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In art and literature, in history and popular culture, blonde has never been a mere colour. For two-and-a-half thousand years, it has been a blazing signal in code, signifying beauty, power and status. To feed this obsession entire industries have developed, influential trends set. From Greek prostitutes mimicking the golden-haired Aphrodite, to the Californian beach babe; from pigeon-dung and saffron dyes to L'Oreal - because you're worth it - we see the lengths to which women will go to become blonde. The power and duality of the blonde as either erotic symbol or saintly virgin waxes and wanes but never disappears. By looking at the world through the prism of what it is to be blonde, or make oneself blonde, we are drawn into an intriguing portrait of the world. Why is it that blondes rose to prominence in Hollywood and Nazi Germany at the same time? Why do young Japanese women today want to be blonde? Weaving a story rich in anecdote, history and high intrigue, Joanna Pitman effortlessly combines the wealth of her knowledge with a sharp and clear-sighted view of the power of the blonde throughout the ages.
- Sales Rank: #4514715 in Books
- Brand: Brand: BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC
- Published on: 2003-03-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.25" h x 1.00" w x 6.25" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 304 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
From Publishers Weekly
Pitman, a writer for the London Times, offers a history of the world as seen through abundant locks of magnificent blonde hair, from the ancient sexual power of Aphrodite to the California sun-streaked hair of Farrah Fawcett. In this world history, Eve and Mary Magdalene become the blonde "bad girls" who represent forbidden sexuality, eternal beauty and sin, while Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana gain attention because they continued to lighten their hair as they aged, attempting to harness the power of blondeness. The examples may sound a bit frivolous, but Pitman takes great care to treat the topic with a serious edge, particularly in the second half of the book. The obsession with blonde hair may have created seemingly innocuous Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe and Jean Harlow, but it also was essential to the notion of Aryan supremacy, and the author addresses how Nazi Germany attempted to lighten the hair of its population by ordering soldiers to procreate with blonde female citizens. Later on, Pitman looks at 1970s ad campaigns for hair dye and their internal conflicts about whether a woman ought to dye her hair to appeal to men or to feel good about herself (as L'Oreal so famously puts it, "Because I'm worth it"). In this way, the book tackles issues of race, gender and class, ultimately asking, "[W]hy is America, a culture so publicly concerned with overcoming its problems with race, still so fixated on the blonde?" Pitman admits there are no clear answers, but she offers a bright, energetic and witty exploration of the topic.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Did you hear the one about the journalist who wrote a book about blondes? No joke, it's true. Pitman, a distinguished Times of London writer, has taken up the subject of why golden hair has so fascinated men and, to a lesser extent, women, for so many centuries. She traces the origin of the fetish to Greek times, when the sex-goddess (literally) Aphrodite was depicted as a golden blonde, thereby encouraging any number of naturally raven-tressed women to bleach themselves to match her image. Through the ages, the association of blonde hair with sexual allure has held, right down to the present, when advertisers double-talk women into seeing blondeness as both empowering ("I'm worth it") and seductive ("I'm worth dating"). With such an engaging subject, it would be hard to go wrong, and Pitman's engaging style only highlights the appeal of this combination of history, folklore, and shrewd cultural commentary. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"An engaging and dishy read, "On Blondes will have power-hungry brunettes reaching for the peroxide." -"Entertainment Weekly
"Blondes aren't stupid. Hillary Clinton runs New York, Madonna heads the music industry and Diane Sawyer is ABC's Everywoman. Is hair color a coincidence? Not likely." -"Playboy
"Ms. Pitman... draws interesting parallels between the Nazis' adulation of the blond, the Soviet Union's promotion of the dynamic blond ideal, and 'the development of a radiantly sunlit blond American ideal, the WASP American dream.'" -"New York Times
"Pitman's engaging style only highlights the appeal of this combination of history, folklore, and shrewd cultural commentary." -"Booklist
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Interesting subject matter
By Edwin
This is a very interesting subject matter. The book appears to be well-researched, which is something rarely found in literature nowadays. The writer is a journalist, which is always a 'plus' because journalists usually know how to write effectively.
The negative reviews are by women who have taken this book way too personally. That's unfortunate and unfair. It is not fair to blame the author for the message that some men, historically even, prefer blondes. In fact, I happen to be one of those men.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Left a Lasting Impression, Educational
By M. E. Wood
Joanna Pitman has given us everything we wanted to know about blonde hair and some stuff we didn't. On Blondes is about the people who love it, those who desire it, those who fake it, those who steal it, those who envy it, those who paint it, those who write about it, and those who kill in the name of it. She follows the allure of blonde hair through time from the days of Aphrodite to modern day Hollywood.
Each chapter directs the reader through the seductive seven lives of Blonde hair from the Dark Ages to present day. Pitman teaches the extremes that the Romans and Greeks and succeeding generations went to for blonde curls. This self-abuse for blonde went on for centuries to the detriment of health and scalp. Substances as natural as saffron and as toxic as ammonia, bleach and the aforementioned goat urine were used to achieve the desired shade of blonde.
The zest for blonde has not always been positive; in fact most of it seemed quite negative. "Blonde hair was highly divisive and provoked extreme reactions." Nowhere is this more apparent than during Hitler's reign. Pitman's journey into Teutonic and Aryan history is informative and answered many questions for me on the German philosophy of Blonde hair/blue eyed superiority and how Hitler managed to promote it despite his dark colouring; propaganda. After World War II the world knew of Germany's love of blonde hair.
This book reads like a weekly dose of the History channel with each chapter being a new episode in the series of events. In some areas she seems to ramble off topic, going on about relationships or other personal quirks of the personalities. The history of the white flour wigs drags on long after the main idiosyncrasies were driven home.
In the afterword Pitman states she approached "several American women academics," on the study potential of blondeness and they "refused to discuss it at all." Perhaps a sign that they are embarrassed they didn't discover the topic themselves. I'm sure Pitman's On Blondes will be a text in future feminine study.
On Blondes left a lasting impression on me. I've begun to question every form of blondeness that I see. From a blonde perspective this is an informative book but I wonder if there would be the same interest with the brunettes and redheads of the world. And for those who may be wondering, yes it is natural.
Review Originally Posted at [...]
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Social Fascinations with Blonde Hair Throughout the Ages
By Roxana
This book is an extremely interesting historical account of the mystique of blonde hair throughout the centuries. It is a fascinating read, delving into societal trends surrounding beauty. While some people may become offended they should re-evaluate what the book is really trying to say. This is not pro-blonde propaganda, but rather an historical account of the appealing and entrancing nature of the blonde. Yes brown hair is natural and can be mysterious there has always been a power and allure that blonde holds that brown hair, or red, can never match. The book is an objective look at the power in beauty, specifically that of blonde hair and the associations that people have come to attach to the color. I also found it extremely interesting the section where the author talks about the 'dumb blonde' stereotype and how that is a device used by men, and threatened brunettes, to debase and devalue the power of women. Thoroughly a good read, well worth the time.
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