What do you think about the notion that women who are blonde are treated differently?

26 comments

1. It happens. People who hold specific stereotypes about women who are blonde will treat those women according to those stereotypes. People who hold specific stereotypes about people who are black, gay, lesbian, atheists, religious, etc. are likely to treat those people with those features according to those stereotypes they believe.

   When a society or culture builds all of these stereotypical shorthands for how the society generalizes those people into expectation boxes, people who meet the label on those expectation boxes are often treated based on those stereotypes rather than being respected as their own individual selves.

2. It is true and it has been proven. Blonde women are treated differently by society, at the workplace etc. There are some sources here:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blonde_stereotype

3. I see it at work

4. I’ve had my hair all types of colors and people will treat you differently. I found when I was a red head people were mean to me. When I was a blonde, men treated me like I was dumb. and when I had green hair, people just stared 😂

5. I grew up hearing “dumb blonde” jokes. It’s a stupid stereotype like many others.

6. [removed]

7. I don’t see it.

8. I’m a natural blonde and I’ve never had an issue but I’m also autistic so I may well have just not picked up on it tbh

9. They absolutely are even dyed hair. There are some who do blonde well as personality as well

10. I wasn’t sure of this before, but I (naturally brunette) went blonde for a year and I was absolutely treated differently when out socializing. It stopped when I went back to my natural color. I make a joke out of it now with my friends when I’m attention deprived and say “maybe I should be blonde again” lol

11. I wouldn’t say it is a “notion” when hair color has been documented time and time again as effecting treatment.
    As for the reason, there could be a million.

12. It’s dumb. Lots of women dye their hair, you know?

13. I’ve done both brunette and blonde and no one treated me any different. But I can be pretty ditzy anyhow. I mean, I’m not stupid, but sometimes I do some really dumb shit

14. The standard I’ve seen is they are treated like they’re stupid; from men its nicey-nice but condescending and from other women it looks like resentment usually. Not always, but often.

    I think a person’s other looks play a big role as well; conventionally attractive people get treated better regardless of hair color.

15. I am blonde, got blonder than natural over the time by choice.
    Never got treated like an intelligent woman. My favourite colour is pink and I am a very small woman. So when I tell anyone I work for the IT they always treat me like the only IT thing I know is turning on the computer.
    I got my hair dyed blue and dark red and after that everyone treated me differently like I have more intelligence than before.
    I mean we live in the 21 century, why does your hair colour shows anything about your character?

16. I have met a few people who for some reason blonde hair and blue eyes means someone is pretty even if they are not anywhere near. It truly confuses me.

17. I would asterisk that with *blonde hair and blue eyes*.

    My bestie has blonde hair and blue eyes and it’s a combo that some men really prefer. Dudes go insane for her.

    I went blonde but I have brown eyes and wasn’t really treated any differently.

18. If you haven’t been both a blonde and a brunette woman, I can see assuming it’s not a thing. I’ve been both, it definitely happens.

19. It’s because we are. When I dye my hair a different color, no one hits on me. But if I have my natural color then every guy thinks it’s ok to hit on me even when I’m working. When I mean every guy, it’s literally from teens to dudes in their 50s-60s. It’s really gross.

20. I was a blonde kid and I got dumb blonde jokes when I messed something up pretty frequently. My hair is darker these days and they’ve pretty much stopped. It’s one of those banal jokes akin to cashiers being asked if something is free because it didn’t scan or saying $1 million when your server asks what they can get for you. Just so unoriginal and almost always coming from men

21. Yes they are and I feel sorry for them.

22. I’m a natural blonde with blue eyes. I’ve worked hard all my life to prove that I’m NOT a dumb blonde. Treated better? Not if that’s means disregarding your thoughts and opinions. (Although I do think a part of that is just garden variety sexism.)

23. I’m definitely treated differently when I have my hair blonde. It’s not usually negative though. If they talk to me like I’m stupid I get to prove them wrong (and that’s fun) or if I make a stupid mistake I just laugh it off and say, “oops, it’s the blonde.” Sure it’s playing into the stereotype but it’s fine I choose to be blonde.

24. I’m a very blonde-blonde who has always been blonde except for one two-week stretch where I dyed my hair light brown just to see. I’d never felt more invisible in my entire life. I was surprised that bothered me, but I was used to people (men) smiling at me and holding doors open for me and just noticing me. I quickly went back to blonde. I think maybe it makes me look friendlier. I know I’m not dumb so I don’t mind the jokes.

25. For me this is bizarre, as I am from Northern Europe and blond is the boring standard. In my culture blonde women have been seen traditionally good and reliable, while brunettes are notorious, exotic man eaters.

    It was the biggest shock when I traveled abroad as a teenager and men were suddenly catcalling and acting generally like idiots.
    But blonde jokes landed here, oddly they are more referring to dyed platinum blondes. We have naturally what we call “country road” color, ash or greyish brownish blond that we are not happy with. As a kid my burning desire was to have raven black hair.

26. Hmm. I bleached my brown hair platinum blonde last year and I haven’t noticed people treating me like I’m dumb at all, but *sometimes* I feel like female cashiers have given me side eye during the times when I’m also dressed in a sexy / more “male gaze” outfit (though maybe it’s just in my head).

    Mostly though, I get treated like people think I’m cool because of my hair now. My blonde color is obviously fake and I go for more of a punky/ girl-in-band look (I am in a band, lol) rather than trendy or chic or hyper-sexy.