Blonde Versus Brunette Rivalry

The blonde versus brunette rivalry is a rivalry—whether real, imagined, or fictional—between people with blonde hair and those with brown (''brunette'') hair. In popular culture and everyday conversation, the words ''blonde'' and ''brunette'' are sometimes used as nouns to refer to women by these two hair colors. This supposed rivalry is a common fictional theme in books, magazine articles, film, and television. Some have argued that the spectacle of blonde and brunette women engaged in physical fights with each other has been a male fantasy for many years.

Studies conducted in the Western world have found that dark-haired women are generally considered more attractive than blonde women. In East Asia, blonde women are ranked firmly below black-haired East Asian women in the female beauty hierarchy, and blonde women report feeling de-sexualized and masculinized by East Asian beauty standards. In one study, 92% of blonde women thought their hair color was the ideal; yet only 32% of heterosexual men considered blonde women the ideal.

Competitive events

Blonde vs. brunette rivalries in U.S. society date back to at least 1875, when the first female professional baseball players were assigned to teams according to their hair color. Baseball historian John Thorn notes that blonde and brunette baseball teams barnstormed the country in the late 1800s. A 1924 newspaper article referenced a female swimming meet and listed, among the many events, a "blonde vs. brunette" relay race, that was "Won by the blondes". A more recent example is the gridiron football game called blondes vs. brunettes powderpuff football, a charity event that raises money for the Alzheimer's Association. The annual contests started in the fall of 2005, in Washington D.C. The games have received considerable publicity, including feature articles in ''The Washington Post'', and are now played in 16 cities around the United States.

In some cases, blondes and brunettes on the same team may compete against each other. Anson Dorrance, the women's soccer coach at the University of North Carolina, 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.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 Dorrance, in his years of coaching female athletes, claims to have learned that women are motivated differently from males and that his "blondes vs. brunettes drill" worked with his female team because it was a "matter of pride".

Blonde vs. brunette chess matches began in 2011 as part of the World Chess Tournament held in Moscow. The matches were hosted by the Botvinnik Central Chess Club and featured two teams of young girls: blondes dressed in light colors and brunettes dressed in dark colors.

Tug-of-war events have also featured teams of blondes and brunettes competing against each other. During a 1918 picnic in Ohio, a tug of war between blondes and brunettes was "Won by the blondes (They stripped the brunettes off the rope against a tree like beads off a string.)" Sports writer Pete Axthelm refereed a 1978 tug of war between blonde and brunette women at a Kentucky charity event, declaring the blonde team, led by Anita Madden, winners of the event.

In the media and entertainment industry

Matching blondes and brunettes against each other, especially as romantic rivals, is a Hollywood technique that extends back to the 1920s. In a 1932 interview with an Australian newspaper, Hollywood director Dorothy Arzner stated that lead women typically had brunette hair, while supporting women typically had blonde hair. Arzner also stated that blonde women were usually cast as "fickle" types, while brunettes are cast as "deep lovers."

Physical competition between blondes and brunettes has also been featured in Hollywood films. The 1925 film ''A Thief in Paradise'' featured a polo match between blonde and brunette women. Promotional material for the film highlighted the contest between the two teams of women and reviewers focused audience attention on the spectacle with alliterative headlines such as "Blondes Battle Brunettes in Bathing Suits."

Rona Barrett used the phrase "Blondes vs Brunettes" on a 1978 cover of her magazine, ''Rona Barrett's Hollywood'' as a way of introducing the magazine's feature story addressing Hollywood's typecasting of blondes as dumb and brunettes as smart.

A blonde vs brunette rivalry exists featuring Archie Andrews within the Archie Comics series, as the black-haired Veronica is introduced as a rival love interest of Archie Andrews with whom the blonde-haired Betty Cooper is in love.

''Three's Company'', an ABC sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1984 featured a blonde and brunette triangle. The blonde, Chrissy Snow, was played by Suzanne Somers and the brunette, Janet Wood, was played by Joyce DeWitt. Somers and DeWitt were continually faced with media stories that described both an on and off-screen "rivalry"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. 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." This show was based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House'', which likewise had brunette Paula Wilcox and blonde Sally Thomsett with Richard O'Sullivan as the man in the middle.

A 2016 ''Washington Post'' article highlighted the tension between blondes and brunettes in Hollywood productions saying, "In movies, blondes and brunettes often have to battle it out."
In ''Cruel Intentions'', a dark-haired Kathryn Mertueil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) spreads the rumor that her rival Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon) has fake blonde hair. In ''Rocky IV'', Rocky Balboa battles a Russian blonde nemesis named Ivan Drago. ''The Karate Kid'' features Johnny Lawrence, a wealthy, golden haired high school student as the brunette Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) rival. In ''Tangled'', the blond-haired Rapunzel takes revenge on her black-haired foster mother.

Research and studies

A 2008 study found that men in Greater London, England preferred dark haired women rather than women with blonde hair. A 2018 study based on University of Florida students found that men prefer brunette women over blonde women.Wortham, J., Miller, A., & Delvescovo, D. (2018). "Male and female hair color preferences: influences of familiarity, geographic region of origin, and environment on mate attraction in University of Tampa students". ''Florida Scientist'', 81, 33–54.
These studies offered differing explanations for this preference. Worthham, et al. (2018) propose that stabilizing selection (preference for people with normal appearances) may be responsible for the male preference of dark-haired women. These authors noted that, while women from different geographic regions varied their preferences in male hair color, men did not vary in their preference for female hair color across regions. However Swami, et al. (2008) have posited 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 a 2012 interview with NBC News, Lisa Walker, chair of the sociology department at the University of North Carolina, explained that hair color "absolutely" plays a role in the way people are treated.Gallagher, Dianne (October 30, 2012). "Blonde vs. Brunette: Does It Determine How You Get Treated?" ''WCNC, NBC Charlotte'', retrieved November 17, 2012 "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," said 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. A Cornell University study showed that blonde waitresses receive larger tips than brunettes, even when controlling for other variables such as age, breast size, height and weight.

The local NBC news affiliate in Charlotte 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, only occasionally picking the scarf up for her.

A well-publicized 2011 University of Westminster study, however, evaluated how men perceived women who entered a London 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. After spending some time in the club, she departed and then researchers entered the 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. Many news organizations covered the story as evidence that blondes were not preferred over brunettes.

In 2014 a study analyzed the experiences of blonde Swedish women who migrated to Singapore, a country with a large population of Chinese people. 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 racialized as a Western trait. The authors also noted that these women's Swedish husbands were highly attracted to local East Asian women, which further reduced the self-esteem of the blonde Swedish women.

In March 2016 a study by the Ohio State University was published in the ''Economics Bulletin''. According to Jay Zagorsky, author of the study, the results show that: "the average IQ of blondes was actually slightly higher than those with other hair colors, but that finding isn't statistically significant." He adds: "I don't think you can say with certainty that blondes are smarter than others, but you can definitely say they are not any dumber."

Another study by the University of Tampa, which also used male and female students, found male students preferred brunette women over blonde women by 40%, while female students preferred brunette women over blonde women by 48%.Wortham, J., Miller, A., & Delvescovo, D. (2018). "Male and female hair color preferences: influences of familiarity, geographic region of origin, and environment on mate attraction in University of Tampa students". ''Florida Scientist'', 81, 41–42.

According to Lora Jacobi and Thomas Cash, it has also been shown that blonde women overestimated the percentage of men who would choose blonde hair as their ideal hair color. Among blonde women in their study, 92.9 percent rated blonde hair as ideal, with half believing that men would choose so as well. In reality, only 34.8 percent of men said they preferred women with blonde hair.Cash, T. & Jacobi, L. (2006). "In Pursuit of the Perfect Appearance: Discrepancies Among Self-Ideal Percepts of Multiple Physical Attributes 1". ''Journal of Applied Social Psychology'', 24(5), 379–396.

See also

* Blonde stereotype
* Colorism
* Discrimination based on hair texture
* Human hair color
* Human skin color
* Melanin
* Prejudice and discrimination against redheads

References

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Blond hair
Brown hair
Women in society
Women's culture
Rivalry