nmm definitive compendium or
ICONIC BLONDE BEAUTIES
So much has been said about blondes—by Fools and geniuses alike. Why? Going back to ancient civilization, blonde women have been perceived as sexually voracious, a scandal waiting to happen. "A chaste woman ought not to dye her hair yellow," Menander wrote about 300 years before Christ was born. But an unchaste woman? Now we're talking. To some degree, blonde (texf concluded on page 156)
BLONPES
(continued from page 86) stereotypes have persisted through the centuries, and for one reason: Whether or not the blonde is more likely to be libertine, the idea of her as such is spellbinding. There is nothing more enthralling—to men, women, gays or straights—than the libidinous female, especially if she is beautiful. So why the blonde? Why not the brunette? The redhead? Is it because the blonde is a relative rarity, making up less than 20 percent of the U.S. female population? Or could the answer be that the stereotype of the sexually aggressive blonde has a foundation in physical reality?
Let's take a closer look at these stereotypes. There is the blonde joke, which presupposes that a woman with a golden mane has sacrificed something for her silk tresses, namely her intellect. As Dolly Parton put it so brilliantly, "I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb...and I also know that I'm not blonde." Or Pamela Anderson: "It is great to be a blonde. With low expectations it's very easy to surprise people."
There's the catty blonde. "Gorgeous hair is the best revenge," said Ivana Trump. We'll bet her ex-husband agrees. There are many rich blondes (Ivana among them). According
to a recent study, blonde women earn salaries roughly seven percent higher than those of nonblonde women. We adore the incisive blonde sex symbol who can turn the tables, such as bombshell Mamie Van Doren. "It is possible that blondes also prefer gentlemen," she once said.
The examples go on and on. But why? Perhaps the greatest bombshell of them all can solve this riddle for us. So, Marilyn Monroe, do blondes (even if they're dyed blondes) have greater libidos than their darker-haired sisters? How do you feel about blondes? "I like to feel blonde all over," Marilyn once said. There, you see? That solves everything.
This much we know: Blonde women trigger something in men. Whether they like it or not, blondes can possess great seductive powers. Perhaps that's why the stereotype of the blonde bombshell has persisted: because we want it to. Perhaps she is simply a myth of our creation, reverse-engineered by men's desire. Stated simply, blondes drive us wild. As Raymond Chandler once put it, "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window." Or even better yet, Rona Jaffe: "A blonde in a red dress can do without introductions—but not without a bodyguard."
See more blondes at playboy.com/ blondesj
