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{{Short description|Human hair color}}
{{redirect4|Blond|blonde}}
{{redirect|Blonde|other uses|Blond (disambiguation)|and|Blonde (disambiguation)}}
]
{{pp-semi-indef}}
'''Blond''' or '''blonde''' (]) or '''fair-hair''' is a ] characterized by low levels of the dark ] ]. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of ]ish color. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish "strawberry" blond colors or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). On the ] blond color ranges from A to J (blond brown).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wysinger.homestead.com/hair_semma.pdf|title=Analysis of Hair Samples of Mummies from Semna South (Sudanese Nubia)|publisher=American Journal of Physical Anthropology|year=1978|accessdate= 2011-02-03}}</ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
], who has blond hair and a blond beard]]<!-- NOTE: Please do not change the lead image without first obtaining consensus on the talk page. Constantly changing lead images were a recurring problem during the early years of this article's existence until File:Lucy Merriam.jpg became the main image in February 2012. That image remained the lead image for six years until a concern was raised at the beginning of July 2018 that the use of that image next to text about blondes being "stereotyped as sexually attractive, but unintelligent" had "paedophilic undertones". An extended discussion and RfC over the course of the next two months concluded that File:Lars-Unnerstall2.jpg was the best lead image proposed at that time. If you would like to propose a different image, please do so on the talk page. Thank you.-->


'''Blond''' ({{small|{{abbr|{{sc|masc}}|masculine form}}}}) or '''blonde''' ({{small|{{abbr|{{sc|fem}}|feminine form}}}}), also referred to as '''fair hair''', is a ] characterized by low levels of ], the dark ]. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish "strawberry" blond or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). Occasionally, the state of being blond, and specifically the occurrence of blond traits in a predominantly dark or colored population are referred to as '''blondism'''.<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|blondism|access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref>
==Etymology, spelling, and grammar==
The word "blond" is first attested in English in 1481<ref>"blonde | blond, adj. and n.". ''OED Online.'' March 2012. ''Oxford University Press.'' Web. 17 May 2012.</ref> and derives from Old French ''blund, blont'' meaning "a colour midway between golden and ]".<ref>Harper, Douglas. "Blond (Adj.)." ''Online Etymology Dictionary.'' 17 May 2012. ]</ref> It gradually eclipsed the native term "fair", of same meaning, from Old English '']'', to become the general term for "light complexioned". The French (and thus also the English) word "blond" has two possible origins. Some linguists{{citation needed |date=December 2011}} say it comes from ] ''blundus'', meaning "yellow", from ] ''blund'' which would relate it to Old English ''blonden-feax'' meaning "grey-haired", from ''blondan/blandan'' meaning "to mix" (Cf. ''blend''). Also, Old English ''beblonden'' meant "dyed" as ancient ] warriors were noted for dying their hair. However, linguists who favor a Latin origin for the word say that Medieval Latin ''blundus'' was a vulgar pronunciation of Latin '']'', also meaning ''yellow''. Most authorities, especially French, attest the Frankish origin. The word was reintroduced into English in the 17th century from French, and was for some time considered French; in French, "blonde" is a feminine ''adjective''; it describes a woman with blond hair.<ref>, from ].</ref>


Because hair color tends to darken with age, natural blond hair is significantly less common in adulthood. Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in ], and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of ], due to northern Europe's lower levels of sunlight. Blond hair has also developed in other populations, although it is usually not as common, and can be found among the native populations of the ], ], and ]; among the ] of ]; and among some Asian people.
"Blond", with its continued gender-varied usage, is one of few adjectives in written English to retain separate ]. Each of the two forms, however, are pronounced the same way. ]'s ''Book of English Usage'' propounds that, insofar as "a blonde" can be used to describe a woman but not a man who is merely said to possess blond(e) hair, the term is an example of a "] stereotype women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics."<ref name="AHBEU"> from ] (1996)</ref> The '']'' (''OED'') records that the phrase "big blond beast" was used in the 20th century to refer specifically ''to men'' "of the Nordic type" (that is to say, blond-haired). Particularly this had associations with ]'s ].<ref name=OED1992>" ''The ]''. 2nd ed. 1989. ''OED Online''. ]. 5 Aug. 2010.</ref> The ''OED'' also records that blond as an adjective is especially used with reference to women, in which case it is likely to be spelt "blonde", citing three Victorian usages of the term. The masculine version is used to describe a plural, in "blonds of the European race",<ref name=OED1992/> in a citation from 1833 ''Penny cyclopedia'', which distinguishes genuine blondness as a ] feature distinct from ].<ref>''Penny cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge'', s.v. Albinos. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain, 1833).</ref> By the early 1990s, "blonde moment" or being a "dumb blonde" had come into common parlance to mean "an instance of a person, esp. a woman... being foolish or scatter-brained."<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 Aug. 2010</ref> Another hair color word of French origin, '']'' (from the same Germanic root that gave "brown"), also functions in the same way in orthodox English. The ''OED'' gives "brunet" as meaning "dark-complexioned" or a "dark-complexioned person", citing a comparative usage of ''brunet'' and ''blond'' to ] in saying, "The present contrast of blonds and brunets existed among them".<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 Aug. 2010</ref> "Brunette" can be used, however, like "blonde", to describe a mixed-gender populace. The ''OED'' quotes ], "The nation which resulted...being sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette."<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 Aug. 2010.</ref>


In ], blonde hair has long been associated with beauty and vitality. ], the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, was described as having blonde hair. In the ], blonde hair was frequently associated with prostitutes, who dyed their hair using ] in order to attract more customers. The Greeks stereotyped ] and ] as blond and the Romans associated blondness with the ] and the ] to the north. In the ancient Greek world, '']'' presented the mythological hero ] as what was then the ideal male warrior: handsome, tall, strong, and blond.<ref>{{cite book|language=en|last1=Nolasco|first1=Sócrates|title=From Tarzan to Homer Simpson: Education and the Male Violence of the West|date=9 June 2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-94-6351-035-6|page=143|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FHonDwAAQBAJ|access-date=27 July 2022|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004022/https://books.google.com/books?id=FHonDwAAQBA|url-status=live}}</ref> In ] during the ], long and blonde hair was idealized as the paragon of female beauty. ], the wife of ] in ], and ], the Celtic-origin legendary heroine, were both significantly portrayed as blonde. In contemporary Western culture, ] as beautiful, but unintelligent.
"Blond" and "blonde" are also occasionally used to refer to objects that have a color reminiscent of fair hair. Examples include pale wood and ] ]. For example, the ''OED'' records its use in 19th century ] to describe flowers, "a variety of clay ironstone of the coal measures", "the colour of raw silk",<ref name=OED1992/> and a breed of ].<ref> ''The ]''. Additions Series 1997. ''OED Online''. ]. 5 Aug. 2010.</ref>


==Etymology, spelling, and grammar==
==<span id="platinum blond"/> Varieties </span>==
===Origins and meanings===
] ({{circa|1644}}), with characteristic blond hair which darkened with time as confirmed by his later effigies.]]
The word ''blond'' is first documented in English in 1481<ref>"blonde|blond, adj. and n.". ''OED Online.'' March 2012. ''Oxford University Press.'' Web. 17 May 2012.</ref> and derives from ] {{lang|fro|blund}}, {{lang|fro|blont}}, meaning 'a colour midway between golden and ]'.<ref>Harper, Douglas. "Blond (Adj.)." ''Online Etymology Dictionary.'' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801135345/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=blond |date=1 August 2014 }} 17 May 2012.</ref> It gradually eclipsed the native term ''fair'', of same meaning, from ] {{wikt-lang|ang|fæġer}}, causing ''fair'' later to become a general term for 'light complexioned'. This earlier use of ''fair'' survives in the proper name ], from Old English {{lang|ang|fæġer-feahs}} meaning 'blond hair'.


The word ''blond'', taken from Old French, may derive from the ] {{lang|la|blundus}}, meaning 'yellow'.<ref name="Delahunty" /> The feminine form ''blonde'' was introduced in the 17th century.<ref name="Delahunty">{{cite book | last=Delahunty | first=A. | title=From Bonbon to Cha-cha: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases | publisher=OUP Oxford | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-19-954369-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nvu17oLIQNgC&pg=PA38 | access-date=27 May 2024 | page=38}}</ref>
Various subcategories of blond hair have been defined to describe someone with blond hair more accurately. Common examples include the following:


===Usage===
* <span id="flaxen"/> '''blond'''/'''flaxen''':<ref></ref><ref></ref> when distinguished from other varieties, "blond" by itself refers to a light but not whitish blond with no traces of red, gold, or brown; this color is often described as "flaxen".
{{further|Grammatical gender#As agreement or concord}}
* <span id="yellow"/> '''yellow''': yellow-blond ("yellow" can also be used to refer to hair which has been dyed yellow).
''Blond/blonde'', with its continued gender–varied usage, is one of the few adjectives in written English to retain separate lexical genders. The two forms, however, are pronounced identically. ]'s ''Book of English Usage'' propounds that, as "a blonde" (just so, with "blonde" as noun) might not uncommonly be used to describe a woman, but less often "a blond" used to describe a man,{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} the term is an example of a "] stereotype women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics."<ref name="AHBEU">{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/64/C005/002.html |title=5. Gender: Sexist Language and Assumptions § 2. blond / brunet |year=1996 |work=The American Heritage Book of English Usage. A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907011421/http://www.bartleby.com/64/C005/002.html |archive-date=7 September 2008 |access-date=24 October 2013}}</ref> The '']'' (''OED'') records that the phrase "big blond beast" was used in the 20th-century to refer specifically ''to men'' "of the Nordic type" (that is to say, blond-haired).<!-- Particularly this had associations with ]'s ]. --><ref name=OED1992>" ''The ]''. 2nd ed. 1989. ''OED Online''. ]. 5 August 2010.</ref> The ''OED'' also records that this term for fair hair as an adjective is especially used with reference to women, in which case it is likely to be spelt ''blonde'', citing three ] usages of the term. The masculine version is used in the plural, in "blonds of the European race",<ref name=OED1992/> in a citation from 1833 ''Penny cyclopedia'', which distinguishes genuine blondness as a ] feature distinct from ].<ref>''Penny cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge'', s.v. Albinos. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain, 1833).</ref>
* '''platinum blond'''<ref></ref> or '''towheaded''':<ref></ref><ref></ref> whitish-blond; almost all platinum blonds are children. "Platinum blond" is often used to describe bleached hair, while "towheaded" generally refers to natural hair color.
* <span id="sandy blond"/> '''sandy blond''':<ref></ref><ref></ref> greyish-hazel or cream-colored blond.
* <span id="golden blond"/> '''golden blond''': a darker to rich, golden-yellow blond.
* <span id="strawberry blond"/> '''strawberry blond''',<ref></ref> '''Venetian blond''' or '''honey blond''': ] blond.
* <span id="dirty blond"/> '''dirty blond'''<ref></ref> or '''dishwater blond''':<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title="Dishwater blonde" in Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861689142|work=|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kwQAag5a|archivedate=2009-10-31|deadurl=yes}}</ref> dark blond with flecks of golden blond and brown.
* <span id="ash-blond"/> '''ash-blond''':<ref></ref> ashen or grayish blond.
* <span id="bleached blond"/> '''bleached blond''', '''bottle blond''', or '''peroxide blond'''<ref></ref> artificial blond slightly less white than platinum blond.
* '''very dark blonde''' or dirty blonde is a silverish brown color that looks brown in the winter but in the summer it goes to a dark blonde or sometimes a medium blonde color.


By the early 1990s, ''blonde moment'' or being a ''dumb blonde'' had come into common parlance to mean "an instance of a person, esp. a woman... being foolish or scatter-brained."<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 August 2010</ref> Another hair color word of French origin, '']'' (from the same Germanic root that gave ''brown''), functions in the same way in orthodox English. The ''OED'' gives ''brunet'' as meaning 'dark-complexioned' or a 'dark-complexioned person', citing a comparative usage of ''brunet'' and ''blond'' to ] in saying, "The present contrast of blonds and brunets existed among them."<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 August 2010</ref> ''Brunette'' can be used, however, like ''blonde'', to describe a mixed-gender populace. The ''OED'' quotes ], "The nation which resulted... being sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette."<ref> ''The ]''. June 2006 . ''OED Online''. ]. 5 August 2010.</ref>
==Evolution of blond hair==
]
Natural lighter hair colors occur most often in Europe and less frequently in other areas.<ref name="The Times">, from ]. Note, the end of the Times article reiterates the ] hoax; the online version replaced it with a rebuttal.</ref> In northern European populations, the occurrence of blond hair is very frequent. The hair color gene ] has at least seven variants in Europe giving the continent a wide range of hair and eye shades. Based on recent ] carried out at three Japanese universities, the date of the genetic ] that resulted in blond hair in Europe has been isolated to about 11,000 years ago during the ].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article735078.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=CorrectedCavegirls were first blondes to have fun | date=2006-02-26 | accessdate=2010-04-26 | first1=Roger | last1=Dobson | first2=Abul | last2=Taher}}</ref>


''Blond'' and ''blonde'' are also occasionally used to refer to objects that have a color reminiscent of fair hair. For example, the ''OED'' records its use in 19th-century ] to describe flowers, "a variety of clay ironstone of the coal measures", "the colour of raw silk",<ref name=OED1992/> a breed of ], ] ], and pale wood.<ref> ''The ]''. Additions Series 1997. ''OED Online''. ]. 5 August 2010.</ref>
A typical explanation found in the scientific literature for the evolution of light hair is related to the requirement for ] synthesis and northern Europe's seasonal deficiency of sunlight.<ref name=Robins>Robins, Ashley H. ''Biological perspectives on human pigmentation.'' Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp. 195–208.</ref> Lighter skin is due to a low concentration in pigmentation, thus allowing more sunlight to trigger the production of vitamin D. In this way, high frequencies of light hair in northern latitudes are a result of the light skin adaptation to lower levels of sunlight, which reduces the prevalence of ] caused by vitamin D deficiency. The darker pigmentation at higher latitudes in certain ethnic groups such as the ] is explained by a greater proportion of seafood in their diet. As seafood is high in vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency would not create a selective pressure for lighter pigmentation in that population.


=={{anchor|platinum blond}} Varieties ==
]]]
Various subcategories of blond hair have been defined to describe the different shades and sources of the hair color more accurately. Common examples include the following:
An alternative hypothesis was presented by Canadian anthropologist ], who claims blond hair evolved very quickly in a specific area at the end of the last ice age by means of ].<ref> from ''Evolution and Human Behavior'', Volume 27, Issue 2, Pages 85-103 (March 2006)</ref> According to Frost, the appearance of blond hair and blue eyes in some northern European women made them stand out from their rivals at a time of fierce competition for scarce males.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/19/sciblonde119.xml | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=Blonde women make men less clever | first=Laura | last=Clout | date=2007-11-19 | accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>
]'s ] in ], ], United States, in June 2014]]


*{{anchor|ash-blond}} '''ash-blond''':<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ash-blond |title=Ash-blond |work=Merriam-Webster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424230020/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ash-blond |archive-date=24 April 2009 }}</ref> ashen or grayish blond.
A theory propounded in ''The History and Geography of Human Genes'' (1994), says blond hair became predominant in Northern Europe beginning about 3,000&nbsp;BC, in the area now known as Lithuania, among the recently arrived ] settlers (according to the ]), and the trait spread quickly through ] into Scandinavia. As above, the theory assumes that men found women with blond hair more attractive.<ref>{{cite book |first1= Luigi Luca |last1= Cavalli-Sforza |authorlink= Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza |first2= Paolo |last2= Menozzi |first3= Alberto |last3= Piazza |title= The History and Geography of Human Genes |year= 1994 |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 978-0-691-08750-4 |page= 266 |chapter= Europe}}</ref>
*{{anchor|flaxen}} '''blond'''/'''flaxen''':<ref>{{cite news |url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/flaxen |title=Flaxen |year=2000 |work=] |edition=Fourth |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070512130707/http://www.bartleby.com/61/62/F0176200.html |archive-date=12 May 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaxen |title=Flaxen |work=Merriam-Webster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424022425/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaxen |archive-date=24 April 2009 }}</ref> when distinguished from other varieties, "blond" by itself refers to a light but not whitish blond, with no traces of red, gold, or brown; this color is often described as "flaxen".
*{{anchor|dirty blond}} '''dirty blond'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dirty%20blond |title=Dirty blond |website=Dictionary.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216090421/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dirty%20blond |archive-date=16 December 2008 }}</ref> or '''dishwater blond''':<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |entry=Dishwater blonde |encyclopedia=Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861689142 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524174611/https://www.webcitation.org/5kwQAag5a?url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx%3Frefid=1861689142 |archive-date=24 May 2024 |url-status=dead }}</ref> dark blond with flecks of golden blond and brown.
*{{anchor|golden blond}} '''golden blond''': a darker to rich yellow blond.
* '''honey blond''': dark iridescent blond.
*{{anchor|platinum}} '''platinum blond'''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platinum_blonde |title=Platinum blonde |work=Merriam-Webster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191258/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platinum_blonde |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref> or '''towheaded''':<ref>{{cite news |url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/towhead |title=Towhead |year=2000 |work=] |edition=Fourth |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626102719/http://www.bartleby.com/61/28/T0292800.html |archive-date=26 June 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/towhead |title=Towhead |work=Merriam-Webster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424180521/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/towhead |archive-date=24 April 2009 }}</ref> whitish-blond.
*{{anchor|sandy blond}} '''sandy blond''':<ref>{{cite news |url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/sandy |title=Sandy |year=2000 |work=] |edition=Fourth |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050410163823/http://www.bartleby.com/61/72/S0067200.html |archive-date=10 April 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandy|title=Sandy|work=Merriam-Webster|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422160609/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandy|archive-date=22 April 2009}}</ref> grayish-] or cream-colored blond.
*{{anchor|strawberry blond}} ''']'''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/strawberry%20blond |title=Strawberry blond |year=2000 |work=] |edition=Fourth |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212165430/http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/S0799550.html |archive-date=12 February 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 October 2013 }}</ref> or '''Venetian blond''': ] blond<ref>{{cite book |last=Nenarokoff-Van Burek |first=Anne |year=2013 |title=Ariadne's Thread: The Women in My Family |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RkRs2uQWVLwC&pg=PA26 |publisher=FriesenPress |isbn=9781460207192 |access-date=24 October 2013 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152610/https://books.google.com/books?id=RkRs2uQWVLwC&pg=PA26 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Davydov |first=Denis Vasilʹevič |year=1999 |editor-last=Troubetzkoy |editor-first=Gregory |title=In the Service of the Tsar Against Napoleon: The Memoirs of Denis Davidov, 1806–1814 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vaOfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Venetian+blond%22 |publisher=Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal, Limited |isbn=9781853673733 |access-date=24 October 2013 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152556/https://books.google.com/books?id=vaOfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Venetian+blond%22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Sutherland |first=Daniel E. |date=2000 |title=The Expansion of Everyday Life, 1860-1876 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fo576l2qamgC&pg=PA59 |publisher=University of Arkansas Press |isbn=9781610751452 |access-date=24 October 2013 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152549/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fo576l2qamgC&pg=PA59 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>
{{cite book |last1=Browne |first1=Ray Broadus |last2=Kreiser |first2=Lawrence A. |date=2003 |title=The Civil War and Reconstruction |url=https://archive.org/details/civilwarreconstr0000brow |url-access=registration |page= |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313313257 |access-date=24 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=France |first=Anatole |year=2010 |title=Works of Anatole France |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4OV3Si14vBQC&pg=PT1004 |publisher=MobileReference |isbn=9781607785422 |access-date=24 October 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{anchor|bleached blond}}Artificially blond hair may be called '''bleached blond''', '''bottle blond''', or '''] blond'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peroxide blond |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=peroxide+blond&r=66 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216090432/http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=peroxide+blond&r=66 |archive-date=16 December 2008 |website=Dictionary.com}}</ref>


== Genetics of blond hair==
It is now hypothesized by researchers that blond hair evolved more than once. Published in May 2012 in '']'', a study of people from the ] in ] found that an amino acid change in ] produced blonde hair.<ref name=tyrp1>{{cite web | url = http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6081/554.abstract | title = Melanesian Blond Hair Is Caused by an Amino Acid Change in TYRP1 | first = Eimear E. | last = Kenny | first2= Nicholas J. | last2= Timpson | work = ] | date = 4 May 2012 }}</ref><ref name=nat120503>{{cite web | url = http://www.nature.com/news/blonde-hair-evolved-more-than-once-1.10587 | title = Blonde hair evolved more than once | first = Zoë | last = Corbyn | work = Nature.com | date = 3 May 2012 }}</ref>
{{Annotated image
| image = Archaeogenetic analysis of human skin pigmentation in Europe (with Asia geographic extension).png
| caption = The mutation for blond hair is thought to have originated among the ] population of the ] (ANE) cline of south-central Siberia
| image-width = <!-- Do not change image size (500), as this will displace the labels-->500
| annotations = {{Annotation|330|55|}}
}}
A typical explanation found in the scientific literature for the adaptation of light hair is related to the adaptation of ], and in turn the requirement for ] synthesis and northern Europe's seasonally reduced solar radiation.<ref name=Robins>Robins, Ashley H. ''Biological Perspectives on Human Pigmentation.'' Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp. 195–208.</ref>


] (ADNA) has revealed that the oldest ] known to carry the mutated allele rs12821256 of the KITLG gene, which is responsible for blond hair in modern Europeans, is a 17,000 year old ] specimen from ] in Southern ].<ref name="Evans2019">{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Gavin |title=Skin Deep: Dispelling the Science of Race |date=2019 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |page=139 |isbn=9781786076236 |edition=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jB-9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139 |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152536/https://books.google.com/books?id=jB-9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139 |url-status=live }}|</ref>{{refn|group=a|Japanese research in 2006 found that the genetic mutation that prompted the evolution of blond hair dates to the ice age that happened around 11,000 years ago. Since then, the 17,000-year-old remains of a blonde–haired North Eurasian hunter-gatherer have been found in eastern Siberia, suggesting an earlier origin.}}
==Geographic distribution==


The precise genetic origin and spread of blond hair into its present-day distribution is a topic of debate amongst ].
=== Europe ===
] shows the distribution of blonde hair in the country; hair color tends to be darker the farther south you go in the country.]]
Blonds are also found all around the world, but blond hair is most frequently found among the populations of ]. The pigmentation of both hair and eyes is lightest around the ] and their darkness increases regularly and almost concentrically around this region.<ref>Cavalli-Sforza, L., Menozzi, P. and Piazza, A. (1994) ''The History and Geography of Human Genes''. Princeton: Princeton University Press.</ref>


Geneticist ] said that the hundreds of millions of copies of this ], the classic European blond hair mutation, entered continental Europe by way of a massive population migration from the Eurasian steppe, by a people who had substantial ] ancestry.<ref name="Oxford University Press"/> Ancient North Eurasian admixture is present in ] fossils from ], and is linked to the prediction of blond hair in stone-age ] by ].<ref name="NewScientist2018">{{cite book |title=Human Origins |date=2018 |publisher=Quercus |isbn=978-1473670426 |pages=124–125}}</ref> Gavin Evans analyzed several years of research on the origin of European blond hair, and concluded that the widespread presence of blond hair in Europe is largely due to the territorial expansions of the "all-conquering" ]; who carried the genes for blond hair.<ref name="Evans2019"/>{{refn|group=a|"But whatever the evolutionary causes of blond and red hair, their spread in Europe had little to do with their possible innate attractiveness and much to do with the success of the all-conquering herders from the steppes who carried these genes."}} A review article published in 2020 analyzes fossil data from a wide variety of published sources. The authors affirm the previous statements, noting that ]-derived populations carried the derived blond hair allele to Europe, and that the "massive spread" of ] steppe pastoralists likely caused the "rapid selective sweep in European populations toward light skin and hair."<ref name="Carlberg2020">{{cite journal |last1=Carlberg |first1=Carsten |last2=Hanel |first2=Andrea |title=Skin colour and vitamin D: An update |journal=Experimental Dermatology |date=2020 |volume=29 |issue=9 |pages=864–875 |doi=10.1111/exd.14142 |pmid=32621306 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
]]]


In contrast, geneticist Iosif Lazaridis questioned whether or not blond hair could have originated from the migration of Steppe peoples. He found evidence for blond individuals in ancient ] and the ], with no Steppe ancestry.{{sfn|Lazaridis|2022|p=|ps=: "Blond hair was present in the Neolithic of Anatolia (Turkey) at Barcın(5), Chalcolithic
Generally, blond hair in Europeans is associated with lighter ] (], ], ] and ]) and (sometimes freckled)] tone. Strong sunlight also, on some people but not all, lightens hair of any pigmentation,{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} to varying degrees, and causes many blond people to freckle, especially during childhood.
Southeastern Europe (Romania at Bodrogkeresztur), Chalcolithic of the Levant (Israel)(70), and a Minoan from Lasithi.(4)"}} He also observed that blond hair was rare in the available samples for early Bronze Age Steppe groups, yet common in the later Bronze Age groups, which is inconsistent with the theory that Steppe populations spread the phenotype for blond hair.{{sfn|Lazaridis|2022|p=23|ps=: "Similarly, blond hair was inferred for 1/34 individuals of the combined Yamnaya and Afanasievo cluster, but reached ~14-60% in the aforementioned later steppe groups. Interestingly, light pigmentation phenotype prevalence was nominally higher in the Beaker group than in Corded Ware than in the Yamnaya cluster (where as we have seen it was rare), in reverse relationship to steppe ancestry, and thus inconsistent with the theory that steppe groups were spreading this set of phenotypes"}} However, this is consistent with a phenotype turnover occurring within the Steppe pastoralists, leading to a shift towards blond hair becoming a common hair color in the later Steppe-derived populations of ] and ].{{sfn|Lazaridis|2022|pp=|ps=: "By examining simple phenotypes (Table S 3) we see that Southern Arc individuals have a lower frequency of light hair, blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin compared to non-Southern Arc ones, a finding that is in agreement with the ancient sources that commented on the appearance of Celts, Germans, and Scytho-Sarmatians from Europe and Central Asia...The Beaker group (with a large sample size) stands out with its higher frequency of blue eyes and blond hair... suggesting a turnover of phenotypes before the time of the written sources."}} Lazaridis further wrote that the frequencies of traits like blonde hair could have been shaped by mass migration or selection; but that it is more complex than "simple stories" of sexual selection, or of spreading by Steppe pastoralists.{{sfn|Lazaridis|2022|p=|ps=: "The frequency of these traits could have been shaped by migration or by selection, but is more complex than simplistic stories, e.g., of these traits arising due to sexual selection in boreal hunter-gatherers(75) or spread by steppe Indo-Europeans.(68)"}}


A 2024 study found that both Neolithic farmer and Steppe-associated ancestries were more significantly associated with blond hair, while European hunter gatherers tended to have dark or even black hair.<ref name="c688">{{cite journal | last1=Irving-Pease | first1=Evan K. | last2=Refoyo-Martínez | first2=Alba | last3=Barrie | first3=William | title=The selection landscape and genetic legacy of ancient Eurasians | journal=Nature | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=625 | issue=7994 | date=10 January 2024 | issn=0028-0836 | doi=10.1038/s41586-023-06705-1 | pages=312–320 | pmid=38200293 | pmc=10781624 | bibcode=2024Natur.625..312I |quote=Both Neolithic farmer- and Steppe-associated ancestries have higher scores for blonde and light brown hair, whereas the hunter-gatherer-associated ancestries have higher scores for dark brown hair and CHG-associated ancestries had the highest score for black hair.}}</ref>
=== Asia ===
A 2009 study found that light hair colors were already present in southern ] during the ].<ref name=bronzeage> Human Genetics. Volume 126, Number 3, 395-410, {{doi|10.1007/s00439-009-0683-0}}.</ref>


There is some evidence that natural blond hair is associated with high levels of prenatal ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bryden |first1=Barbara E. |title=Sundial: Theoretical Relationships Between Psychological Type, Talent, and Disease |date=2005 |publisher=CAPT |isbn=978-0-935652-46-8 |page=262 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L5wLsFIWzLkC |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004033/https://books.google.com/books?id=L5wLsFIWzLkC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Manning |first1=John T. |title=Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior, and Health |date=2002 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-3030-7 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xyCFaHy6riYC&q=blond%20hair%20prenatal%20testosterone&pg=PA37 |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730034732/https://books.google.com/books?id=xyCFaHy6riYC&pg=PA37&q=blond%20hair%20prenatal%20testosterone |url-status=live }}</ref>
In Central Asia and ], there is a lower frequency of natural blonds found among some ethnic populations. But blonds are found at comparatively high frequency among the ] people of eastern ], who have about one-third recessive blondism.<ref name=Iranica2>{{cite encyclopedia |last= Dupree|first= L.|editor= ]|encyclopedia= ]|title= Af<u>gh</u>ānistān: (iv.) ethnography |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-iv-ethnography |accessdate=5 November 2011 |edition= Online Edition|publisher= ]|location= United States}}</ref> In northwestern and northern ], the ] tribe (related to Nuristanis) also have an unusually high frequency of blond hair, while blond hair is also found among many ] tribes of the area, such as the ] residing near the ]. Around 10% of ] also have blond hair, more prevalent in the ] region.<ref>''''. Nicholas Shoumatoff, Nina Shoumatoff (2000). ]. p.9. ISBN 0-472-08669-3</ref> Blond hair color also naturally occurs among other people from Afghanistan, and the ] and ] regions of Pakistan; these groups include ], ], ] and ].
]]]
Blonds are also found in ], especially in the northern (]) and western parts of the country.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Blonds are also found in parts of southwest and northern ], especially in the Caspian and Caucasus provinces.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Blonds are also found in the ], Israel (especially among the ]), in western Syria, ] in northern Iraq, and in the ].{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Jordan have a frequency of blonds as well.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Blond hair is also a common sight among ] of North Africa, especially in the ] and ] region and also among ] ].<ref>"On the whole, blondism is strong in the Rif; over half of the adult men show some trace of it. But the Rif is not a blond country in the sense that Norway, Sweden, Finland, or even England are blond; it is, however, blonder than most of Spain or southern Italy.", ], ''The Races of Europe (1939)'', Greenwood Press, 1972, p.482</ref>


=== Oceania === ==Prevalence==
===General===
]
] of blonde hair around Europe according to anthropologist ]'s 2006 study on light hair, published by ]. It shows that it is most common in Northern Europe]]
], especially in the west-central parts of the continent, have a high frequency of natural blond-to-brown hair,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/vary_1.htm |title=Modern Human Variation: Overview |publisher=Anthro.palomar.edu |date=2009-11-08 |accessdate=2009-12-20}}</ref> with as many as 90–100% of children having blond hair in some areas.<ref name="gnxp1">{{cite web|url=http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2005/08/blonde-australian-aboriginals.php |title=Gene Expression: Blonde Australian Aboriginals |publisher=Gnxp.com |date= |accessdate=2009-12-20}}</ref> The trait among Indigenous Australians is primarily associated with children. In maturity the hair usually turns a darker brown color, but sometimes remains blond.<ref name="gnxp1"/> Blondness is also found in some other parts of the South Pacific, such as the ],<ref name=tyrp1/><ref name=nat120503/> ], and ], again with higher incidences in children.
According to the sociologist ], only around five percent of adults in Europe and North America are naturally blond.{{sfn|Davies|2011|page=73}} A study conducted in 2003 concluded that only four percent of American adults are naturally blond.{{sfn|Russell-Cole|Wilson|Hall|2013|page=52}} A significant number of Caucasian women who have blonde hair have dyed it that way.{{sfn|Davies|2011|page=73}}{{sfn|Russell-Cole|Wilson|Hall|2013|pages=51–53}}


===Europe===
Natural blond hair is more common among young children than adults, as blond hair usually darkens to a brown shade with age. Natural blond hair is rare in adulthood, with some reports that only about 2% of the world's population is naturally blond.<ref>http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/race.html</ref>
The ] of both hair and eyes is lightest around the ], and darkness increases regularly and almost concentrically around this region.<ref>Cavalli-Sforza, L., Menozzi, P. and Piazza, A. (1994). ''The History and Geography of Human Genes''. Princeton: Princeton University Press.{{page needed|date=January 2020}}</ref>


In ], according to a source published 1939, blondism is more common in ], and less common in the ] and the Mediterranean seacoast; 26% of the French population have blond or light brown hair.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coon |first=Carleton S. |url=https://archive.org/details/racesofeurope031695mbp |title=The Races of Europe |date=27 January 2024 |publisher=The Macmillan Company. |quote=France as a whole finds but 4 per cent of black and near-black hair color, 23 per cent of dark brown, 43 per cent of medium brown, 14 per cent of light brown, 12 per cent of various degrees of blond, and some 4 per cent of reddish-brown and red. The regional distribution of hair color in France follows closely that of stature. Although the position of the French in regard to hair pigmentation is intermediate between blond and black, the diagonal line from ] to ], ], and the ] border divides the country into a northeastern quadrant, in which the hair is somewhat lighter than medium, and a southwestern, in which it is somewhat darker. High ratios of black and very dark brown hair are found not in the typically Alpine country, but along the slope of the Pyrenees, in ]-speaking country, and on the Mediterranean seacoast. Blond hair is commonest along the ], in regions settled by ] and ], in ] and the country bordering ], and down the course of the ]. In northern France it seems to follow upstream the rivers which empty into the Channel. The hair color of the departments occupied by ] speakers, and of others directly across the Channel from England in Normandy, seems to be nearly as light as that in the southern English counties; the coastal cantons of ] are lighter than the inland ones, and approximate a ] condition. In the same way, the northeastern French departments are probably as light-haired as some of the provinces of southern Germany.}}</ref> A 2007 study of French females showed that by then roughly 20% were blonde, although half of these blondes were fully fake. Roughly ten percent of French females are natural blondes, of which 60% bleach their hair to a lighter tone of blond.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2007/10/19/88933-5-millions-de-blondes-en-france-dont-50-de-fausses.html|title=5 millions de blondes en France, dont 50% de fausses|website=ladepeche.fr|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923041811/http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2007/10/19/88933-5-millions-de-blondes-en-france-dont-50-de-fausses.html|archive-date=23 September 2017}}</ref>
==Relation to age==
Blond hair is most common in light-skinned infants and children,<ref name=Ridley>Ridley, Matt. ''Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature.'' Published by HarperCollins, 2nd ed. 2003, pp. 293–294.</ref> so much so that the term "baby blond" is often used for very light colored hair. Babies may be born with blond hair even among groups where adults rarely have blond hair although such natural hair usually falls out quickly. Blond hair tends to turn darker with age, and many children's blond hair turns light, medium, dark brown or black before or during their adult years.<ref name=Ridley/> As blond hair tends to turn brunette with age, natural blonde hair is rare and makes up approximately 2% of the world's population.<ref>http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/race.html"</ref>


In ], the national average of the population shows 11% of varying traces of blondism, peaking at 15% blond people in ] in northern Portugal.<ref>Tamagnini Eusebio: "A Pigmentacao dos Portugueses". Coimbra: Universidade de Coimbra. Instituto de Antropologia Portuguesa, 1936. Contribuicoes para o Estudo da Antropologia Portuguesa. Vol. VI, no. 2, pp. 121–197.</ref><ref>Mendes Correa: ''American Journal of Physical Anthropology'', Vol 2, 1919.</ref>
==Folklore and mythology==


In ], a study of Italian men conducted by ] between 1859 and 1863 on the records of the National Conscription Service showed that 8.2% of Italian men exhibited blond hair; blondism frequency displayed a wide degree of regional variation, ranging from around 12.6% in ] to 1.7% among the ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Livi |first=Ridolfo |title=Antropometria Militare. Risultati Ottenuti Dallo Spoglio Dei Fogli Sanitarii Dei Militari Dello Classi 1859–63 |year=1921 |publisher=Nabu Press |location=Turin |author-link=Ridolfo Livi }}</ref> In a more detailed study from the 20th-century geneticist ],<ref name="Biasutti">{{cite book |last=Biasutti |first=Renato |title=Razze e popoli della Terra |year=1941 |publisher=Union Tipografico-Editrice |location=Turin |author-link=Renato Biasutti}}</ref> {{page needed|date=May 2024}} the regional contrasts of blondism frequency are better shown, with a greater occurrence in the ], where the figure may be over 20%, and a lesser occurrence in ], where the frequency in many of its districts was 0.5%. With the exception of ] and the surrounding area in ], where various shades of blond hair were present in 10–15% of the population, ] as a whole averaged between 2.5% and 7.4%.<ref name="Biasutti" />{{page needed|date=May 2024}}
===Southern Europe===
The Greek gods are cited as varying in their appearances. While ] was described as having a blue-black beard, and ] blue-black eyebrows, ] described ] as fair-haired, and ] described her as golden-haired. ], ] and ] were also described as blonds.<ref name="Myres">Myres, John Linton (1967). ''Who were the Greeks?'', pp. 192-199. University of California Press.</ref> ] collectively described the Homeric ] of the time of the war between Argos and Thebes as fair-haired.<ref name="Myres"/> The ]ns are described as fair-haired by ]. In the work of ], ] the king of the Spartans is, together with other Achaean leaders, portrayed as blond.<ref name="Myres"/> Although dark hair colours were predominant in the works of Homer, there is only one case of a dark hero, and that is when the blond ] is transformed by Athena and his beard becomes blue-black. Other blond characters in Homer are ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Myres"/>


===Africa===
], Sicily, 4th century AD.]]
A number of blond naturally ] bodies of common people (i.e. not proper mummies) dating to Roman times have been found in the ] cemetery in ]. "Of those whose hair was preserved 54% were blondes or redheads, and the percentage grows to 87% when light-brown hair color is added."<ref>C. Wilfred Griggs, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604091135/http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/excavations-seila-egypt/5-excavating-christian-cemetery-near-selia-fayum-region-egypt |date=4 June 2015 }}, in ''Excavations at Seila, Egypt'', ed. C. Wilfred Griggs, (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988), 74–84.</ref> Excavations have been ongoing since the 1980s. Burials seem to be clustered by hair-colour.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326060300/http://www.history.com/news/egyptian-cemetery-may-contain-a-million-mummies |date=26 March 2015 }}, 19 December 2014</ref>
According to Francis Owens,<ref name="owens">"'' (Francis Owen,; their Origin Expansion & Culture''", 1993 Barnes & Noble Books ISBN 0-88029-579-1, page 49.)</ref> ] literary records describe a large number of well-known Roman historical personalities as blond. In addition, 250 individuals are recorded to have had the name Flavius, meaning blond, and there are there are various people named ] and Rutilius, meaning ]ed and reddish-haired, respectively. The following Roman gods are said to have had blond hair: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="owens"/> An emperor, ], descended from an aristocratic family, is by the historian ] described as: "... his hair light blond,... his eyes blue..."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html#51 |title=Suetonius • Life of Nero |publisher=Penelope.uchicago.edu |date= |accessdate=2008-12-22}}</ref>


===Oceania===
According to Victoria Sherrow, those Romans who were fair-haired preferred to dye their hair dark in the early period of ]; at one point in time blond hair was even associated with ].<ref name=sherrow/> The preference changed to bleaching the hair blond when ], and was reinforced when the legions that ] returned with blond slaves.<ref name=sherrow>Victoria Sherrow. ''Encyclopedia of hair: a cultural history''. </ref> Roman women tried to lighten their hair, but the substances often caused hair loss, so they resorted to ]s made from the captives’ hair.<ref>Victoria Sherrow, ''For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 136, </ref>
] ]]
Blonde hair is also found in some other parts of the South Pacific, such as the ],<ref name=tyrp1>{{cite journal | title = Melanesian Blond Hair Is Caused by an Amino Acid Change in TYRP1 | first1 = Eimear E. | last1 = Kenny | first2 = Nicholas J. | last2 = Timpson | journal = ] | volume = 336 | issue = 6081 | pages = 554 | date = 4 May 2012 | doi = 10.1126/science.1217849 | pmid = 22556244 | pmc = 3481182 | bibcode = 2012Sci...336..554K }}</ref><ref name=nat120503>{{cite journal| title = Blonde hair evolved more than once | first = Zoë | last = Corbyn | journal = Nature | date = 3 May 2012 | doi = 10.1038/nature.2012.10587 | s2cid = 191400735 }}</ref> ], and ], again with higher incidences in children. Blond hair in ] is caused by an amino acid change in the gene ].<ref name=tyrp1/> This mutation is at a frequency of 26% in the Solomon Islands and is absent outside of ].<ref name=tyrp1/>


===Asia===
] wrote that ], Roman empress of very noble birth, would hide her ] with a blond wig for her nightly visits to the brothel: ''sed nigrum flavo crinem abscondente galero intravit calidum veteri centone lupanar''.
<ref></ref>
In his Commentary on the Aeneid of Virgil, ] noted that the respectable matron was only black haired, never blond.<ref></ref> In the same passage, he mentioned that ] wrote that some matrons would sprinkle golden dust on their hair to make it reddish-color.


The higher frequencies of light hair in Asia are prevalent among the ], ], ] and ] ethnic groups.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZaQB6tZhz8C&pg=PA9 |title=Around the Roof of the World |first1=Nicholas |last1=Shoumatoff |first2=Nina |last2=Shoumatoff |year=2000 |publisher=] |page=9 |isbn=978-0-472-08669-6 |access-date=23 September 2016 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152618/https://books.google.com/books?id=zZaQB6tZhz8C&pg=PA9 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=B. Minahan |first1=James |title=Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia |date=2014 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1610690188 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZCOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205}}</ref>
From an ethnic point of view, Roman authors associated blond and reddish hair with the Gauls and the Germans: e.g., ] describes the hair of the Gauls as "golden" (''aurea caesaries''),<ref></ref> ] wrote that "the Germans have fierce blue eyes, red hair, huge frames";<ref></ref> in accordance with ], almost all the Gauls were "of tall stature, fair and ruddy".<ref></ref>


According to geneticist ], blond hair has ancient roots in Asia. The derived allele responsible for blond hair in Europeans likely evolved first among the ]. The earliest known individual with this ] is a Siberian fossil from Afontova Gora, in south-central Siberia.{{sfn|Mathieson|Alpaslan-Roodenberg|Posth|Szécsényi-Nagy|2018}} Reich has written that the derived ] for blond hair entered continental Europe by way of a massive population migration from the Eurasian steppe, by a people who had substantial Ancient North Eurasian ancestry.<ref name="Oxford University Press">{{cite book |last1=Reich |first1=David |title=Who We are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198821250 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLNSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152553/https://books.google.com/books?id=uLNSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 |url-status=live }}</ref> Blond hair has been discovered in human burial sites in north-western China and Mongolia dating to the Iron Age.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Puigdevall |first1=Federico |title=The Secrets of Ancient Tombs |date=2017 |publisher=Cavendish Square |isbn=978-1502632630 |page=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oipmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152557/https://books.google.com/books?id=oipmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Ancient Mummy Found in Mongolia |url= https://www.spiegel.de/international/archeological-sensation-ancient-mummy-found-in-mongolia-a-433600.html |newspaper= Der Spiegel |date= 25 August 2006 |access-date= 9 April 2020 |archive-date= 23 July 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190723023204/https://www.spiegel.de/international/archeological-sensation-ancient-mummy-found-in-mongolia-a-433600.html |url-status= live }}</ref>
===Northern Europe===
] cuts the hair of the goddess ] in an illustration (1920) by ]]]
In ], the goddess ] has famously blonde hair, which some scholars have identified as representing ].<ref name="SIF">] (1965). ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe'', page 84. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-013627-4</ref> In the '']'' poem '']'', the blond man ] is considered to be the ancestor of the dominant warrior class.


The ], originally from northern China, were historically recorded as having blonde hair and blue eyes by the Chinese in ancient times, but their features became darker as they migrated out of China and in to Southeast Asia.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Chao Romero|first1=Robert|last2=Ong|first2=James|last3=Guillermo-Wann|first3=Chelsea|last4=Logia|first4=Jenifer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmW4DwAAQBAJ&q=hmong+people+blonde+hair+blue+eyes&pg=PA71|title=Mixed Race Student Politics: A Rising "Third Wave" Movement at UCLA|publisher=]|date=3 October 2019|isbn=978-0934052528|location=]|language=en|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152609/https://books.google.com/books?id=RmW4DwAAQBAJ&q=hmong+people+blonde+hair+blue+eyes&pg=PA71|url-status=live}} "As the Hmong migrated over time out of China, the phenotype became lost and less frequent."</ref> The ethnic ] of ] from China, a subgroup of Hmong people, have been described as having blue eyes and blonde hair. F.M Savina of the Paris Foreign missionary society wrote that the Miao are "pale yellow in complexion, almost white, their hair is often light or dark brown, sometimes even red or corn-silk blond, and a few even have pale blue eyes."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hattaway|first1=Paul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05xjDwAAQBAJ&q=F.M+savina+yellow&pg=PT28|title=Guizhou: The Precious Province|publisher=](SPCK)|date=19 July 2018|isbn=978-0281079896|location=]|language=en|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152620/https://books.google.com/books?id=05xjDwAAQBAJ&q=F.M+savina+yellow&pg=PT28|url-status=live}}</ref>
In Northern European ], supernatural beings value blonde hair in humans. Blonde babies are more likely to be stolen and replaced with ]s, and young blonde women are more likely to be lured away to the land of the beings.<ref>], ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures,'' "Golden Hair", p194. ISBN 0-394-73467-X</ref> ] and ] were often portrayed with blond hair in illustrations in children's book of fairy tales. This continues the theme that blond hair is associated with beauty and goodness.


Chinese historical documents describe blond haired, blue-eyed warriors among the ], a nomadic ] culture from Mongolia, who practiced ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gžard|first1=Chaliand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9gkDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|title=A Global History of War: From Assyria to the Twenty-First Century|last2=Wong|first2=R. Bin|date=2014|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0520283602|page=121|access-date=9 April 2020|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152616/https://books.google.com/books?id=w9gkDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|url-status=live}}</ref> The ] were a Mongolic-speaking ethnic group who were blond-haired and blue eyed. Blond hair can still be seen among people from the region they inhabited, even today.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwarz |first1=Henry |title=The Minorities of Northern China |date=1984 |publisher=Western Washington University |isbn=0914584170 |pages=169}}</ref> Some ] were described with blond hair and blue eyes according to Chinese historical chronicles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wang |first1=Pengling |title=Linguistic Mysteries of Ethnonyms in Inner Asia |date=2018 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-1498535281 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mOdRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152619/https://books.google.com/books?id=mOdRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] tribe of Mongols, to which the military generals ] and ] belonged, were described by Mongol chronicles as blond haired in the 2nd millennium CE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Okada |first1=Hidehiro |title=The Fall of the Uriyangqan Mongols |journal=Mongolian Studies |date=1986 |volume=10 |issue=25 |pages=49–57 |jstor=43193100 }}</ref> The ] are a Turkic ethnic group with an occasional occurrence of blond hair with freckles, blue-green eyes.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Minahan|first1=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZCOAwAAQBAJ&q=Tuvan+blond&pg=PA278|title=Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia|publisher=]|date=10 February 2014|isbn=978-1610690171|location=]|language=en|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152552/https://books.google.com/books?id=oZCOAwAAQBAJ&q=Tuvan+blond&pg=PA278|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Contemporary popular culture==


<gallery widths="190" heights="190" class="center" caption="Children from different ethnicities around ]">
===General===
File:Pamiri boy in Tajikistan.jpg|] child in ]
] in the film '']''.]]
File:Uyghur girl in Turpan, Xinjiang, China - 20050712.jpg|] girl in Turpan, ], China
In contemporary popular culture, it is often stereotyped that men find blond women more attractive than women with other hair colors.<ref name=sherrow/> For example, ] popularized this idea in her 1925 novel '']''.<ref name=sherrow/> Blondes are often assumed to have more fun; for example, in a ] commercial for hair colorant, they use the phrase "Is it true blondes have more fun?"<ref name=sherrow/> Some women have reported they feel other people expect them to be more fun-loving after having lightened their hair.<ref name=sherrow/> The "]" is also associated with being less serious or less intelligent.<ref name=sherrow/> This can be seen in ].<ref name=sherrow/> It is believed the originator of the "dumb blonde" was an 18th century blonde French prostitute named ] whose reputation of being beautiful but dumb inspired a play about her called ''Les Curiosites de la Foire'' (Paris 1775).<ref name=sherrow/> Blonde actresses have contributed to this perception; some of them include ], ], ], and ] during her time at '']''.<ref name=sherrow/>
File:Lebanese boy with blond hair.jpg|] boy with blond hair, ], ]
</gallery>


==Historical cultural perceptions==
]] preferred to cast blonde women for major roles in his films as he believed that the audience would suspect them the least, comparing them to "virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints", hence the term "Hitchcock blonde".<ref name=Allen>{{cite book|author=Allen, Richard|title=Hitchcock's Romantic Irony|publisher=]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-231-13574-0}}</ref> This stereotype has become so ingrained it has spawned counter-narratives, such as in the 2001 film '']'' in which ] succeeds at Harvard despite biases against her beauty and blonde hair,<ref name=sherrow/> and terms developed such as cookie cutter blond (CCB), implying standardized blond looks and standard perceived social and intelligence characteristics of a blond. Many actors and actresses in ] and Hispanic United States seem to have Nordic features&mdash;blond hair, ], and pale skin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/58525?tid=relatedcl |title=Y Tu Black Mama Tambien |accessdate=2008-05-02 |last=Quinonez |first=Ernesto |date=2003-06-19}}</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/08/19/pride_or_prejudice/?page=2|title=Pride or Prejudice?|publisher=Boston.com|date=2004-08-19|accessdate=09-08-2010| first1=Vanessa E. | last1=Jones}}</ref><ref></ref>
===Ancient Greece===
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| footer = '''Left:''' Reconstructed ], {{circa}} 480 BC. <br/>'''Right:''' ], a ] youth, rolling a hoop, Attic vase {{circa}} 500 BC.
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Most people in ancient Greece had dark hair and, as a result of this, the Greeks found blond hair immensely fascinating.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=12}} In the ]ic epics, ] the king of the Spartans is, together with some other Achaean leaders, portrayed as blond.<ref name="Myres">Myres, John Linton (1967). ''Who were the Greeks?'', pp. 192–199. University of California Press.</ref> Other blond characters in the Homeric poems are ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Myres"/> ], the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was often described as golden-haired and portrayed with this color hair in art.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|pages=9–10}} Aphrodite's master epithet in the Homeric epics is {{wikt-lang|grc|χρύσεος|χρυσέη}} ({{grc-tr|χρυσέη}}), which means "golden".{{Refn|group="a"|Aphrodite is commonly described as "golden" in ancient sources. The adective is variously seen as referring either to golden hair,{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=13}} the gold adornments of her statues, her glimmering beauty, or the riches of her shrines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discourses by Dio Chrysostom |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dio_Chrysostom/Discourses/6*.html#note13 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref>}} The traces of hair color on Greek '']'' probably reflect the colors the artists saw in natural hair;{{sfn|Stieber|2004|pages=66–68}} these colors include a broad diversity of shades of blond, red and brown.{{sfn|Stieber|2004|pages=66–68}} The minority of statues with blond hair range from strawberry blond up to platinum blond.{{sfn|Stieber|2004|pages=66–68}}
===Blonds in fiction===
In ]' '']'', the ideal beauty is ] whose "hairs are gold"; in ]'s poem '']'' the noble and innocent ] have "golden tresses",<ref name=milton>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kbO9UPxIyVAC&pg=PR40&lpg=PR40&dq=in+paradise+lost+is+adam+blonde#PPA93,M1 |title=Paradise Lost: A Poem in Twelve Books |last= Milton |first= John |authorlink= John Milton |year= 1674 |publisher=|accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Milton |first= John |authorlink= John Milton |title= Paradise Lost|year= 1674 |chapter= Book IV |quote= Her unadorned golden tresses wore}}</ref> the protagonist-womanizer in ]'s novel ] who "recalled the hero of the popular romances" has "slightly reddish chestnut blond hair", while near the end of ]'s work '']'', the especially favorable year following the ] was signified in the Shire by an exceptional number of blonde-haired children. In ]'s '']'' series, the people of D'Hara (notably "full-blooded D'Harans") are characterised by having blonde hair, along with blue eyes.


] of Lesbos ({{circa}} 630–570 BC) wrote that purple-colored wraps as headdress were good enough, except if the hair was blond: "...for the girl who has hair that is yellower than a torch with wreaths of flowers in bloom."{{sfn|Stieber|2004|page=156}} Sappho also praises Aphrodite for her golden hair, stating that since ] is free from rust, the goddess' golden hair represents her freedom from ].{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=13}} Sappho's contemporary ] of Sparta praised golden hair as one of the most desirable qualities of a beautiful woman,{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=13}} describing in various poems "the girl with the yellow hair" and a girl "with the hair like purest gold".{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=13}}
In ], the ] are described as human-looking with blond hair and blue eyes, hence the name "nordic". They are benign, following the association of blond hair with beauty and goodness in European folklore and mythology.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}


In the fifth century BC, the sculptor ] may have depicted the Greek goddess of wisdom ]'s hair using ] in his famous statue of '']'', which was displayed inside the ].{{sfn|Eddy|1977|pages=107–111}} The Greeks thought of the ] who lived to the north as having reddish-blond hair.{{sfn|Marshall|2006|page=148}} Because many ] were captured from ], slaves were stereotyped as blond or red-headed.{{sfn|Marshall|2006|page=148}} "]" (Ξανθίας), meaning "reddish blond", was a common name for slaves in ancient Greece{{sfn|Marshall|2006|page=148}}{{sfn|Olson|1992|pages=304–319}} and a slave by this name appears in many of the comedies of ].{{sfn|Olson|1992|pages=304–319}} Historian and ] ] asserts that the ]ian ruler ] and members of the ] ] of ] had blond hair, such as ] and ].{{sfn|Fletcher|2008|pp=87, 246–247, see image plates and captions}} Additionally, the ancient Greek lyric poet ] wrote of "the blonde daughters of the ]" (]),<ref>], '']'' (470 B.C); xx. 2</ref> while also noting the golden hair of athletes at the ].<ref>Bacchylides, '']''; ix. 23</ref>
=== Blonde vs. brunette rivalry ===
{{Globalize/US|section|date=December 2012}}
====Blondes vs. brunettes as part of a competitive event====
]
One aspect of how blonde women are portrayed in popular culture is their rivalry with brunettes. The existence of the blonde vs. ] rivalry in American society dates back to at least 1875 when the first female professional ] players were assigned to teams according to their hair color. Baseball historian ] notes that blonde and brunette baseball teams barnstormed the country in the late 1800s.<ref>Thorn, John (2011) ''Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, page 191</ref> A more contemporary example is the ] game called ], a charity event that raises money for the ].<ref></ref> The annual contests were started in the fall of 2005, in Washington D.C. The games have received considerable publicity to include feature articles in '']'' and are now played in 16 cities around the United States.<ref>The Washington Post “Athletes First, Stylistas Second” Nov 19, 2011, pg. A13</ref><ref>'']'', "Hair’s The Thing: Blondes vs. Brunettes is a Win-Win," Retrieved March 12, 2012 </ref>


The most famous statue of Aphrodite, the '']'', sculpted in the fourth century BC by ], represented the goddess' hair using gold leaf{{sfn|Pitman|2003|pages=9–10, 14–15}} and contributed to the popularity of the image of Aphrodite as a blonde goddess.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|pages=9–11, 14–15}} Greek prostitutes frequently dyed their hair blond using ] dyes or colored powders.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}} Blond dye was highly expensive, took great effort to apply, and smelled repugnant,{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}} but none of these factors inhibited Greek prostitutes from dying their hair.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}} As a result of this and the natural rarity of blond hair in the Mediterranean region, by the fourth century BC, blond hair was inextricably associated with prostitutes.{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}} The comic playwright Menander ({{circa}} 342/41–{{circa}} 290 BC) protests that "no chaste woman ought to make her hair yellow".{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}} At another point, he deplores blond hair dye as dangerous: "What can we women do wise or brilliant, who sit with hair dyed yellow, outraging the character of gentlewomen, causing the overthrow of houses, the ruin of nuptials, and accusations on the part of children?"{{sfn|Pitman|2003|page=11}}
In some cases, blondes and brunettes on the same team may compete against each other. ] the women’s ] coach at the ] is known for dividing his team into blondes and brunettes and then having them compete against each other. Losers have been forced to stand in front of the goal facing the rear of the net while the winners take penalty shots against their posteriors.<ref name="Crothers">Crothers, Tim (2006) ''The Man Watching: Anson Dorrance and the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer Dynasty''. New York: St. Martin’s Press, page 221</ref> Dorrance, in his years of coaching female athletes, claims to have learned that women are motivated differently than males and that his “blondes vs. brunettes drill” worked with his female team because it was a “matter of pride.” <ref name="Crothers"/><ref>Brockway, Kevin (November 19, 2011) “UNC women find offense in NCAA” ''The Raleigh News and Observer''. Retrieved December 30, 2012</ref>


===Roman Empire===
Blonde vs. Brunette contests are not unique to any particular country. An example is the blonde vs. brunette ] match that took place in ] as part of the May 2012 World Chess Tournament. The match was hosted by the ] Central Chess Club and featured two teams of young girls, blondes dressed in light colors and brunettes dressed in dark colors. All of the contestants had to prove a degree of expertise to participate. The blondes won the contest, defeating the brunettes, 36.5 -24.5.<ref>"Chess Match: Blondes vs. Brunettes in Moscow" May 23, 2012 Chessmate News </ref><ref>"Blondes Take Revenge on Brunettes" May 22, 2012 Susan Polgar Chess Daily News and Information. Retrieved on December22, 2012 </ref>
{{multiple image
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| footer = '''On the left''': ], depicting ], polychrome ], made during the reign of ] (r. 117–138 AD)<br/> '''On the right''': detail of athletic women in the "]" ] of the ], ], 4th century AD
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During the early years of the ], blond hair was associated with ].{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=148}} The preference changed to bleaching the hair blond when Greek culture, which practiced bleaching, reached Rome, and was reinforced when the legions that ] returned with blond slaves.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}} Sherrow also states that Roman women tried to lighten their hair, but the substances often caused hair loss, so they resorted to ]s made from the captives' hair.<ref>Victoria Sherrow, ''For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 136, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004020/https://books.google.com/books?id=mNLZkzxmiEIC&q=Roman+women+tried+to+lighten+their+hair,+but+the+substances+often+caused+hair+loss&pg=PA136 |date=4 April 2023 }}</ref> According to ], ] literary records describe a large number of well-known Roman historical personalities as blond.<ref name="owens">"'' (],; their Origin Expansion & Culture''", 1993 Barnes & Noble Books {{ISBN|0-88029-579-1}}, p. 49.)</ref>
====Blondes vs. brunettes in the media and entertainment industry====


] wrote in a satirical poem that ], Roman empress of noble birth, would hide her ] with a blond wig for her nightly visits to the brothel: ''sed nigrum flavo crinem abscondente galero intravit calidum veteri centone lupanar''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0093:book=2:poem=6 |title=Juvenal, Satires, book 2, Satura VI|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228114210/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0093%3Abook%3D2%3Apoem%3D6|archive-date=28 December 2016}}</ref> In his Commentary on the '']'' of ], ] noted that the respectable matron was only black haired, never blonde.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0053:book=4:commline=698|title=Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil, SERVII GRAMMATICI IN VERGILII AENEIDOS LIBRVM QUARTVM COMMENTARIVS, line 698|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228143638/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053%3Abook%3D4%3Acommline%3D698|archive-date=28 December 2016}}</ref> In the same passage, he mentioned that ] wrote that some matrons would sprinkle golden dust on their hair to make it reddish-color. Emperor ] (r. 161–169 AD) was said to sprinkle gold-dust on his already light hair to make it blonder and brighter.<ref>Michael Grant (1994). '' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404105303/https://books.google.com/books?id=1KTVnjWiEo0C |date=4 April 2023 }}''. London & New York: Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-10754-7}}, pp. 27–28.</ref>
The most enduring blonde vs. brunette rivalry in American culture may exist in the comic book industry where ] and ] have been engaged in a mostly friendly competition for over 70 years.<ref>Goulart, Ronald (1986) Ron Goulart’s Great History of Comic Books: The Definitive Illustrated History from the 1890s to the 1980s. Chicago: Contemporary Books. Pages 248-249</ref> The teenage girls form two-thirds of a blonde vs. brunette ] that is completed by their high school classmate and object of their affection, ]. As Archie’s next door neighbor in the fictional town of ], the blonde and blue-eyed Betty Cooper is portrayed in the comic book series as a wholesome, popular, middle class girl.<ref></ref> Her high school friend and chief competitor for Archie's affection is the brunette Veronica Lodge.<ref></ref> Despite their rivalry they remain good friends. Other comics have used a similar construct where two girls compete for the affections of a young man and the blonde girl is the "good girl, while her brunette rival is the bad girl."<ref>Duncan, Randy (2009) ''The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture.'' New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, page 204.</ref> The comic book industry's blonde vs. brunette rivalry over a male has been replicated in other forms of media, including television.<ref name="tucker">Cummings, Tucker (November 16, 2011) "Blondes vs. Brunettes: TV Shows with Betty and Veronica-Style Love Triangles," Retrieved May 6, 2012. </ref>
]
In a November 16, 2011 article titled "''Blondes vs. Brunettes: TV Shows with Betty and Veronica-Style Love Triangles''", media critic Tucker Cummings cited several TV shows that featured a "classic war between blonde and brunette love interests." Typically, she wrote, "... the blonde (is) stable, and typifies the 'girl next door,' while (the) ... brunette, is haughty, and a bit more exotic."<ref name="tucker"/> Shows cited by Cummings that feature blondes and brunettes competing for a man include:


From an ethnic point of view, Roman authors associated blond and ] with the ]s and the ]: e.g., ] describes the hair of the Gauls as "golden" (''aurea caesaries''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0055:book=8:card=630|title=P. Vergilius Maro, Aeneid, Book 8, line 630|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831175029/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0055:book=8:card=630|archive-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> ] wrote that "the Germans have fierce blue eyes, red-blond hair (''rutilae comae''), huge (tall) frames";<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0083:chapter=4|title=Cornelius Tacitus, Germany and its Tribes, chapter 4|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227195742/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0083%3Achapter%3D4|archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> in accordance with ], almost all the Gauls were "of tall stature, fair and ruddy".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=AD02365B51C6C4EEE5FBD0F6FCF8ADDE?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0082:book=15:chapter=12:section=1|title=Ammianus Marcellinus, Rerum Gestarum, Book XV, chapter 12, section 1|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228100833/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=AD02365B51C6C4EEE5FBD0F6FCF8ADDE?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0082%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D12%3Asection%3D1|archive-date=28 December 2016}}</ref> ] and ] of ], among the free subjects called '']'', served in Rome's armies as {{Lang|la|]}}, such as the cavalry contingents in the army of ].<ref>Goldsworthy, Adrian (2000). ''Roman Warfare''. Edited by John Keegan. Cassell, p. 126.</ref> Some became Roman citizens as far back as the 1st century BC, following a policy of ] of ] and ].<ref>
*'']'', where lighter haired Pam competes with brunette Karen for the attention of Jim. Ultimately, Jim marries Pam and Karen moves away.
{{cite book
| chapter= Germany | title = The Cambridge Ancient History: X, The Augustan Empire, 43 B.C. – A.D. 69
| volume = 10 | pages = 523–526
| edition = 2nd
| isbn=978-0-521-26430-3 | first = C. | last = Rüger
|editor=Alan K. Bowman
|editor2=Edward Champlin
|editor3=Andrew Lintott
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|orig-year=1996
|year=2004
}}
</ref> Sometimes entire Celtic and Germanic tribes were granted citizenship, such as when emperor ] granted citizenship to all of the ] in 69 AD.<ref>], ''Annales'' I.78</ref>


By the 1st century BC, the ] had expanded its control into parts of ], and by 85 AD the provinces of ] and ] were formally established there.<ref>{{cite book
*'']'', where blonde Jenny competes with brunette Rachel for the attention of Mike.
|last = Rüger
|first = C.
|chapter = Germany
|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JZLW4-wba7UC&pg=PA528
|title = The Cambridge Ancient History: X, The Augustan Empire, 43 B.C. – A.D. 69
|volume = 10
|pages = 527–528
|edition = 2nd
|isbn = 978-0-521-26430-3
|editor = Alan K. Bowman
|editor2 = Edward Champlin
|editor3 = Andrew Lintott
|publisher = Cambridge University Press
|orig-year = 1996
|year = 2004
|access-date = 19 October 2016
|archive-date = 25 April 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152535/https://books.google.com/books?id=JZLW4-wba7UC&pg=PA528
|url-status = live
}}</ref> Yet as late as the 4th century AD, ], a poet and tutor from ], wrote a poem about an ] slave girl named ], whom he had recently freed after she'd been taken as a prisoner of war in the campaigns of ], noting that her adopted ] marked her as a woman of ] yet her blond-haired, ] appearance ultimately signified her true origins from the ].<ref>Wolfram, Herwig (1997) . ''The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples''. Translated by Thomas Dunlap. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-08511-6}}. p. 65.</ref> Further south, the ] was originally inhabited by ] outside of Roman control. The gradual Roman conquest of Iberia was completed by the early 1st century AD.<ref name="minahan 2000 p278"/> The Romans established provinces such as ] that were inhabited largely by ], whose red- and blond-haired descendants (which also include those of ] origins) have continued to inhabit northern areas of ] such as ] and ] into the modern era.<ref name="minahan 2000 p278">James B. Minahan (2000). ''One Europe, Many Nations: a Historical Dictionary of European National Groups''. Westport and London: Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|0-313-30984-1}}, p. 278.</ref>


The ], a Germanic tribe who played a central role in the ] through their conquest, were always described in ancient sources as tall and athletic, with light skin, yellow (blond) hair and blue eyes,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=Henry |title=The Story of the Goths: From the Earliest Times to the End of the Gothic Dominion in Spain |date=1888 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhAqAAAAYAAJ |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wolfram |first1=Herwig |title=History of the Goths |date=1988 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-06983-1 |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsQxcJvaLjAC |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The contemporary Greek scholar and historian ] noted of the Goths: "they all have white bodies and fair hair, and are tall and handsome to look upon."<ref name="Procopius_III.II">{{harvnb|Procopius|1914|p=}}, ]</ref>
*''Fiasco'', where blonde Katelyn and brunette Lucy renewing their rivalry as their younger siblings get married.


===Medieval Europe===
* '']'', where blonde Rita and brunette Lila compete for the affections of Dexter, the main character.
]'' ({{circa}} 1480–1487), altarpiece in ] style by ] showing her with long, blonde hair]]


Medieval Scandinavian art and literature often places emphasis on the length and color of a woman's hair,{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=41}} considering long, blond hair to be the ideal, as it was associated with ].{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=41}} In ], the goddess ] has famously blond hair.<ref name="SIF">] (1965). ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe'', p. 84. Penguin. {{ISBN|0-14-013627-4}}</ref> In the ] '']'', ], described as "the most beautiful woman in the world", is said to have had blond hair so long that it can "envelope her entirely".{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=41}} In the '']'' poem '']'', the blond man ] is considered to be the ancestor of the dominant warrior class.
* '']'', where brunette Theresa and blond Gwen compete for the love and affection of Ethan Winthrop.


The Scandinavians were not the only ones to place strong emphasis on the beauty of blond hair;{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=41}} the French writer ] writes in her book '']'' (1404) that "there is nothing in the world lovelier on a woman's head than beautiful blond hair".{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=41}} In medieval artwork, female saints are often shown with long, shimmering blond hair, which emphasizes their holiness and virginity.{{sfn|Milliken|2012|pages=41–43}} At the same time, however, ] is sometimes shown with long, blond hair, which frames her nude body and draws attention to her sexual attractiveness.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=148}}{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=100}} ] was so closely associated with blondness that, in the poems of ], she is called "Iseult le Blonde".{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=43}} In ]'s '']'', the knight describes the Princess Emily as blond in ].{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=43}}
'']'', an ] ] that ran from 1977-1984 also featured a blonde and brunette triangle. The blonde was played by ] and the brunette was played by ]. The man in the middle was played by ].<ref></ref> Somers and DeWitt were continually faced with media stories that described both an on and off-screen "rivalry"<ref name="Mann">Mann, Chris (1998) ''Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three's Company.'' New York: St. Martin’s Press, page 108-109.</ref> between the two co-stars. Both women repeatedly denied the stories and attempted to dispel "...the myth that women, especially blondes and brunettes, can’t get along in Hollywood."<ref name="Mann"/>


In the older versions of the story of '']'', ] falls in love with ] after seeing only a single lock of her long, blond hair.{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=43}} In fact, Iseult was so closely associated with blondness that, in the poems of ], she is called "Iseult le Blonde".{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=43}} In ]'s '']'' (written from 1387 until 1400), the knight describes the beautiful Princess Emily in ], stating, "yclothed was she fressh, for to devyse:/Hir yellow heer was broided in a tresse/Behinde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse" (lines 1048–1050).{{sfn|Milliken|2012|page=43}}
At the same time ABC was running the ''Three's Company'' sitcom, it was also running '']'', a night time soap opera. The show starred ] as an oil tycoon who was caught in the middle of a triangle that featured his wife, the blonde ] and his ex-wife, brunette ]. During the show's 10 year run the women had a number of fights. The spectacle of two middle aged woman engaged in a ] during prime time boosted the show's ratings considerably.<ref>Collins, Joan (1999) ''Second Act: An Autobiography''. New York: St. Martin’s Press, pages 192-193</ref> Feminist author and cultural critic ] believed that the shows emphasis on the male lead character, highlighted by women fighting over him, confirmed the traditional patriarchal role of men in society. Notwithstanding, Douglas and other feminists were not only huge fans of the show but were captivated by the sight two women engaged in a catfight. Douglas even suggested that in popular culture, the "purest" form of a catfight was between a blonde and a brunette.<ref name="Douglas">Douglas, Susan J. (1994) ''Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With The Mass Media''. New York: Random House, pages 241-242</ref>]<blockquote>"Dynasty upped the ante ... On one side was the blonde stay at home Krystal Carrington ... in the other corner was the most delicious bitch ever seen on television, the dark haired, scheming, career vixen, Alexis Carrington Colby ... Krystal just wanted to make her husband happy; Alexis wanted to control the world. How could you not love a catfight between these two?"<ref name="Douglas"/></blockquote>


Because of blond hair's relative commonness in northern Europe, folk tales from these regions tend to feature large numbers of blond protagonists,{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=148}}{{sfn|Six|2014|pages=75–76}} although these stories may not have been seen by their original tellers as idealizing blond hair.{{sfn|Six|2014|pages=75–76}} Furthermore, it is noted that there is also a black-haired ideal of female beauty in northern Europe, as shown in plays like ] and other forms of entertainment portraying black-haired ].{{sfn|Six|2014|pages=75–76}} Similarly, Nordic ]s often glorified dark-haired women.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Bryan S. |title=Max Weber: Methods and theory |date=1999 |publisher=Taylor & Francis US |isbn=978-0-415-18475-5 |page=211 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpGdCCCBWtIC |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
During Dynasty's run, Collins co-hosted '']'' for ABC.<ref>Terrace, Vincent. ''Encyclopedia of Television: Series, Pilots and Specials 1974-1984''. New York: BASELine Publications, page 50</ref><ref>"Blondes vs. Brunettes" Internet Movie Database (IMdB), retrieved September 23, 2012 </ref> The show featured a number of skits that gently poked fun at popular culture's blonde vs. brunette rivalry. The final skit featured Collins and co-host ] in their elderly years offering a toast to each other.<ref>''],'' "The TV Column" May 14, 1984, page C9</ref>


During ], Spanish ladies preferred to dye their hair black, yet by the time of the ] in the 16th century the fashion (imported from Italy) was to dye their hair blond or red.<ref>Eric V. Alvarez (2002). "Cosmetics in Medieval and Renaissance Spain", in Janet Pérez and Maureen Ihrie (eds), ''The Feminist Encyclopedia of Spanish Literature, A–M.'' 153–155. Westport and London: Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|0-313-29346-5}}, p. 154</ref>
Pitting blondes and brunettes against each other, especially as romantic rivals, is a Hollywood technique that extends back to at least the early 1930s. In a 1932 interview with an Australian newspaper, Hollywood director ] stated that lead women and women in supporting roles must always have different hair color to accentuate the contrasting beauty of each type. Arzner also stated that blondes were usually cast as the fickle types while brunettes are cast as the more serious and emotional types.<ref> "Blondes versus Brunettes" Morning Bulletin, Queensland, Australia, August 30, 1932 Retrieved December 15, 2012 </ref>


===Early twentieth-century===
Arraying blondes against brunettes, is not unique to the American film industry. The British film company ] produced a 1967 movie that took the blonde vs. brunette concept to an extreme. The film '']'' (also released under the title "Prehistoric Women") starred ] in the role of Kari, the queen of a tribe of brunettes who had enslaved a tribe of blondes.<ref>"Prehistoric Women" (1967) ''Internet Movie Database (IMDb)''</ref><ref>"Hammer Glamour - Prehistoric Women" </ref> Their existence was disrupted by the arrival of a male explorer who discovered the two tribes by means of a time portal. Witnessing the brunette’s cruel treatment of the blondes, he rejected Beswick's advances and was subsequently enslaved himself. He soon discovered a group of men who were also held in bondage. He eventually led a rebellion where the blondes overwhelmed the brunettes, Beswick was killed, and the explorer managed to escape back through the portal. The production has been described as one of the most bizarre films ever released.
] often featured people with blond hair and blue eyes and other "Teutonic" traits, said to embody features of a "]".]]


In 'Mark Twain and the American West', American novel writer ]'s depiction of Alexander the Great in ']' was described as "embodying the ideal", a "large, strong man with broad shoulders and rugged, blond good looks".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coulombe |first1=Joseph L. |title=Mark Twain and the American West |date=2003 |publisher=University of Missouri Press |isbn=978-0-8262-6318-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0aNYcqB84h4C |access-date=9 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=23 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323044645/https://books.google.com/books?id=0aNYcqB84h4C |url-status=live }}</ref>
<blockquote>"An eccentric and unloved Hammer film that uses a blondes vs. brunettes scenario."<ref> Hearn, Marcus (2011) ''The Hammer Vault.'' London: Titan Books, page 90.</ref> -- ''The Hammer Vault''</blockquote>


In ], blond, stern-jawed men were seen as the masculine ideal as depicted in the films of ] and other propaganda.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lorenz |first1=Dagmar C. G. |title=Nazi Characters in German Propaganda and Literature |date=19 June 2018 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-36526-1 |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MmdjDwAAQBAJ |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025638/https://books.google.com/books?id=MmdjDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Daniel |title=Classical masculinity and the spectacular body on film : the mighty sons of Hercules |date=2014 |location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire |isbn=978-1-137-38471-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xhhHBQAAQBAJ |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152537/https://books.google.com/books?id=xhhHBQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Writer R. Horrocks noted that totalitarianism reached a ludicrous extreme in Nazi society, where "men were virile blond warriors, women were breeders, and gay men were killed in the death camps".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horrocks |first1=R. |title=Masculinity in Crisis: Myths, Fantasies And Realities |date=30 August 1994 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-37280-1 |page=156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_LMCwAAQBAJ |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025639/https://books.google.com/books?id=J_LMCwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<blockquote>"Idiotic Hammer Film in which the Great White Hunter stumbles into a lost Amazon civilization where blondes have been enslaved by brunettes. Honest! Nevertheless it has developed a cult following due to Beswick’s commanding, sensual performance as the tribe’s leader."<ref>Maltin, Leonard (2009) ''2010 Movie Guide''. New York: Signet Books, page 90.</ref> -- ''Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide''</blockquote>


The fact that many Nazi leaders, including ], did not possess these traits was noted with irony by the ]. The most famous joke on the subject asked: ''What is the ideal German? Blond like Hitler, slim like Göring, masculine like Goebbels. . . .''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Proctor |first1=Robert N. |title=The Nazi War on Cancer |date=5 June 2018 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18781-5 |page=140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rIFcDwAAQBAJ&q=blond+masculine+ideal+nazi+germany&pg=PA140 |access-date=27 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404105301/https://books.google.com/books?id=rIFcDwAAQBAJ&q=blond+masculine+ideal+nazi+germany&pg=PA140 |url-status=live }}</ref>
====Blondes vs. brunettes as part of an advertisement campaign====
] ]]
Advertisements have also used the blondes vs. brunettes construct to sell merchandise. An example is the British-Dutch firm ]’s ] Color Showdown advertisements that tout a "war" between blondes and brunettes. Although Unilever's web site colorshowdown.com is no longer active, the commercials are still available on You Tube and other media sites.<ref> Sunsilk Color Showdown.com – Showdown video on You Tube Retrieved on December 22, 2012 </ref><ref>"Who’s in Better Shape – Blondes or Brunettes?" Sunsilk Color Showdown video on You Tube Retrieved on December 22, 2012</ref>


Senior curator at the ] Jon Røyne Kyllingstad has written that in the early twentieth-century ] and ] thinkers promulgated the theory that human features such as blond hair and blue eyes were hallmarks of a "]".{{sfn|Kyllingstad|2014|page=xiii}} In the 1920s, the ] ] invented a hair palette called the ] that he said could categorize racial typology—these typologies were abandoned after ].{{sfn|Kyllingstad|2014|page=xiv}} Kyllingstad sees classification of race based on physical characteristics such as hair color as a "flawed, pseudo-scientific relic of the past".{{sfn|Kyllingstad|2014|page=xiv}}
<blockquote>"In order to answer the age-old question of who is better: blondes or brunettes?, Sunsilk created the Color Showdown, a campaign to ignite conversation about hair color rivalry while launching our newest line of products: the Sunsilk Color Collections."<ref>''"Sunsilk Users Recruit Friends for Color Showdown"'' (April 24, 2007) Imedia Connection, retrieved December 26, 2012 </ref></blockquote>


==Modern cultural stereotypes==
Accompanying the ad campaign was an on-line poll sponsored by Sunsilk that asked 4,000 men to express their opinions about the differences between blondes and brunettes.<ref>''"Blonde vs. Brunette: The Grudge Match"'' (July, 2007) Men's Health Magazine, page 44</ref> Despite the fact that the advertisement campaign was intended to amuse, some found the approach sexist and the campaign generated discussion on various blog and web sites.<ref> "Sexist or Just Funny?" AdGabber Retrieved on December 22, 2012 </ref><ref> Sunsilk Blondes vs. Brunettes Retrieved on December 22, 2012 </ref>
{{main|Blonde stereotype}}
===Sexuality===
]) is depicted as a French woman with a “weakness for yellow-haired men”, and in expressing her deep attraction and admiration to her love interest Ambrose is fixated on his hair color.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Bystander |date=1918 |page=239 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8q-KuYZDql8C |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>]]
], traditionally assumed to be ]]]
], a well-known natural blond actor and "Male Sex Symbol of the Seventies".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Michael |title=Robert Redford and American Cinema: Modern Film Stardom and the Politics of Celebrity |date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-14199-5 |page=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gugbEAAAQBAJ |access-date=9 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404105306/https://books.google.com/books?id=gugbEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> (''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' production still)]]


In contemporary Western popular culture, blonde women are sometimes stereotyped as being attractive.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}} For example, ] popularized this idea in her 1925 novel '']''.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}} However, studies which sought to verify this found no evidence for a general preference of blonde women among Western men.<ref name="Jacobi Cash 1994 pp. 379–396">{{cite journal | last1=Jacobi | first1=Lora | last2=Cash | first2=Thomas F. | title=In Pursuit of the Perfect Appearance: Discrepancies Among Self-Ideal Percepts of Multiple Physical Attributes 1 | journal=Journal of Applied Social Psychology | volume=24 | issue=5 | date=1994 | issn=0021-9029 | doi=10.1111/j.1559-1816.1994.tb00588.x | pages=379–396}}</ref> A 2008 study found that men in ], ] preferred dark haired women rather than women with blond hair.<ref name="Swami2008">{{cite journal |last1=Swami |first1=Viren |last2=Furnham |first2=Adrian |last3=Joshi |first3=Kiran |title=The influence of skin tone, hair length, and hair colour on ratings of women's physical attractiveness, health and fertility |journal=Scandinavian Journal of Psychology |date=October 2008 |volume=49 |issue=5 |pages=429–437 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9450.2008.00651.x |pmid=18452501 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2008.00651.x}}</ref> A 2018 study based on University of Florida students found that men prefer brunette women over blonde women.<ref name="Wortham, J. 2018">{{cite journal | last1=Wortham | first1=Jen | last2=Miller | first2=Abraham | last3=Delvescovo | first3=Daniela | title=Male and female hair color preferences: influences of familiarity, geographic region of origin, and environment on mate attraction in University of Tampa students | journal=Florida Scientist | publisher=Florida Academy of Sciences, Inc. | volume=81 | issue=1 | year=2018 | issn=0098-4590 | jstor=26477962 | pages=33–54 | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26477962 | access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref> Swami, et al. (2008) suggested that men may prefer women with dark hair because they are predominant in the fashion and modelling industries, or because they may be perceived as healthier or more fertile than blonde women.<ref>{{harvnb|Swami|Furnham|Joshi|2008|p=435}}</ref>
A more recent example of using blondes vs. brunettes as part of an advertisement campaign is the 2012 "For Eyes Optical" advertisement titled "No Matter How You See it, See it for Less." The advertisements feature people arguing points of view.


In ] and ], blonde women are ranked below ] women in the hierarchy of female attractiveness. In the ], Russian schoolteachers struggled to convince ] students that blue-eyed, blonde heroines in ] were attractive.<ref name="Kreindler 1993 pp. 257–274">{{cite journal | last=Kreindler | first=Isabelle T. | title=A Second Missed Opportunity: Russian in Retreat as a Global Language | journal=International Political Science Review | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=14 | issue=3 | year=1993 | issn=0192-5121 | doi=10.1177/019251219301400304 | page=263}} p.263: "A teacher had to make her pupils appreciate the beauty of a blonde blue-eyed maiden..."</ref> The ethnic ] students, in particular, regarded blonde women as "hideous", and insisted that their hair be changed to black.<ref name="Kreindler 1993 pp. 257–274" /><ref name="Fierman 1991">{{cite book | last=Fierman | first=W. | title=Soviet Central Asia: The Failed Transformation | publisher=Avalon Publishing | series=Series on Development and Int'l | year=1991 | isbn=978-0-8133-7907-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RkxpAAAAMAAJ | access-date=10 February 2024 | page=225}} "There is also the problem of hair and eyes: light-haired and light-eyed Russian heroines usually stir little emotion among Central Asian students whose ideal beauty has black hair and black eyes. Teachers had to work very hard indeed to overcome the aversion to the concept of a blonde, blue-eyed beauty. Even artistic representation was of little help."</ref> Popular television commercials in Japan have portrayed blonde women as highly ] of black-haired Japanese women.<ref name="Global2010">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Geoffrey |title=Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry |date=25 February 2010 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-160961-9 |page=314 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqc6YQnSQzcC&dq=%22asience&pg=PA314 |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, a study found that blond-haired Swedish women were ranked below Chinese women in the female beauty hierarchy. According to the author, the blonde hair of Swedish women reduced their femininity, because it was seen as a Western trait. These women's Swedish husbands were highly attracted to local East Asian women, which further reduced the self-esteem of the blonde Swedish women.<ref name="Sweden">{{cite book | last=Lundström | first=C. | title=White Migrations: Gender, Whiteness and Privilege in Transnational Migration | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK | series=Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-137-28919-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHGEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT112}}</ref>
<blockquote>"The new commercials from For Eyes Optical's long-time agency, ], show a sparse debate stage where two differing points of view are monotonously and succinctly volleyed back and forth. In one spot, two Europeans go back and forth on their beachwear preference for the man-kini or the thong. Another spot shows two voluptuous women simply stating their hair color in the debate as to which one is superior."<ref> "For Eyes Optical Settles Debate On Accepting Different Points Of View" PR Newswire. Retrieved December 22,2012 </ref></blockquote>


Similarly in many eastern cultures (], The ]) blond men are often seen as symbolizing western masculinity: excessively manly, flirtatious, and sexually attractive.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Appleby |first1=R. |title=Men and Masculinities in Global English Language Teaching |date=10 December 2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-33180-9 |pages=30–40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YLMaBgAAQBAJ |access-date=9 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004027/https://books.google.com/books?id=YLMaBgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stanley |first1=Phiona |title=A Critical Ethnography of 'Westerners' Teaching English in China: Shanghaied in Shanghai |date=11 February 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-13568-3 |page=62 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kanv_QIstMEC |access-date=9 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004036/https://books.google.com/books?id=kanv_QIstMEC |url-status=live }}</ref> Depictions of relations between blond European men and dark-haired Arab women have even been used as an allegory for European ], specifically in regards to ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Paragraph: The Journal of the Modern Critical Theory Group |date=1986 |publisher=Modern Critical Theory Group |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSInAQAAIAAJ |access-date=9 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025638/https://books.google.com/books?id=aSInAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The ad features two young women seated at tables and includes a large projection screen in the background that showed the title of the debate: "Blondes vs. Brunettes." The debate itself simply consists of the blonde saying "Blondes" and the brunette saying "Brunettes." The debate ends with the brunette tricking the blonde into saying "Brunette."<ref> "For Eyes Optical 2012 Commercial - Blondes vs Brunettes" YouTube, retrieved on December 22, 2012 </ref>


===Intelligence===
A 2006 advertisement for a ] tournament held in ] adapted a theatrical poster from the 1957 movie ]. The original poster featured a blonde and brunette fighting over a pair of scissors. The Scrabble adaptation used the same image and included a French version of "Blonde vs. Brunette" spelled out in Scrabble tiles. The slogan read, "In Scrabble anything is possible. Grand National Tournament September 23, 2006."<ref> "In Scrabble Anything is Possible" </ref>
]'' (1953), was one of several films in which ] portrayed a sexually attractive and naïve "dumb blonde"]]


Originating in Europe, the "]" is also associated with being less serious or less intelligent.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}} ]s are a class of jokes based on the stereotype of blonde women as unintelligent.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}}{{sfn|Thomas|1997|pages=277–313}} In Brazil, this extends to blonde women being looked down upon, as reflected in sexist jokes, as also sexually licentious.<ref name=giselemaria>Revista Anagrama, Universidade de São Paulo, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121000830/http://www.revistas.usp.br/anagrama/article/view/35305 |date=21 November 2015 }}, version 1, edition 2, 2007</ref> It is believed the originator of the ''dumb blonde'' was an eighteenth-century blonde French prostitute named ] whose reputation of being beautiful but dumb inspired a play about her called ''Les Curiosités de la Foire'' (Paris 1775).{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}} Blonde actresses have contributed to this perception; some of them include ], ], ], ] and ] during her time at '']''.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}}
==== Blondes vs. brunettes: research and studies ====


The British filmmaker ] preferred to cast blonde women for major roles in his films as he believed that the audience would suspect them the least, comparing them to "virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints", hence the term ''Hitchcock blonde''.<ref name=Allen>{{cite book|author=Allen, Richard|title=Hitchcock's Romantic Irony|publisher=]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-231-13574-0}}</ref> This stereotype has become so ingrained it has spawned counter-narratives, such as in the 2001 film '']'' in which ], played by ], succeeds at Harvard despite biases against her beauty and blond hair.{{sfn|Sherrow|2006|page=149}}
A number of studies have been conducted over the years to measure society’s attitude toward blondes and brunettes.
Many of the studies have shown that men, especially those of European descent, find blonde women more attractive than brunettes, redheads, or women of other races who had darker hair, eyes, or complexion.<ref>Simpson, Jeffry A. and Douglas T. Kenrick (1997) ''Evolutionary Social Psychology''. Oxford, U.K.: Taylor and Francis, pages 109-140</ref> <ref>Feinman, S., & Gill, G. W. (1978). “Sex differences in physical attractiveness preferences". ''Journal of Social Psychology'', 105, 43-52.</ref> Other studies have supported the findings by examining behavior shown in public settings. As an example, a ] study showed that blonde waitresses receive larger tips than brunettes, even when controlling for other variables such as age, breast size, height and weight.<ref>Lynn, Michael, Ph.D., (2009) "Determinants and Consequences of Female Attractiveness and Sexiness: Realistic Tests with Restaurant Waitresses". Ithaca, New York: Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration.</ref>


In the 1950s, American actress ]'s screen persona centered on her blonde hair and the stereotypes associated with it, especially dumbness, naïveté, sexual availability and artificiality.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=21–26, 181–185}} She often used a breathy, childish voice in her films, and in interviews gave the impression that everything she said was "utterly innocent and uncalculated", parodying herself with ]s that came to be known as "Monroeisms".{{sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=1986|1pp=33–34|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=25, 57–58|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=185|4a1=Hall|4y=2006|4p=489}} For example, when she was asked what she had on in a 1949 nude photo shoot, she replied, "I had the radio on".{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=194}} Monroe often wore white to emphasize her blondeness, and drew attention by wearing revealing outfits that showed off her figure.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=25|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=246–250}} Although Monroe's typecast screen persona as a dim-witted but sexually attractive blonde was a carefully crafted act, audiences and film critics believed it to be her real personality and did not realize that she was only acting.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=273–276}}
In a 2012 interview with ], Dr. Lisa Walker, Sociology Department Chair at the ] said that hair color "absolutely" plays a role in the way people are treated and claimed that numerous studies had shown that blonde women were paid higher salaries than other women.


The notion that blonds are less intelligent is not grounded in fact. A 2016 study of 10,878 Americans found that both women and men with natural blond hair had ] scores similar to the average IQ of non-blond white Americans, and that white women with natural blond hair in fact had a slightly higher average IQ score (103.2) than white women with red hair (101.2), or black hair (100.5). Although many consider ''blonde jokes'' to be harmless, the author of the study stated the stereotype can have serious negative effects on hiring, promotion and other social experiences.<ref>Jay L. Zagorsky, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123231310/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305222263_Are_Blondes_Really_Dumb |date=23 January 2021 }}, Economics Bulletin 36(1):401–410 · March 2016</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312062330/http://theconversation.com/are-blondes-actually-dumb-56560 |date=12 March 2020 }} by Jay L. Zagorsky</ref> Rhiannon Williams of '']'' writes that ''dumb blonde'' jokes are "one of the last 'acceptable' forms of prejudice".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10436508/Why-I-hate-dumb-blonde-jokes.html|title=Why I hate 'dumb blonde' jokes|first=Rhiannon|last=Williams|date=12 December 2013|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|access-date=3 July 2018|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703205402/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10436508/Why-I-hate-dumb-blonde-jokes.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<blockquote>"Most people would tell you, if asked, that it doesn't matter what your hair color is. What style your hair is in. They would say whatever is best for your face," explained Walker. "But from a very young age these stereotypes appear. In cartoons and children's programming, we see the way women are portrayed based on their hair. The associations continue through childhood into adulthood.”<ref name="Walker">Gallagher, Dianne (October 30, 2012). “Blonde vs. Brunette: Does it Determine How You Get Treated?” WCNC, NBC Charlotte, retrieved November 17, 2012 </ref></blockquote>


==See also==
The local NBC news affiliate in ] tested Walker’s theory by asking a natural blonde to walk around the Charlotte business area, drop a scarf and keep going. The volunteer did it 20 times as a blonde and then 20 times wearing a brunette wig. As a blonde, every time she dropped the scarf a bystander picked it up for her, but when wearing a dark haired wig, people simply mentioned that the scarf was dropped or ignored it altogether.<ref name="Walker"/>
; Science
* ]
* ]
* ]
** ]
** ]
** ]
** ]


;Society
A well publicized 2011 ] study evaluated how men perceived women who entered a ] nightclub as a blonde or a brunette. The study, published in the ''Scandinavian Journal of Psychology'', used the same woman and had her dye her hair a different color for each visit.<ref>Swami, Verin and Seishin Barrett (August 28, 2011) “British men’s hair color preferences: An assessment of courtship solicitation and stimulus ratings” ''Scandinavian Journal of Psychology'', Volume 52, Issue 6, pages 595-600 </ref>


* ]
After spending some time in the club, she departed and then researchers entered to club and interviewed the men who had engaged her in conversation. The results showed that, as a blonde, she was more likely to be approached for conversation than as a brunette. However, when the researchers interviewed the men who spoke to her, the men rated her more intelligent and attractive as a brunette than as a blonde.<ref>Saad, Gad, Ph.D., (February 28, 2012) “Do Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Blonde women: Approached more frequently but judged more harshly.” ''Psychology Today'' </ref><ref> Macrae, Fiona (January 2, 2012) “Men find brunettes more attractive and intelligent than blondes” ''Daily Mail On-Line'' </ref> Many news organizations covered the story as evidence that blondes were not preferred over brunettes.<ref>”Blondes vs. Brunettes: Blondes Lose, Study Says” (January 2, 2012) Fox 4 News, Kansas City, MO. Retrieved December 30, 2012</ref><ref>Elser, Amanda “The Battle of Blondes vs. Brunettes Ensues” beautyhigh.com</ref>
* ]
* ]
* ]


==See also== ==Notes==
{{reflist|group=a}}
* ]
* ]
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* ]
{{-}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|blond}}


== External links ==
{{Commons category|Blond hair}} {{Commons category|Blond hair}}


{{Hair colors}} {{Hair colors}}


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Latest revision as of 16:21, 16 December 2024

Human hair color "Blonde" redirects here. For other uses, see Blond (disambiguation) and Blonde (disambiguation).

German footballer Lars Unnerstall, who has blond hair and a blond beard

Blond (MASC) or blonde (FEM), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of eumelanin, the dark pigment. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish "strawberry" blond or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). Occasionally, the state of being blond, and specifically the occurrence of blond traits in a predominantly dark or colored population are referred to as blondism.

Because hair color tends to darken with age, natural blond hair is significantly less common in adulthood. Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in Northern Europe, and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of vitamin D, due to northern Europe's lower levels of sunlight. Blond hair has also developed in other populations, although it is usually not as common, and can be found among the native populations of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji; among the Berbers of North Africa; and among some Asian people.

In Western culture, blonde hair has long been associated with beauty and vitality. Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, was described as having blonde hair. In the Greco-Roman world, blonde hair was frequently associated with prostitutes, who dyed their hair using saffron dyes in order to attract more customers. The Greeks stereotyped Thracians and slaves as blond and the Romans associated blondness with the Celts and the Germanic peoples to the north. In the ancient Greek world, Iliad presented the mythological hero Achilles as what was then the ideal male warrior: handsome, tall, strong, and blond. In Western Europe during the Middle Ages, long and blonde hair was idealized as the paragon of female beauty. Sif, the wife of Thor in Norse mythology, and Iseult, the Celtic-origin legendary heroine, were both significantly portrayed as blonde. In contemporary Western culture, blonde women are often stereotyped as beautiful, but unintelligent.

Etymology, spelling, and grammar

Origins and meanings

Detail of a portrait of Sigismund Casimir Vasa (c. 1644), with characteristic blond hair which darkened with time as confirmed by his later effigies.

The word blond is first documented in English in 1481 and derives from Old French blund, blont, meaning 'a colour midway between golden and light chestnut'. It gradually eclipsed the native term fair, of same meaning, from Old English fæġer, causing fair later to become a general term for 'light complexioned'. This earlier use of fair survives in the proper name Fairfax, from Old English fæġer-feahs meaning 'blond hair'.

The word blond, taken from Old French, may derive from the Medieval Latin blundus, meaning 'yellow'. The feminine form blonde was introduced in the 17th century.

Usage

Further information: Grammatical gender § As agreement or concord

Blond/blonde, with its continued gender–varied usage, is one of the few adjectives in written English to retain separate lexical genders. The two forms, however, are pronounced identically. American Heritage's Book of English Usage propounds that, as "a blonde" (just so, with "blonde" as noun) might not uncommonly be used to describe a woman, but less often "a blond" used to describe a man, the term is an example of a "sexist stereotype women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics." The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) records that the phrase "big blond beast" was used in the 20th-century to refer specifically to men "of the Nordic type" (that is to say, blond-haired). The OED also records that this term for fair hair as an adjective is especially used with reference to women, in which case it is likely to be spelt blonde, citing three Victorian usages of the term. The masculine version is used in the plural, in "blonds of the European race", in a citation from 1833 Penny cyclopedia, which distinguishes genuine blondness as a Caucasian feature distinct from albinism.

By the early 1990s, blonde moment or being a dumb blonde had come into common parlance to mean "an instance of a person, esp. a woman... being foolish or scatter-brained." Another hair color word of French origin, brunette (from the same Germanic root that gave brown), functions in the same way in orthodox English. The OED gives brunet as meaning 'dark-complexioned' or a 'dark-complexioned person', citing a comparative usage of brunet and blond to Thomas Henry Huxley in saying, "The present contrast of blonds and brunets existed among them." Brunette can be used, however, like blonde, to describe a mixed-gender populace. The OED quotes Grant Allen, "The nation which resulted... being sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette."

Blond and blonde are also occasionally used to refer to objects that have a color reminiscent of fair hair. For example, the OED records its use in 19th-century poetic diction to describe flowers, "a variety of clay ironstone of the coal measures", "the colour of raw silk", a breed of ray, lager beer, and pale wood.

Varieties

Various subcategories of blond hair have been defined to describe the different shades and sources of the hair color more accurately. Common examples include the following:

Women with blonde hair of different shades at WTMD's First Thursday series in Canton, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, in June 2014
  • ash-blond: ashen or grayish blond.
  • blond/flaxen: when distinguished from other varieties, "blond" by itself refers to a light but not whitish blond, with no traces of red, gold, or brown; this color is often described as "flaxen".
  • dirty blond or dishwater blond: dark blond with flecks of golden blond and brown.
  • golden blond: a darker to rich yellow blond.
  • honey blond: dark iridescent blond.
  • platinum blond or towheaded: whitish-blond.
  • sandy blond: grayish-hazel or cream-colored blond.
  • strawberry blond or Venetian blond: reddish blond

Artificially blond hair may be called bleached blond, bottle blond, or peroxide blond.

Genetics of blond hair

The mutation for blond hair is thought to have originated among the Afontova Gora population of the Ancient North Eurasian (ANE) cline of south-central Siberia

A typical explanation found in the scientific literature for the adaptation of light hair is related to the adaptation of light skin, and in turn the requirement for vitamin D synthesis and northern Europe's seasonally reduced solar radiation.

Ancient DNA analysis (ADNA) has revealed that the oldest fossil known to carry the mutated allele rs12821256 of the KITLG gene, which is responsible for blond hair in modern Europeans, is a 17,000 year old Ancient North Eurasian specimen from Afontova Gora in Southern Siberia.

The precise genetic origin and spread of blond hair into its present-day distribution is a topic of debate amongst population geneticists.

Geneticist David Reich said that the hundreds of millions of copies of this SNP, the classic European blond hair mutation, entered continental Europe by way of a massive population migration from the Eurasian steppe, by a people who had substantial Ancient North Eurasian ancestry. Ancient North Eurasian admixture is present in mesolithic fossils from Northern Europe, and is linked to the prediction of blond hair in stone-age Scandinavians by ancient DNA analysis. Gavin Evans analyzed several years of research on the origin of European blond hair, and concluded that the widespread presence of blond hair in Europe is largely due to the territorial expansions of the "all-conquering" Western Steppe Herders; who carried the genes for blond hair. A review article published in 2020 analyzes fossil data from a wide variety of published sources. The authors affirm the previous statements, noting that Ancient North Eurasian-derived populations carried the derived blond hair allele to Europe, and that the "massive spread" of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists likely caused the "rapid selective sweep in European populations toward light skin and hair."

In contrast, geneticist Iosif Lazaridis questioned whether or not blond hair could have originated from the migration of Steppe peoples. He found evidence for blond individuals in ancient Southern Europe and the Levant, with no Steppe ancestry. He also observed that blond hair was rare in the available samples for early Bronze Age Steppe groups, yet common in the later Bronze Age groups, which is inconsistent with the theory that Steppe populations spread the phenotype for blond hair. However, this is consistent with a phenotype turnover occurring within the Steppe pastoralists, leading to a shift towards blond hair becoming a common hair color in the later Steppe-derived populations of Europe and Central Asia. Lazaridis further wrote that the frequencies of traits like blonde hair could have been shaped by mass migration or selection; but that it is more complex than "simple stories" of sexual selection, or of spreading by Steppe pastoralists.

A 2024 study found that both Neolithic farmer and Steppe-associated ancestries were more significantly associated with blond hair, while European hunter gatherers tended to have dark or even black hair.

There is some evidence that natural blond hair is associated with high levels of prenatal testosterone.

Prevalence

General

Distribution map of blonde hair around Europe according to anthropologist Peter Frost's 2006 study on light hair, published by University of St. Andrews. It shows that it is most common in Northern Europe

According to the sociologist Christie Davies, only around five percent of adults in Europe and North America are naturally blond. A study conducted in 2003 concluded that only four percent of American adults are naturally blond. A significant number of Caucasian women who have blonde hair have dyed it that way.

Europe

The pigmentation of both hair and eyes is lightest around the Baltic Sea, and darkness increases regularly and almost concentrically around this region.

In France, according to a source published 1939, blondism is more common in Normandy, and less common in the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean seacoast; 26% of the French population have blond or light brown hair. A 2007 study of French females showed that by then roughly 20% were blonde, although half of these blondes were fully fake. Roughly ten percent of French females are natural blondes, of which 60% bleach their hair to a lighter tone of blond.

In Portugal, the national average of the population shows 11% of varying traces of blondism, peaking at 15% blond people in Póvoa de Varzim in northern Portugal.

In Italy, a study of Italian men conducted by Ridolfo Livi between 1859 and 1863 on the records of the National Conscription Service showed that 8.2% of Italian men exhibited blond hair; blondism frequency displayed a wide degree of regional variation, ranging from around 12.6% in Veneto to 1.7% among the Sardinians. In a more detailed study from the 20th-century geneticist Renato Biasutti, the regional contrasts of blondism frequency are better shown, with a greater occurrence in the northern regions, where the figure may be over 20%, and a lesser occurrence in Sardinia, where the frequency in many of its districts was 0.5%. With the exception of Benevento and the surrounding area in Campania, where various shades of blond hair were present in 10–15% of the population, Southern Italy as a whole averaged between 2.5% and 7.4%.

Africa

A number of blond naturally mummified bodies of common people (i.e. not proper mummies) dating to Roman times have been found in the Fagg El Gamous cemetery in Egypt. "Of those whose hair was preserved 54% were blondes or redheads, and the percentage grows to 87% when light-brown hair color is added." Excavations have been ongoing since the 1980s. Burials seem to be clustered by hair-colour.

Oceania

Blonde girl from Vanuatu

Blonde hair is also found in some other parts of the South Pacific, such as the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji, again with higher incidences in children. Blond hair in Melanesians is caused by an amino acid change in the gene TYRP1. This mutation is at a frequency of 26% in the Solomon Islands and is absent outside of Oceania.

Asia

The higher frequencies of light hair in Asia are prevalent among the Pamiris, Kalash, Nuristani and Uyghur ethnic groups.

According to geneticist David Reich, blond hair has ancient roots in Asia. The derived allele responsible for blond hair in Europeans likely evolved first among the Ancient North Eurasians. The earliest known individual with this allele is a Siberian fossil from Afontova Gora, in south-central Siberia. Reich has written that the derived SNP for blond hair entered continental Europe by way of a massive population migration from the Eurasian steppe, by a people who had substantial Ancient North Eurasian ancestry. Blond hair has been discovered in human burial sites in north-western China and Mongolia dating to the Iron Age.

The Hmong people, originally from northern China, were historically recorded as having blonde hair and blue eyes by the Chinese in ancient times, but their features became darker as they migrated out of China and in to Southeast Asia. The ethnic Miao people of Guizhou province from China, a subgroup of Hmong people, have been described as having blue eyes and blonde hair. F.M Savina of the Paris Foreign missionary society wrote that the Miao are "pale yellow in complexion, almost white, their hair is often light or dark brown, sometimes even red or corn-silk blond, and a few even have pale blue eyes."

Chinese historical documents describe blond haired, blue-eyed warriors among the Xiongnu, a nomadic equestrian culture from Mongolia, who practiced Tengriism. The Shiwei people were a Mongolic-speaking ethnic group who were blond-haired and blue eyed. Blond hair can still be seen among people from the region they inhabited, even today. Some Xianbei were described with blond hair and blue eyes according to Chinese historical chronicles. The Uriankhai tribe of Mongols, to which the military generals Subotai and Jelme belonged, were described by Mongol chronicles as blond haired in the 2nd millennium CE. The Tuvans are a Turkic ethnic group with an occasional occurrence of blond hair with freckles, blue-green eyes.

Historical cultural perceptions

Ancient Greece

Left: Reconstructed Blond Kouros's Head of the Acropolis, c. 480 BC.
Right: Ganymede, a Trojan youth, rolling a hoop, Attic vase c. 500 BC.

Most people in ancient Greece had dark hair and, as a result of this, the Greeks found blond hair immensely fascinating. In the Homeric epics, Menelaus the king of the Spartans is, together with some other Achaean leaders, portrayed as blond. Other blond characters in the Homeric poems are Peleus, Achilles, Meleager, Agamede, and Rhadamanthys. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was often described as golden-haired and portrayed with this color hair in art. Aphrodite's master epithet in the Homeric epics is χρυσέη (khruséē), which means "golden". The traces of hair color on Greek korai probably reflect the colors the artists saw in natural hair; these colors include a broad diversity of shades of blond, red and brown. The minority of statues with blond hair range from strawberry blond up to platinum blond.

Sappho of Lesbos (c. 630–570 BC) wrote that purple-colored wraps as headdress were good enough, except if the hair was blond: "...for the girl who has hair that is yellower than a torch with wreaths of flowers in bloom." Sappho also praises Aphrodite for her golden hair, stating that since gold metal is free from rust, the goddess' golden hair represents her freedom from ritual pollution. Sappho's contemporary Alcman of Sparta praised golden hair as one of the most desirable qualities of a beautiful woman, describing in various poems "the girl with the yellow hair" and a girl "with the hair like purest gold".

In the fifth century BC, the sculptor Pheidias may have depicted the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena's hair using gold in his famous statue of Athena Parthenos, which was displayed inside the Parthenon. The Greeks thought of the Thracians who lived to the north as having reddish-blond hair. Because many Greek slaves were captured from Thrace, slaves were stereotyped as blond or red-headed. "Xanthias" (Ξανθίας), meaning "reddish blond", was a common name for slaves in ancient Greece and a slave by this name appears in many of the comedies of Aristophanes. Historian and Egyptologist Joann Fletcher asserts that the Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great and members of the Macedonian Greek Ptolemaic dynasty of Hellenistic Egypt had blond hair, such as Arsinoe II and Berenice II. Additionally, the ancient Greek lyric poet Bacchylides wrote of "the blonde daughters of the Lacedaemonians" (Spartans), while also noting the golden hair of athletes at the Nemean Games.

The most famous statue of Aphrodite, the Aphrodite of Knidos, sculpted in the fourth century BC by Praxiteles, represented the goddess' hair using gold leaf and contributed to the popularity of the image of Aphrodite as a blonde goddess. Greek prostitutes frequently dyed their hair blond using saffron dyes or colored powders. Blond dye was highly expensive, took great effort to apply, and smelled repugnant, but none of these factors inhibited Greek prostitutes from dying their hair. As a result of this and the natural rarity of blond hair in the Mediterranean region, by the fourth century BC, blond hair was inextricably associated with prostitutes. The comic playwright Menander (c. 342/41–c. 290 BC) protests that "no chaste woman ought to make her hair yellow". At another point, he deplores blond hair dye as dangerous: "What can we women do wise or brilliant, who sit with hair dyed yellow, outraging the character of gentlewomen, causing the overthrow of houses, the ruin of nuptials, and accusations on the part of children?"

Roman Empire

On the left: Statue of Antinous (Delphi), depicting Antinous, polychrome Parian marble, made during the reign of Hadrian (r. 117–138 AD)
On the right: detail of athletic women in the "bikini girls" mosaic of the Villa Romana del Casale, Roman Sicily, 4th century AD

During the early years of the Roman Empire, blond hair was associated with prostitutes. The preference changed to bleaching the hair blond when Greek culture, which practiced bleaching, reached Rome, and was reinforced when the legions that conquered Gaul returned with blond slaves. Sherrow also states that Roman women tried to lighten their hair, but the substances often caused hair loss, so they resorted to wigs made from the captives' hair. According to Francis Owen, Roman literary records describe a large number of well-known Roman historical personalities as blond.

Juvenal wrote in a satirical poem that Messalina, Roman empress of noble birth, would hide her black hair with a blond wig for her nightly visits to the brothel: sed nigrum flavo crinem abscondente galero intravit calidum veteri centone lupanar. In his Commentary on the Aeneid of Virgil, Maurus Servius Honoratus noted that the respectable matron was only black haired, never blonde. In the same passage, he mentioned that Cato the Elder wrote that some matrons would sprinkle golden dust on their hair to make it reddish-color. Emperor Lucius Verus (r. 161–169 AD) was said to sprinkle gold-dust on his already light hair to make it blonder and brighter.

From an ethnic point of view, Roman authors associated blond and red hair with the Gauls and the Germans: e.g., Virgil describes the hair of the Gauls as "golden" (aurea caesaries), Tacitus wrote that "the Germans have fierce blue eyes, red-blond hair (rutilae comae), huge (tall) frames"; in accordance with Ammianus, almost all the Gauls were "of tall stature, fair and ruddy". Celtic and Germanic peoples of the provinces, among the free subjects called peregrini, served in Rome's armies as auxilia, such as the cavalry contingents in the army of Julius Caesar. Some became Roman citizens as far back as the 1st century BC, following a policy of Romanization of Gaul and Lesser Germania. Sometimes entire Celtic and Germanic tribes were granted citizenship, such as when emperor Otho granted citizenship to all of the Lingones in 69 AD.

By the 1st century BC, the Roman Republic had expanded its control into parts of western Germany, and by 85 AD the provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior were formally established there. Yet as late as the 4th century AD, Ausonius, a poet and tutor from Burdigala, wrote a poem about an Alemanni slave girl named Bissula, whom he had recently freed after she'd been taken as a prisoner of war in the campaigns of Valentinian I, noting that her adopted Latin language marked her as a woman of Latium yet her blond-haired, blue-eyed appearance ultimately signified her true origins from the Rhine. Further south, the Iberian Peninsula was originally inhabited by Celtiberians outside of Roman control. The gradual Roman conquest of Iberia was completed by the early 1st century AD. The Romans established provinces such as Hispania Terraconensis that were inhabited largely by Gallaeci, whose red- and blond-haired descendants (which also include those of Visigothic origins) have continued to inhabit northern areas of Spain such as Galicia and Portugal into the modern era.

The Goths, a Germanic tribe who played a central role in the Fall of the Western Roman Empire through their conquest, were always described in ancient sources as tall and athletic, with light skin, yellow (blond) hair and blue eyes, The contemporary Greek scholar and historian Procopius noted of the Goths: "they all have white bodies and fair hair, and are tall and handsome to look upon."

Medieval Europe

Mary Magdalene (c. 1480–1487), altarpiece in International Gothic style by Carlo Crivelli showing her with long, blonde hair

Medieval Scandinavian art and literature often places emphasis on the length and color of a woman's hair, considering long, blond hair to be the ideal, as it was associated with gold. In Norse mythology, the goddess Sif has famously blond hair. In the Old Norse Gunnlaug Saga, Helga the Beautiful, described as "the most beautiful woman in the world", is said to have had blond hair so long that it can "envelope her entirely". In the Poetic Edda poem Rígsþula, the blond man Jarl is considered to be the ancestor of the dominant warrior class.

The Scandinavians were not the only ones to place strong emphasis on the beauty of blond hair; the French writer Christine de Pisan writes in her book The Treasure of the City of Ladies (1404) that "there is nothing in the world lovelier on a woman's head than beautiful blond hair". In medieval artwork, female saints are often shown with long, shimmering blond hair, which emphasizes their holiness and virginity. At the same time, however, Eve is sometimes shown with long, blond hair, which frames her nude body and draws attention to her sexual attractiveness. Iseult was so closely associated with blondness that, in the poems of Chrétien de Troyes, she is called "Iseult le Blonde". In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the knight describes the Princess Emily as blond in his tale.

In the older versions of the story of Tristan and Iseult, Tristan falls in love with Iseult after seeing only a single lock of her long, blond hair. In fact, Iseult was so closely associated with blondness that, in the poems of Chrétien de Troyes, she is called "Iseult le Blonde". In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (written from 1387 until 1400), the knight describes the beautiful Princess Emily in his tale, stating, "yclothed was she fressh, for to devyse:/Hir yellow heer was broided in a tresse/Behinde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse" (lines 1048–1050).

Because of blond hair's relative commonness in northern Europe, folk tales from these regions tend to feature large numbers of blond protagonists, although these stories may not have been seen by their original tellers as idealizing blond hair. Furthermore, it is noted that there is also a black-haired ideal of female beauty in northern Europe, as shown in plays like Snow White and other forms of entertainment portraying black-haired heroines. Similarly, Nordic Skalds often glorified dark-haired women.

During the medieval period, Spanish ladies preferred to dye their hair black, yet by the time of the Renaissance in the 16th century the fashion (imported from Italy) was to dye their hair blond or red.

Early twentieth-century

Propaganda in Nazi Germany often featured people with blond hair and blue eyes and other "Teutonic" traits, said to embody features of a "master race".

In 'Mark Twain and the American West', American novel writer Willa Cather's depiction of Alexander the Great in 'Alexander's Bridge' was described as "embodying the ideal", a "large, strong man with broad shoulders and rugged, blond good looks".

In Nazi Germany, blond, stern-jawed men were seen as the masculine ideal as depicted in the films of Leni Riefenstahl and other propaganda. Writer R. Horrocks noted that totalitarianism reached a ludicrous extreme in Nazi society, where "men were virile blond warriors, women were breeders, and gay men were killed in the death camps".

The fact that many Nazi leaders, including Adolf Hitler, did not possess these traits was noted with irony by the Allies of World War II. The most famous joke on the subject asked: What is the ideal German? Blond like Hitler, slim like Göring, masculine like Goebbels. . . .

Senior curator at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology Jon Røyne Kyllingstad has written that in the early twentieth-century racialist and supremacist thinkers promulgated the theory that human features such as blond hair and blue eyes were hallmarks of a "master race". In the 1920s, the eugenicist Eugen Fischer invented a hair palette called the Fischer scale that he said could categorize racial typology—these typologies were abandoned after World War II. Kyllingstad sees classification of race based on physical characteristics such as hair color as a "flawed, pseudo-scientific relic of the past".

Modern cultural stereotypes

Main article: Blonde stereotype

Sexuality

In the stage play “A Week-End” (1918), Lucille (Yvonne Arnaud) is depicted as a French woman with a “weakness for yellow-haired men”, and in expressing her deep attraction and admiration to her love interest Ambrose is fixated on his hair color.
Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneto, traditionally assumed to be Lucrezia Borgia
Robert Redford, a well-known natural blond actor and "Male Sex Symbol of the Seventies". (Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here production still)

In contemporary Western popular culture, blonde women are sometimes stereotyped as being attractive. For example, Anita Loos popularized this idea in her 1925 novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. However, studies which sought to verify this found no evidence for a general preference of blonde women among Western men. A 2008 study found that men in Greater London, England preferred dark haired women rather than women with blond hair. A 2018 study based on University of Florida students found that men prefer brunette women over blonde women. Swami, et al. (2008) suggested that men may prefer women with dark hair because they are predominant in the fashion and modelling industries, or because they may be perceived as healthier or more fertile than blonde women.

In Central Asia and East Asia, blonde women are ranked below black-haired women in the hierarchy of female attractiveness. In the Soviet Union, Russian schoolteachers struggled to convince Central Asian students that blue-eyed, blonde heroines in Russian poetry were attractive. The ethnic Kyrgyz students, in particular, regarded blonde women as "hideous", and insisted that their hair be changed to black. Popular television commercials in Japan have portrayed blonde women as highly jealous of black-haired Japanese women. In 2014, a study found that blond-haired Swedish women were ranked below Chinese women in the female beauty hierarchy. According to the author, the blonde hair of Swedish women reduced their femininity, because it was seen as a Western trait. These women's Swedish husbands were highly attracted to local East Asian women, which further reduced the self-esteem of the blonde Swedish women.

Similarly in many eastern cultures (Asia, The Middle East) blond men are often seen as symbolizing western masculinity: excessively manly, flirtatious, and sexually attractive. Depictions of relations between blond European men and dark-haired Arab women have even been used as an allegory for European colonialism, specifically in regards to French Algeria.

Intelligence

Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She is wearing a white dressing gown and is holding a phone. She looks shocked, with wide eyes and an open mouth.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), was one of several films in which Marilyn Monroe portrayed a sexually attractive and naïve "dumb blonde"

Originating in Europe, the "blonde stereotype" is also associated with being less serious or less intelligent. Blonde jokes are a class of jokes based on the stereotype of blonde women as unintelligent. In Brazil, this extends to blonde women being looked down upon, as reflected in sexist jokes, as also sexually licentious. It is believed the originator of the dumb blonde was an eighteenth-century blonde French prostitute named Rosalie Duthé whose reputation of being beautiful but dumb inspired a play about her called Les Curiosités de la Foire (Paris 1775). Blonde actresses have contributed to this perception; some of them include Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Holliday, Jayne Mansfield and Goldie Hawn during her time at Laugh-In.

The British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock preferred to cast blonde women for major roles in his films as he believed that the audience would suspect them the least, comparing them to "virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints", hence the term Hitchcock blonde. This stereotype has become so ingrained it has spawned counter-narratives, such as in the 2001 film Legally Blonde in which Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, succeeds at Harvard despite biases against her beauty and blond hair.

In the 1950s, American actress Marilyn Monroe's screen persona centered on her blonde hair and the stereotypes associated with it, especially dumbness, naïveté, sexual availability and artificiality. She often used a breathy, childish voice in her films, and in interviews gave the impression that everything she said was "utterly innocent and uncalculated", parodying herself with double entendres that came to be known as "Monroeisms". For example, when she was asked what she had on in a 1949 nude photo shoot, she replied, "I had the radio on". Monroe often wore white to emphasize her blondeness, and drew attention by wearing revealing outfits that showed off her figure. Although Monroe's typecast screen persona as a dim-witted but sexually attractive blonde was a carefully crafted act, audiences and film critics believed it to be her real personality and did not realize that she was only acting.

The notion that blonds are less intelligent is not grounded in fact. A 2016 study of 10,878 Americans found that both women and men with natural blond hair had IQ scores similar to the average IQ of non-blond white Americans, and that white women with natural blond hair in fact had a slightly higher average IQ score (103.2) than white women with red hair (101.2), or black hair (100.5). Although many consider blonde jokes to be harmless, the author of the study stated the stereotype can have serious negative effects on hiring, promotion and other social experiences. Rhiannon Williams of The Telegraph writes that dumb blonde jokes are "one of the last 'acceptable' forms of prejudice".

See also

Science
Society

Notes

  1. Japanese research in 2006 found that the genetic mutation that prompted the evolution of blond hair dates to the ice age that happened around 11,000 years ago. Since then, the 17,000-year-old remains of a blonde–haired North Eurasian hunter-gatherer have been found in eastern Siberia, suggesting an earlier origin.
  2. "But whatever the evolutionary causes of blond and red hair, their spread in Europe had little to do with their possible innate attractiveness and much to do with the success of the all-conquering herders from the steppes who carried these genes."
  3. Aphrodite is commonly described as "golden" in ancient sources. The adective is variously seen as referring either to golden hair, the gold adornments of her statues, her glimmering beauty, or the riches of her shrines.

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