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Why are blondes stupid? Why are blondes dumb?

It seemed that the classic story of the most famous "legally blonde" Helen Wood had long put an end to the dispute about mental capacity blonde 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 blonde 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 the blue eyes that come with it) are recessive traits and are easily covered by any other darker and stronger 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 stupid blonde roams 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 blond hair face a negative assessment of personality. 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 is a species that disappears from the face of the earth. 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.

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 were credited with leadership qualities. Even in primitive society, blondes were considered more beautiful than brunettes and brown-haired women, and the very fact of their existence in our time indicates this. Blond hair (and often the blue eyes that come with it) are recessive traits and are easily covered by any other darker and stronger 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.

In 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 of "stupid blondes" itself appeared relatively recently - around the beginning of the 19th century. In 1868, British burlesque dancers (later known as British Blondie) performed a variation on the myth of the Greek god Ixion on the New York stage. 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.

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 an easy life and the ability to achieve her goal with the help of a cute appearance strengthened the connection between blond 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 pictures of 4 people with different hair colors (platinum blonde, natural blonde, chestnut and red, respectively). Both men and women (but mostly men) rated a woman with platinum hair as dumber than the rest, and the owner of a natural shade was described with the word "popular". The catch was that in the photo shown to the subjects, only the wigs were changed. The model itself remained the same.

One cannot but agree with the fact that most men (and not only) consider fair-haired girls to be stupid, frivolous and narrow-minded creatures. Remember a lot of videos and jokes about blondes driving. The stereotype has taken root in society so much that the fair sex light hair are less likely to be hired, they are less trusted.

This opinion has developed in society relatively recently - in the middle of the 20th century. Many tend to blame this on the sex symbol of the time - Marilyn Monroe. However, despite the color of her hair, the name is familiar to everyone today, she has become a legend. So do we have the right to say that blondes are stupid? It's not just about Monroe, there are a lot of such examples.

And yet, where did this opinion come from? Why are blondes considered stupid? Some are sure that in the 50s of the last century, women used very strong hair dyes to bleach their hair. chemical compositions, why really stupid.

But in antiquity, Romans and Greeks, who are mostly brunettes, deliberately sat in the sun for many hours to lighten their curls. For greater effectiveness, hair before this had to be smeared with sour milk or sprinkled with sea water.

In the Middle Ages, girls blue eyes, blond hair was a symbol of innocence, purity. These were the first beauties. As we see, so negative attitude to blondes appeared relatively recently, before it was completely different. Why are blondes considered stupid today?

According to one version, the fault is genetic memory- since the era of matriarchy, men on a subconscious level associate fair-haired ladies with gray-haired elders, wise and smart. It turns out that the representatives of the stronger sex are simply afraid of such women, because they can be smarter and more agile in many everyday affairs.

There is, of course, in the judgment of stupidity and some truth. There have always been and will be ladies who are concerned about their appearance, not their mind. They watch TV shows, read glamor magazines, try to look like someone else, and that's why they put on makeup. bright hues. On the other hand, the same can be said about brunettes.

Let us conclude that the discussed opinion is nothing more than a myth. After all, blondes have repeatedly taken first place in world-class competitions, led corporations, were scientists, and so on. By the way, Monroe herself was very worried because the “image of a close-minded blonde” would entail exactly the same consequences that we are talking about today. We hope you got the answer to the question of why blondes are considered stupid. You should always get to know a person better, and only then judge his mental abilities. Otherwise, you can even goof off!

It's pretty strange why blondes are considered dumb. Well, then what about blondes, who are no different from them? Should they also be included in this category? In general, it is foolish to judge a person only by the color of his hair. In addition, if you rewind time a little, you can see that women with white hair have always been held in high esteem, and it was they who were preferred by men. You will ask why? In those days, society was ruled by experienced elders, who were always treated with honor and special respect. By virtue of objective reasons their hair was gray, hence the origin of such respectful attitude to people with white hair.
Women are no exception in this respect. Men considered them smart and caring, and they were chosen as life partners. But man, as we know, is not without sin. He has envy. In order to somehow stand out against the background of a white-haired woman, men came up with such a ridiculous statement about the stupidity of blondes. It was on this basis that various jokes arose about women with white hair, and their narrow mind. But if you think about it well, you can see that narrow-minded women are also found among brunettes, and about stupid men there is no need to speak. But for some reason, only blondes are considered stupid.
All this is mysticism, which has no real basis. Now let's see how science relates to this fact.
The main paradox is that we still have not been able to understand what principles our consciousness is guided by, creating certain stereotypes. The most surprising thing is that this process is poorly controllable. Since this opinion prevails, it means that everyone should blindly obey it. Otherwise, you will be a "white crow". When we talk about white, we perceive it as something extremely bright, open, accessible and completely safe. Yes, by at least, perceives White color our brain. But consciousness can translate it into perverted forms. At the same time, it is guided by existing stereotypes, even if they are not entirely correct. In particular, the white color of hair in young women is interpreted by him as a sign of stupidity.
Although, this is not always the case. On a subconscious level, a person understands that this interpretation is not correct, and the blonde can be extremely smart person. But the archetype that has developed over the centuries wins. And our negative traits are to blame for everything: pride, envy, vanity, selfishness. It's hard to accept that someone is smarter than you. And while white is a sign of intelligence, we don't care. We believe in the prevailing stereotype. That is why people laugh at the same blonde, although she can be much smarter than them.
It turns out that brunettes consider blondes stupid, because of envy, and men, because of the desire to dominate a woman. As for brunettes and blondes, changing hair color is not a problem today. Just enough to visit beauty salon. In addition, there are no comrades for the taste and color. Some men like blondes, while others like brunettes.
Now let's think abstractly. A warrior, patron and leader lives in any man, who always strives for a dominant position in the family. And if so, then he must surpass the woman. And if in ancient times this was achieved with the help of force, then in modern society it is not decisive. Excellence can only be achieved with the help of the mind and intellectual abilities. But what if a woman with white hair smarter than men? Here you need to either obey, or somehow prove your leadership. That is why this stereotype arises, according to which all blondes are stupid. In fact, we ourselves do not believe in it.