behind this phenomenon, I would guess, is that blonde women represent the "ultimate" in feminine beauty, and our ocassional encounter with the gorgeous blonde serves to remind us guys of this fact. No other woman is able to stroke the male libido in the same way, or invoke feelings of lust, as a hot blonde does. Thus, when such encounters do occur, so long as a guy is at the time with another blonde, then such lustful feelings seldom result in frustration and want. If, on the other hand, one is not, it is often the case that the feelings of lust are accompanied by feelings of frustration at not being able to experience the best. Because of this, guys will seldom refuse opportunities to be with a blonde even under extreme circumstances. Beautiful blonde women have no doubt been a major cause of marital infidelity. As Naturally very blonde floor length haired Swedish girl states above, guys of all races in every country of the world lusts after her...I'm sure she could attest to the fact that she can pretty much get whatever guy she wants -- is that right?

But looks aren't everything, and so those women who are not naturally blonde, or those who cannot pass for or look good as a blonde, can comfort themselves in the fact that "less than the best" looks coupled with a fabulous character and good personality can still bring love and romance their way...just not to the same degree that blonde women experience.

I felt I had to speak on behalf of the fake blondes of the world, as there seem to be few here. Just a lot of women lamenting the 'hardships' of being a natural blonde, and a lot of other people criticising those of us who dye because it's not "natural". Please. As if anything about our appearances these days is natural.

We work out the gym to alter our body shapes because we're not happy with something. We buy booster bras. We wear clothes to accentuate our figures. We use blow dryers instead of naturally accentuing our waves and kinks. We wear make up. And it's not just the women. Men go to the gym. Men use hair gel and mousse and style their hair. I know plenty of men who fuss over their clothing.
So to those of you who are attacking blondes for being fake, if you can honestly tell me there is not one single beauty regime you use, then fine. Argument accepted. If not, you're as fake as the rest of us. And there is nothing wrong with any of it. If you feel more confident a certain way, then so be it.

And you poor natural blondes out there who have been warding off comments all your life, face it, there are just some pigs in this world. And if it's not your hair they're being assholes about, it'll be something else. That's just life. Throw back a witty quip or throw a drink in their face if they're being truly obnoxious. End of story.

And I resent all these "all fake blondes look unnatural" comments. Yeah, some do. But then there are those of us who look a hell of a lot better with blonde hair. I'm naturally very pale with green eyes, very little body hair and medium brown hair that makes me look like a ghost. Unlike the natural blondes, people are shocked when I tell them I dye my hair. At the end of that day, it's just hair. If you don't make a big deal out of it, nobody else will.

And besides, I feel so much more confident with blonde hair, and I think all men and women will agree, confidence and self assurance is the most attractive trait somebody can embody, correct?

"on behalf of the fake blondes" is Bleached Brunette propoganda.

On behalf of the Blonde people I say, please, stop attaching words to the name Blonde.

Please don't call us 'natural' Blondes. We don't need to qualify for our own name.

Please don't attach words like "fake" or "bleached" to our name either. If those are your qualities you're not Blonde.

I hope Bleached Brunettes will get over not being Blonde and not having an assumed name to hide behind and not having a tiny minority group to bully.

I think that naturally very dumb blonde floor length haired Swedish girl perfectly proves the stereotype of the dumb blonde to be indeed true. It also sounds like she needs to cut about five feet of her ugly hair off. Floor length hair is just ridiculous, ugly, disgusting, and not at all sexy. Though I guess she obviously is too damn stupid to see that.

Blonde women (real ones!) are undoubtedly the hottest among women.
Not so many, therefore each one is precious!

Natural vs. bleached blondes:

I was born blonde with blue eyes. Also very intelligent. As a natural blonde I have heard every line and joke about blondes. I honestly think that these jokes are actually directed
at the bleached blonde crowd! Brunettes hate our beauty and are jealous of it. Men follow us around like dogs in heat. What can you do? Ignore it! Getting a quality education and being able to support myself were my first goals in life. Men and dating came later. I was always more concerned with what I thought and felt about someone,... not the other way around. If you try to look or act how the outside world projects onto you in a shallow way, you will never be happy. Just one tip for the bleached blondes: PLEASE LADIES TOUCH UP THOSE ROOTS!!! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

that [Gratuitous vulgarity deleted by Comments Editor] joana pitman is talking nonsense. How can be that only 5 percent of american and northern european women are blonde?
and she is messing up northern european with american wahhaha what a joke as if white americans are that blonde ahah. everytime americans go to countries like denmark, norway,sweden or holland they get amazed how blonde and homogeneus people is over there so is no way to compare americn ans with northern europeans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
even in america i would ,say blondes make far more than 5% of european descent people but are of course a minorrity , let's say 15% would be more accurate (thats excluding lightbrown).
not to talk about northern europe(excluding the UK and ireland) where blondes make around half of population at least if not the majority specially in women. WTF are u talking joana pitman where have u been? im sure you are a dark irish or welsh descent with a huge complex