Blondes are dumb or smart. Blonde against stereotypes

It seemed that the classic story of the most famous "legally blonde" Helen Wood had long ago put an end to the dispute about the mental abilities of fair-haired people. But jokes about stupid blondes continue to litter the media space and make life difficult for girls. Probably, it is not so easy to abandon the stereotype that has developed over many centuries? .. No matter how. The myth of the weak mental abilities of blondes is much younger than we think.

And the sky is bluer, and the grass is greener, and blondes are smarter. How was it before?

Throughout its history, European civilization has praised people with blond hair. Their owners were considered strong and wise and attributed to them leadership skills. Even in primitive society, blondes were considered more beautiful than brunettes and brown-haired, and the very fact of their existence in our time indicates this. Blond hair (and often going "in the kit" Blue eyes) are recessive traits and easily overlap with any other darker and "strong" color. If our ancestors were prejudiced against blondes and considered them stupider than the rest, over hundreds of thousands of years, evolution would have simply forced them out of the gene cycle. There were always fewer blondes, but their privileged position gave them the opportunity to be more prudent and picky in choosing a partner, because they never had a shortage of proposals.

AT Ancient Greece and Rome, blondes were also treated with respect and honor and considered them the standard of beauty. Suffice it to recall at least the light curls of the goddess Aphrodite. There is evidence that women of that era were in the sun for a long time on purpose, exposing their hair smeared with vinegar, coal or goat fat to the rays to make it lighter. From here, by the way, the myth of stupid blondes originates, but for a start - only about dyed ones. Women who try to lighten their hair are condemned, for example, by the poet Propertius in his Ellegies, considering their desire to be useless and superficial.

What has changed?

The myth itself dumb blondes appeared relatively recently - around the beginning of the 19th century. In 1868 British burlesque dancers (later known as British Blondie) performed on stage New York variation on the myth Greek god Ixion. Moralists were outraged by how 4 talented blonde girls squandered their abilities, jumping around the stage in pantyhose and showing the audience only their beautiful bodies. But the production became a real sensation and quickly gained popularity, earning itself an army of not only fans, but also imitators.

Joanna Pitman argues that the myth of stupid blondes dates back to Rosalie Dute, a French courtesan ridiculed for her simplicity in the 1775 play Les Curiosités de la foire. But that production was not very successful, and Dute herself is mentioned in the works of many contemporary authors, so in this case we can only talk about the prototype of vile jokes.

Be that as it may, the next and most serious blow to the image of the blonde in culture was dealt by Anita Luz's book "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", which later turned into a Broadway production and received two film adaptations, in the most famous of which the role of the main character went to Marilyn Monroe (by the way, brunette from birth). Calculating blonde Lorelei Lee can hardly be called completely stupid, but her pursuit of easy life and the ability to get her way with good looks solidified the connection between blonde hair and frivolity in the minds of viewers. Since then, the image of a stupid blonde wanders from film to film and, unfortunately, is not going to disappear yet.

How is it really?

Numerous studies have shown that there is no connection between hair color and human cognitive abilities. Lighteners and paint also do not have any effect on us. But the perception of a person by others on the color of his hair still depends. In 1999, Coventry University showed men and women photographs of 4 people with different color hair ( platinum blonde, natural blond, chestnut and red, respectively). Both men and women (but mostly men) rated the woman with platinum hair stupider than the rest, and the owner natural shade described as "popular". The catch was that in the photo shown to the subjects, only the wigs were changed. The model itself remained the same.

Scientists have also established the connection between human behavior and the stereotypes that society hangs on him. It turned out that the myth about the stupidity of blondes first of all strikes them. A 2004 German study showed that blondes who were given a collection of relevant jokes before completing a task completed the test more slowly than those who were not given such a collection. It's all about self-esteem and self-confidence. People who were shielded from being judged by their hair color remained confident in their abilities and had no problem deciding. And those participants who, before completing the task, were “reminded” that they were blondes and therefore should be stupid, spent more time doubting the correctness of their decision, subconsciously trying to match the image that the jokes broadcast to them.

However, not only the owners of blonde hair. Remember that brunettes are bitchy, and redheads "have no soul"? Owners of more exotic hair colors (blue, for example) are accused of depravity mixed with infantilism and selfishness. Like the myth about the stupidity of blondes, these words have no confirmation, but they greatly spoil the life of every girl who ... wait a second, has hair? So if society finds something to complain about anyway, is it worth it to put up with these stupid jokes and let them destroy our self-confidence?

Surely everyone has heard that blondes are called, to put it mildly, "stupid". It mostly came from anecdotes. But, anecdotes are anecdotes, and people spur blondes on this, which shames them. Are blondes really stupid?

As I have already said, jokes are made about them, they are laughed at, films are made about them. What does the movie "Blonde in Chocolate" cost, but they are cool.

Blondes are a unique phenomenon, as they are both the subject of adoration for men and the subject of ridicule. Studies conducted by scientists have shown that more than 65 percent of men like blondes!

So what is their secret? - Is it really only the hair color (which, by the way, is so easy to change) that has such an attractive effect? Personally, I heard that "blonde girls are more relaxed and frivolous - this perfect option if you want to have a fun and easy time."

But are blondes really as narrow-minded as they appear to us in jokes? Do they really deserve to be ridiculed? More precisely, or is there a clear link between light hair color and low IQ?

Well, first of all, if this is true, then only natural blondes should be studied. How many of us have these? Scientific evidence shows that natural blondes are an endangered species. Every year they become less and less. But the number of those who decide to change their color to a lighter one is inexorably growing.

Secondly, do they all automatically become fools? Or are fools still not blondes, but brunettes repainted into blondes?

In general, in order to understand where the “legs grow from” jokes about blondes, you need to - you will laugh - study history.

There are two versions of where jokes about blondes come from:

First: brunettes make up their long lonely evenings.
Second: they are invented by men who were rejected by blondes.

Both of them are comic, although not without reason.

Only in America, where women have a certain penchant for feminism and independence from men, could the idea of ​​celebrating "Blonde Day" have arisen.

Moreover, the idea of ​​celebrating such an extravagant occasion arose in the ranks of lawyers and lawyers. It was the union of lawyers in America that initiated the " national day blondes" July 9, 2001. Then the idea was picked up around the world, and now it is on May 31 of each year that it passes under the flag of " world day blondes."

Blonde joke:

There is a blonde and a brunette at the bus stop. The blonde asks: "What route number do you need?". The brunette replies: "I'm number 9, and you?" "And I'm 2," the blonde replied.
Bus number 29 arrives and the blonde happily exclaims: "Oh! Cool! Suitable for the two of us."

The conclusion I want to draw is that the mind does not depend on the color of the hair.

How many blondes I have met so far know, what I have to say is that they are stupid. On the contrary, they produced on me only positive impression. And these conversations are just a joke.

Men have their own scores for blondes. They are de and stupid, and greedy, and frivolous. We collected seven myths about blondes and dispelled them with ease. And now we can say with all responsibility: all this was invented by notorious men and evil women who envy someone else's beauty.

Myth one. Blondes are stupid

Let's not argue with men who consider the joke about the fair-haired silly to be the height of wit. Just a reminder that:

• At 13, natural blonde Sharon Stone had an IQ of 154. The same was the adult Einstein.
• In 2006, writer JK Rowling received the title of the highest paid writer in the world, and in 2007 she was recognized as the smartest blonde of the year.
• Scientists have NOT PROVEN that hair color - natural or acquired - affects mental capacity.
• Russian scientists believe that blondes owe their tarnished intellectual reputation ... to their paradoxical thinking. The fact is that they “due to hormonal differences, have a more pronounced purely female logic". This, by the way, was written by a man.

Myth two. Blondes are terrible spenders

Not a single woman (blonde, brunette, redhead, or at least blue-haired) will call a purchase a “senseless waste” new handbag, perfume bottle or scarf. But for some reason, it is blond girls that men accuse of a frivolous attitude to money. It turns out that fair-haired women really spend more than 300 euros a month on spontaneous purchases of all kinds of "trinkets" (we are talking about English women). And do you know why? Yes, because blondes simply earn more! Their monthly income is about 1200 euros after all taxes, brunettes earn about 1120 euros, and redheads - no more than 1070 euros. Such a study was conducted by a website that specializes in personal finance management.

Myth three. Blonde driving is funny and dangerous

It's no secret that men treat women motorists, to put it mildly, with disdain. And the blond girl behind the wheel of a small red car is the object of endless ridicule. Of course, it is difficult for the representatives of the stronger sex to admit that someone other than them can control three pedals with the help of two legs, but, alas, such acrobatic numbers are not uncommon. Proof of? Please! Did you know that even in Formula 1 races 9 women took part? And one of them - the Italian Giovanna Amati - was a blonde. True, she did not win the victory, but she defended the honor of all fair-haired women behind the wheel. In Moscow, by the way, there are several specialized taxi firms where women are drivers, and there are much fewer complaints about their work than about the work of male taxi drivers.

Myth four. Blondes are frivolous and accessible

Only very insecure individuals of the stronger sex consider blondes to be tireless "sexual maniacs". And, of course, they bypass women with such an active personal life. However, scientists have shown that in this category, fair-haired women are inferior to redheads, who do change partners very often. And blond beauties, on the contrary, are distinguished by fidelity and constancy.

Myth five. Blondes are weak and helpless

A gentle, defenseless blond beauty is, of course, the dream of any man. But are blondes really more defenseless than women with a different hair color? It is enough to turn on the TV in the evening to refute this statement. It is hardly possible to call Yulia Timoshenko or Elena Baturina, Ksenia Sobchak, Ella Panfilova or Valentina Matvienko helpless. By the way, “ The Iron Lady» Margaret Thatcher dyed her hair blonde precisely at those moments when she had to make unpopular and tough political decisions.

Myth six. A blonde won't marry a poor man

For some reason, it is believed that millionaires go to the registry office exclusively with fair-haired people. But it's not. One of the dating sites analyzed the hair color of 100 wives richest men peace. It turned out that only 16% of millionaires chose blondes. This means that there are millions of unmarried blond beauties in the world, and at least a few thousand of them are ready to connect their lives with a simple engineer or manager.

Myth seven. In 200 years blondes (and blondes) will die out

AT last years only a very lazy journalist did not write about this tragic event that awaits humanity in a couple of hundred years. The inevitable disappearance of blond people is explained by the fact that the sign of blond hair is recessive, which means that the person of the future will be swarthy and dark-haired. But all these statements contradict the Hardy-Weinberg genetic law (we will not explain its action, for the most intelligent formula: p² + 2pq + q² = 1). But the best thing about this problem was expressed by World Organization of Health, who said she "has no opinion on whether blondes will exist in the future."

In the USSR, they joked about the Chukchi and Rabinovich, in the dashing 90s - about the new Russians in crimson jackets, and now every fifth joke is about a blonde. The unfortunate fair-haired creature has become synonymous with narrow-mindedness and stupidity. Moreover, this stereotype appeared relatively recently - total "blondism" is no more than 10 years old. The question is where from? It couldn't have happened that all the golden-haired girls suddenly became stupid at once and received a wagon and a small cart of jokes in their address. Moreover, even a red diploma from a technical university does not give reason to doubt the stupidity of its owner: they say, we know how you got it. So how long, in fact, will they offend poor girls, and most importantly, where did this offensive stereotype come from? Journalist site (by the way, the owner of not the most dark hair) decided to look into this issue and collected such hypotheses.

Hypothesis #1: Blond jokes are made up by hurt men

Here's the thing: at the time Soviet Union women, of course, flew into space and were bosses, but the percentage of such was negligible. Most showed their talents in the kitchen and at the cradle. And this is our strong men suited. But over time, women became more and more impudent: they entered technical universities, settled down on high paying job, more and more often became bosses, top managers, heads of companies, and some (an unprecedented thing!) And presidents of countries! At the same time, it was no longer shameful that they did not know how to cook, they did not want to have children, and all they needed was a career, money and independence. And for the poor men, who believed that a woman should live in the kitchen, being in her subordination was quite humiliating. So they had fun, coming up with dirty jokes about smart people. strong women. Why were they blondes? It's simple: firstly, the Slavs most often have fair-haired or light brown color hair, and secondly, blondes for a long time were very fashionable beautiful half willingly repainted in them.

Hypothesis No. 2: Jokes about blondes come up with brunettes in long lonely evenings

Since we have taken up the stereotype that all blondes are stupid, then let's stick to another: "gentlemen prefer blondes." In other words, blondes are more attractive and, as a result, more successful in their personal lives. Needless to say, this assertion is well founded. Blondes are record holders for the production of female sex hormones estrogens, and this will never escape a man, he, like a predatory animal, senses these hormones and begins to hunt for their owners. That's why blondes are so popular. And an attempt to ridicule and humiliate them in jokes is nothing more than a way to assert oneself and cover up the envy that comes through from all the cracks.

Hypothesis #3: Smart blonde jokes about stupid blondes

They say that the main female wisdom in women's stupidity. One day, the girls suddenly realized that hair color can be "speculated" and, thus, manipulated by men. Tired of fighting them for equality and foaming at the mouth to prove that they know how to calculate the discriminant, the blondes realized the meaning of the idiom “like peas against a wall” and changed tactics. They realized that it was foolish to refuse God's gift and started using it to its fullest. "You're so clever! Reinstall Windows for me, please,” or “I’m so crooked, I’ll never draw this gear in a section!”, or “I don’t understand how to hold this hammer in my hands. Please hang this picture for me. The result is clear: all the work is done by strong and smart men, and our blonde with a pristine manicure only admires. And he does it right! After all, a man, having driven in this unfortunate nail, feels at least a Superman and Alexander Druz at the same time, as a maximum - the Lord God. And everyone is fine.

Hypothesis No. 4: Jokes about blondes came up with Hollywood

In the last 10-20 years, the so-called "stupid American comedies" with a simple plot and obscene jokes literally poured into us from Hollywood. Most of them are youth, about high school students and college students. And none of these films could do without big-breasted, painted students, comparable in intelligence only to a shell, on whose stupid tricks the humor was built. Is it worth mentioning that they were all blondes? This is the American dream: the captain of the cheerleading team with a great figure and a charming emptiness in his head. By the way, the great Marilyn Monroe became the “progenitor” of the cinematic stupid blonde, playing her in the cult films Only Girls in Jazz and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Hypothesis #5: Barbie is to blame!

The most popular doll in the world can also be involved in offensive jokes. Now there are many varieties of this doll - Barbie has all hair colors and all skin colors, but in classic version she is a permanent blonde. In addition, all the attributes of Barbie's life - pink houses with pools, cars, outfits - suggest a rather idle life. And many girls, consciously or not, copy the image of this famous doll, for which they get the first number, because, if you figure out where the brains of the doll come from?

Hypothesis #6: Blondes are really stupid

We have to come to terms with the fact that the world is really quite a lot stupid girls: and blondes, and brunettes, and redheads, and bald. And there's nothing you can do about it. But why only goldilocks take the rap for everyone? Maybe because they are more visible? Plus, the generalization mechanism necessarily works: if a man in his lifetime has encountered at least two not very smart blondes (and one is enough for most), then from now on he will tell from the height of his “experience” that “well, they everyone is so dumb." Even if stupid brunettes he met more often. And it is pointless and useless to convince him. And they say: "If a person is called a pig for a long time, then sooner or later he will grunt." So maybe by awarding each and every blonde with the definition of "stupid", we thereby make them so?

Summing up, I would like to say: judging a person by the color of their hair is a sign of narrow-mindedness, and sometimes arrogance, a herd instinct, or simply bad upbringing. Each person is very individual. For example, the IQ of blond Hollywood actress Sharon Stone is 154, while an IQ of 98 is considered the norm, and only 2% of the world's population can boast of an IQ above 130. BUT natural blonde JK Rowling is now the highest paid writer after Dan Brown, but Paris Hilton is by no means a model of intelligence and sanity. As for jokes, this topic is transient: not today, tomorrow they will find a new character. In addition, jokes about blondes have already set the teeth on edge so much that only people with bad feeling humor. Be witty!