Film: 'Legally Blonde' and Blondness

Legally Blonde

Oh what I have missed! Lacking sisters, I had never been exposed to films of this ilk before. My girlfriends (plural), aghast at my depravation, insisted on having an impromptu movie night.

So there I was, sweetened popcorn on my lap, sitting in between my, several, girlfriends. I should have been happy, but I wasn't. After all, I was being compelled to watch two very feminine films, a man's worst nightmare.

Legally Blonde was first. Looking at the blurb,  this was to be about a blonde defying all of the odds and her mishaps, to successfully not only win a place at Harvard Law School, but also blossom there as well. And all to win back a boyfriend! This was going to be silly.

Obviously this was going to be a pro blonde propaganda/anti-stereotype movie. And I have to tell you I appreciated it.

To anyone who doesn't know, the stereotype against blonde women is that they are dumb and superficial, while being hot, sexy and promiscuous. They are meant to be dumber and hotter than brunettes and redheads, who both have their own stereotypes as well. Brunettes are normally seen as smarter, while redheads are believed to have fiery tempers and be more witchlike (Living As A Redhead).

I wonder if it does affect the average person's thoughts about blonde women. This blonde stereotype's rise to fame is believed to be down to the performing arts. It can be traced as far back as the 1800's. In Les Curiosites de la Foire a blonde French actress called Rosalie Duthe was satirised for her long pauses before speech, making her look very stupid (Blonde Stereotypes).

The theatrical industry continues to satirise blondness, in part because people (especially men) still find it funny. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are the American show, Three's Company are two good 20th century examples of this. But Glee is the most contemporary example. Think of Brittany Pierce, one of the members of the Glee club but also a cheerleader. Brittany is in affect a stereotypical blonde, dumb but very attractive (The Blonde Stereotype).

What Legally Blonde made me more aware of not only the general female stereotype but also that many women had to deal with stereotypes that were based solely off the colour of their hair! This has been quite an opener and it left me with two main questions. 

Firstly, why isn't men's hair stereotyped in the same fashion, to she same extent? Secondly, since blonde females are deemed to be the sexier and more attractive, does it make it harder for them to escape their female stereotype and problems similar to those presented by The Beauty Myth?

Keep following to here more about not only my thoughts on The Beauty Myth  and blondness but also my  movie night experience watching She's The Man!