Stereotypes are an integral part of our modern society. Some are more accurate than others, and some are more harmful than others. Women have been at the center of many stereotypes throughout history, sometimes regarding the color of their hair.
A “Dumb Blonde” or a “Blonde Bombshell”, blonde women have been subjected to these two main stereotypes.
The term “Dumb Blonde” is a very common stereotype used to compare the intelligence of blonde women to brunettes. This stereotype grew in popularity through mid-1900s television where beautiful blonde actresses were written to be stupid and clueless.
However many studies have concluded that this stereotype is indeed a myth, and findings have instead suggested the opposite. A Boston University study found that “Blonde women have a higher mean IQ than women with brown, red and black hair.” Suggesting that blonde women have had to possibly fight this stereotype to the point where they average a higher IQ.
The “Bombshell” stereotype directly ties into the ”Dumb Blonde” stereotype. The same Blonde actresses who were portrayed as stupid in early television were also considered extremely attractive. Also frequently sexualized even in our modern media, blonde has been a desired fashion trend for decades.
Naturally, ginger women have had very different stereotypes tied to their hair color compared to blondes. Instead of being considered attractive or dumb, redheads have gathered the titles of “crazy” and “fiery/violent.”
The label of “crazy” stems back to the time period when women were being accused as witches. Historic documents reported how “women with red hair were often presumed to be witches and subject to punitive violence.”
The label of “fiery” also tied back to historical times where “Early Egyptians considered the color red so unfortunate that they had ceremonies where they burned red-haired women alive to get rid of the tint.” So the word “fiery” comes from a more literal meaning, but has become more of a figurative meaning of high energy and short temperament.
These stereotypes combined create one unique hair color: strawberry blonde.
I’m one of the few lucky enough to have this hair color. And I mean lucky when I say it. Often, the first thing people compliment when they first meet me is the color of my hair.
However, I’ve also received most if not all of these stereotypical remarks, and sometimes I start to feel like they’re true.
Despite having taken advanced math classes like honors precalc and AP Statistics, I often feel like the least intelligent person in the room. And there’s a very high possibility that it has nothing to do with my hair color, but there’s always a friendly joke or two made every year about being a dumb blonde.
I also have been called a “Crazy ginger”, but never by a friend.
Playing basketball is the only time I’m aggressive with people, and I’ve been known to accidentally leave a few bruises.
When it’s against my teammates in a practice scrimmage, they expect and push me right back. However, when it’s against an opposing team, they don’t expect the aggressiveness right away which has led to me being called a “Crazy ginger” along with a few other choice words.
Overall, the color of my hair has very little to do with who I am as a person, but it’s become one of my most recognizable traits because of its uniqueness. I’m very grateful for this mini-genetic lottery I won because I do love my hair. After all, it’s a part of what makes me the person I am.
