For women in the United States, being “blonde” often means being subjected to catcalls from men, jokes about inferior intelligence, and assumptions of a racier, more exciting lifestyle than their brunette, black or red-haired peers. The origins of this powerful stereotype that especially shapes expectations for fair-haired young women (less for fair-haired men) are unclear, but there can be no doubt that it still exists throughout popular culture today. While a person who is “blonde” does have light hair and eyes and fair skin, when many people hear the word "blonde," they associate it with "dumb blonde" jokes and ditsy women, but the fact that a person is fair-haired, fair-skinned and light-eyed does not imply a specific level of intelligence, of attractiveness, or of a preferred lifestyle.

According to dictionary.com, the accepted definition of the word “blonde” is an adjective that refers to a person with light hair and eyes and fair skin. Usually, people think of “blonde” as a noun, and associate it with a woman who is beautiful, dumb and ditsy. I personally think of it as an adjective, and simply associate it with light hair and blue eyes. When I think about someone who is blonde I don’t assume anything about that person`s level of intelligence. I have personal experience where my being blonde has been used against me when I say something without thinking much first, and then once I say it, I realize that it sounds stupid. People then excuse my comment and tell me it is because I am blonde and it is expected. I have come to notice that people often jump on my stupid comments faster than another person who does the same thing because I am blonde and they can make a joke out of it.

Blondes are thought to have more fun and not take education seriously. In Hollywood they are portrayed as the most popular, prettiest girls in school, usually the girls who date the star quarterback. They are never thought to be intelligent or ambitious. The film “Legally Blonde” takes being blonde to a whole new level. In the movie, Elle Woods, a natural blonde who is at the top of her class, gets dumped by her boyfriend. According to cinema.com, “he dumps her saying she`s ‘too blonde’ and not ‘serious’ enough for his future political career.” This kind of action plays right into the stereotype of blondes not caring about education and work. Elle breaks all stereotypes when she studies day and night to pass her LSATS to get into law school. Once she is admitted, people start telling her she will never make it because she is blonde and loves pink. She once again proves everyone wrong when she wins a huge murder case in her first year. This movie helps prove that even though some blondes may be the stereotypical sorority sister or the popular girl, a lot of them have goals to be successful just like everyone else. Elle Woods overcomes the “dumb blonde” stereotype that comes with the hair color. Just because blondes are naturally born with fair hair doesn’t in any way play into how smart they are or into their life goals.

“Dumb” and “ditsy” are not the only words associated with being blonde. The word “attractive” is also. In a TED talk given by blonde model Cameron Russell on October, 2012, and reported on greatergood.berkeley.edu by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Russell discusses the effect of being attractive on the stereotypes that people form. She says, "How we look has a huge impact on our lives." To make her point, at the beginning of her talk she comes on stage in a tight, short, black dress and five inch heels. Then in six seconds she transforms the way she looks by putting on a long, apron-like wrap-around skirt, flat loafers and a long-sleeved sweater. She completes this transformation with her point: "Image is powerful. Image is superficial." If she had also put on a brown wig, all the thoughts of her being attractive and of lower intelligence would have disappeared. Russell is saying that by changing a few things about herself, such as hair color or clothing, she can change people's perception of her. One second people consider her a dumb, attractive blonde, and the next she can be a normal brunette, but nothing in her personality or intelligence has changed. What she looks like has nothing to do with who she “is.”

I have learned to laugh at some of the comments my peers direct at me because I have blonde hair and fair skin and even though their remarks can at times be funny, they are often tiresome and annoying as well. I know that I, as well as many of my friends who also have fair hair and skin, feel intelligent and capable and have goals to go to college and get a successful job. Perhaps if people who accept the stereotypes associated with being “blonde” understood the effects, including obstacles, which are created for naturally fair-haired, fair-skinned women, they wouldn’t be so quick to tell “dumb blonde” jokes or make assumptions that perpetuate this inappropriate connotation of the word “blonde.”