blondes are smart but discriminated

Blondes score on average 3 points higher in IQ than other women, says this study.
But they are discriminated by the stereotype 'dumb blonde'.
Is this racism too?

https://news.osu.edu/news/2016/03/21/blond-intelligence/

Wow! It must be all those dumb "fake" blondes I run into who give blondes their bad rep!

Oh wait...maybe we should look at this important question a little more carefully...

"The study found that the average IQ of blondes was actually slightly higher than those with other hair colors, but that finding isn’t statistically significant, said Zagorsky, who works in the university’s Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR).
“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.”

"The resulting findings showed that blonde-haired white women had an average IQ of 103.2, compared to 102.7 for those with brown hair, 101.2 for those with red hair and 100.5 for those with black hair."

Ah, wait again..."In 1985, all participants were asked, “What is your natural hair color?”

Mistake number 1: trusting that a woman will answer truthfully when asked if she is a natural blonde. A certain percentage will lie, even to other women.

Mistake number 2: assuming that a man who thinks blondes are dumb will therefore be inclined not to hire them. It doesn't always work that way.

Mistake number 3: forgetting that hiring and promotion practices are affected by other stereotypes, like the fact thatanother stereotype about blondes is that they are perceived to be more promiscuous.

So, it's complicated. One man might hire a woman even if he believes her to be "dumber", because he thinks she will be more "sexually available". Another man might not hire her for either or both of those reasons, even though he's mistaken. Or, a man might hire her, but not pay her very well, or not promote her.

A further factor to be considered is that perhaps these judgments are not actually being made about "natural" blondes. How many "natural" pale blondes are there who are in their twenties and thirties? I haven't come across all that many in any part of this country. I think the stereotype is about women who are actually bleaching their hair a rather unnatural color, perhaps wearing too much make-up, wearing certain types of clothing. Even if that woman is indeed smart and capable, she is giving, at the least, the impression that she cares way too much about her appearance, and a pretty sexualized appearance at that.

How to go to an interview:





How not to go to an interview:

I don't think that those who lied about their hair colour were smarter than the average real blonde.
On the contrary, I think those who dye their hair and lie about it are lacking confidence about themselves.
I would expect them to have a lower IQ if anything.
But I am a man, I don't know. Tell me Angela, why do women lie about that?

By comparing with men, Zagorsky estimates that about 1 in 6 of the women who reported themselves as blond actually are not.

In my experience both personally and professionally, the smarter someone is, male or female, the more they tend to lie and the better they are at it.

Psychological studies, for what they're worth, support that conclusion.

http://www.limitlessmindset.com/limitless-lifestyle/494-20-notorious-problems-smart-people.html

"When they put smart people in MRI machines there's a strong higher correlation between Executive Functioning and lying. Smart people are also better at keeping track of the myriad small details needed for a complex deception."

Interestingly, they also are more liable to be scammed and fooled themselves.

I also don't know why you think intelligent women are necessarily confident about their looks or confident generally. Again, in my experience, usually the more intelligent someone is, the more self-critical that person is about absolutely everything. Again, research seems to support that correlation. That's particularly true for women, I think.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/11/whats-link-intelligence-confidence/

Meanwhile, as the article points out, projecting confidence is key if you want to be thought of as credible. So, it can't be ruled out that the expert projecting the most confidence is actually less knowledgeable than the more tentative one. That's something that people should keep in mind. From the other angle, if you're a very intelligent and competent person you might do well to learn to project a total confidence that you don't necessarily feel. You know, "Don't ever let them see you sweat."

Getting back to the study, women lie about these things precisely to seem more confident. They don't want to give the impression that they have to work at their looks. It's the same reason why so many of them say they don't diet and can eat anything they want, or don't need to go to the gym. To turn to the other gender, it's the reason men lie about their sexual experience or how much money they make. Both genders might lie and say they really didn't study that much for an exam, when in fact they'd been working for days.

I don't claim any special ability for figuring people out. I was trained to look for some of these behaviors. I do think, however, that women tend to be better in picking up these patterns in human behavior, and the more mathematically oriented people are, the less good they are in picking up on these "cues" or "clues" in other people.

Stupid Blonde sterotype or more or less a sterotype of some girls, usually teenage girls. No one actually thinks Blondes are less intelligent.

Oh, really? And you base this certainty on what... your vast experience of life and work situations?

I beg to differ.

So do psychological and sociological researchers who have studied the issue.

"This "dumb blonde" stereotype doesn't just exist in the world of teen movies and humor. It's quite real.

In one study, researchers showed a picture of a women wearing a platinum blonde, natural blonde, red, or brown wig. Subjects rated the platinum blonde as less intelligent. In another study a model was seen as more approachable when her hair was blonde but more intelligent when her hair was brunette.

The stereotype isn't just limited to social situations; it also carries over into the workplace. A 2006 study analyzed the hair color of 500 UK CEOs and found that blondes were underrepresented compared to the rest of the population. In a 1996
study, subjects read resumes that included head-shots of the supposed applicants. Although all the resumes were identical, the blonde applicants were rated as less competent."

In my opinion, stereotypes are just lazy thinking based on a lack of in depth experience.

@Angela,

This is just my opinion, Blonde hair is more youthful and feminine and colorful looking, while Brown hair looks more mature, masculine, and serious. So, that's why women with blonde hair are perceived as more youthful and gullible and stupid.

EDIT: Also, "stupid blonde" characteristics are more frequent in girls. That's why it only refers to female blondes. Not trying to offend anyone. There's stupid characteristics usually in boys to.

Fire Haired14 said:

@Angela,

This is just my opinion, Blonde hair is more youthful and feminine and colorful looking, while Brown hair looks more mature, masculine, and serious. So, that's why women with blonde hair are perceived as more youthful and gullible and stupid.

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Hmmm, I never noticed that. I wonder if there was a study rating not intelligence but age of blondes versus brunettes. Preferably same model changing hair colour.

I am not sure if blonds are discriminated, but according to Rod Steward Blondes have more fun and he sang about it too

Angela said:

Oh, really? And you base this certainty on what... your vast experience of life and work situations?

I beg to differ.

So do psychological and sociological researchers who have studied the issue.

"This "dumb blonde" stereotype doesn't just exist in the world of teen movies and humor. It's quite real.

In one study, researchers showed a picture of a women wearing a platinum blonde, natural blonde, red, or brown wig. Subjects rated the platinum blonde as less intelligent. In another study a model was seen as more approachable when her hair was blonde but more intelligent when her hair was brunette.

The stereotype isn't just limited to social situations; it also carries over into the workplace. A 2006 study analyzed the hair color of 500 UK CEOs and found that blondes were underrepresented compared to the rest of the population. In a 1996
study, subjects read resumes that included head-shots of the supposed applicants. Although all the resumes were identical, the blonde applicants were rated as less competent."

In my opinion, stereotypes are just lazy thinking based on a lack of in depth experience.

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if this were about people with a different skin colour, there would be a lot of commotion about it

bicicleur said:

if this were about people with a different skin colour, there would be a lot of commotion about it

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This is differnt because blonde hair doesn't represent a culture or race or ethnicity, it represents a trait some white people have, like big noses. If there were stero-types about white people with abnormally dark skin, no one would think it was racist either. People with all kinds of traits are stero-typed, sometimes for good reason.

bicicleur said:

if this were about people with a different skin colour, there would be a lot of commotion about it

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As I said above, I have my doubts whether this is the subconscious perception about women who have naturally blonde hair. "I think the stereotype is about women who are actually bleaching their hair a rather unnatural color, perhaps wearing too much make-up, wearing certain types of clothing. Even if that woman is indeed smart and capable, she is giving, at the least, the impression that she cares way too much about her appearance, and a pretty sexualized appearance at that."

I'd be really surprised to find that people would look at this woman and think "BIMBO!"



So, it's an easy fix: cut it out and go natural. Skin color can't be fixed that easily.

Fire-Haired: This is just my opinion, Blonde hair is more youthful and feminine and colorful looking, while Brown hair looks more mature, masculine, and serious. So, that's why women with blonde hair are perceived as more youthful and gullible and stupid.

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You didn't state it as an opinion; you stated it as a certainty, when, in fact, whatever science exists contradicts you, or at least is far more nuanced than your presentation of it. I always find that it's a good idea to inform myself before making blanket, emphatic statements, and especially when I don't have sufficient life experience to rely on.

This is a case in point. There's some speculation in the literature that perhaps some men's preference for blonde hair has to do in part with a subconscious association of lighter hair with youth because most people are fairer haired as infants and children. That's different from saying it literally makes a person look younger.

For instance, does the bleaching and processing and botox and face lifts and breast implants really make this "Real Housewife" look more attractive and younger? Maybe it's a subjective thing. To me, she just looks like an aging woman who's spent a fortune to look garish, fake, and trashy without fooling anyone at all about her age.



This is how to go about aging, in my opinion:

@Maleth:

I'd be willing to bet he's had more fun than practically anybody! :grin::grin:

Angela said:

For instance, does the bleaching and processing and botox and face lifts and breast implants really make this "Real Housewife" look more attractive and younger? Maybe it's a subjective thing. To me, she just looks like an aging woman who's spent a fortune to look garish, fake, and trashy without fooling anyone at all about her age.

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@Maleth:

I'd be willing to bet he's had more fun than practically anybody! :grin::grin:

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Hmm seems like it. Thanks for the song its quite pleasant and up tempo

Angela said:

I'd be really surprised to find that people would look at this woman and think "BIMBO!"
......

You didn't state it as an opinion; you stated it as a certainty, when, in fact, whatever science exists contradicts you, or at least is far more nuanced than your presentation of it. I always find that it's a good idea to inform myself before making blanket, emphatic statements, and especially when I don't have sufficient life experience to rely on.

This is a case in point. There's some speculation in the literature that perhaps some men's preference for blonde hair has to do in part with a subconscious association of lighter hair with youth because most people are fairer haired as infants and children. That's different from saying it literally makes a person look younger.

For instance, does the bleaching and processing and botox and face lifts and breast implants really make this "Real Housewife" look more attractive and younger? Maybe it's a subjective thing. To me, she just looks like an aging woman who's spent a fortune to look garish, fake, and trashy without fooling anyone at all about her age.

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I'm just referring to trends. I'm not saying every single individual with Blonde hair looks younger or feminine. When I see a guy with long blonde hair from the back and far away, I usually think it's a girl at first. As muscular as the Thor actor is, the long Blonde hair is a colorful aspect.


EDIT: I'm not arguing people with Brown hair look older and more masculine. Brown hair definitely doesn't make girls look male-like. I'm saying Blonde hair adds a colorful aspect, which looks feminine and young. Purple hair does the same. It's colorful, and I could really only imagine girls wanting purple hair. If Blonde hair wasn't so frequent in Europe, it'd be as weird to us as purple hair is.

Same with women. This is why I think so many, even non-white women, dye their hair blonde. They like how colorful and bright it is, especially when their hair is long. Blonde hair in our culture is associated with females, even though it is naturally as frequent in men. Male Blondes are never called "Blondes", we only use this word to refer to female Blondes.Just look at advertisements, 90% of the time white couples are a blonde female and brown haired man.

the blond hair of the woman has to match her eyes and skin
if not you notice something is wrong
most women don't flater themselves by dying their hair blond

a natural blonde doesn't look like a bimbo
a woman who does to much effort to conceal her natural appearance does
you don't have to dye your hair blonde for that nowadays
you can also buy a pair of breasts that are way to heavy

To eliminate any bias in the IQ tests caused by ethnic and racial differences, Zagorsky dropped all African Americans and Hispanics from the analysis. The resulting findings showed that blonde-haired white women had an average IQ of 103.2, compared to 102.7 for those with brown hair, 101.2 for those with red hair and 100.5 for those with black hair.

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There is some empirical evidence to support the theory that haplogroups R1a and I are associated with blonde hair. The Slavic haplogroup R1a is only found at 4.5% among the British and one in five Britons belong to the Scandinavian haplogroup I (20%). Around 25% of British women are natural blonde (R1a, I) overall as a result. Brown hair and red hair are more closely associated with R1b.

ThirdTerm said:

There is some empirical evidence to support the theory that haplogroups R1a and I are associated with blonde hair. The Slavic haplogroup R1a is only found at 4.5% among the British and one in five Britons belong to the Scandinavian haplogroup I (20%). Around 25% of British women are natural blonde (R1a, I) overall as a result. Brown hair and red hair are more closely associated with R1b.

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Y DNA has nothing to do with Blonde hair. It mostly derives from Late Neolithic(4,000-5,000 years ago) Central/East Europe. It also might have gradually rose in frequency after that. Those people, basically repopulated all of Northern Europe, which is why it's frequent there today. The blonde woman below, died 3,000 years ago in China, her ancestors left Central/East Europe around 5,000 years ago.

92% of Tarim mummies discovered in Xinjian belonged to R1a1 and they had blonde or red hair. Xinjian was also a home of the Andronovo culture. In August 2013, Andronovo culture remains, including 17 tombs and 3 ritual sites, were discovered in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Andronovo people belonged to R1a/Z93 mixed with Q1a2a1/L54. After DNA tests, the blond-associated allele at rs12821256 was detected in three persons with R1a, R1b and U5, which is a mtDNA haplotype closely associated with I in Scandinavia. The two persons with R1a and U5 were blondes and the R1b person was a brown-haired man. I would like to see a comprehensive study on this subject in the near future.

ThirdTerm said:

92% of Tarim mummies discovered in Xinjian belonged to R1a1 and they had blonde or red hair.

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Most of the mummies had Brown or Black hair. I'm pretty sure all of the ones tested for DNA had Black hair, because they had lots of Siberian ancestry. The "red and blonde" Tarim mummy thing is an internet myth. I've seen 8, and 6/8 had Black or Brown hair and 2 had Blonde. That's normal for modern North Europe. Others were more admixed with Siberians, and so had darker hair.

ThirdTerm said:

Xinjian was also a home of the Andronovo culture. In August 2013, Andronovo culture remains, including 17 tombs and 3 ritual sites, were discovered in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Andronovo people belonged to R1a/Z93 mixed with Q1a2a1/L54. After DNA tests, the blond-associated allele at rs12821256 was detected in three persons with R1a, R1b and U5, which is a mtDNA haplotype closely associated with I in Scandinavia.

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100% of Andronovo so far have R1a-Z93. The ones who didn't, weren't Andronovo, they were Siberians who intermarried and died with Andronovo. Th

ThirdTerm said:

The two persons with R1a and U5 were blondes and the R1b person was a brown-haired man. I would like to see a comprehensive study on this subject in the near future.

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People of the same population and with identical DNA, have differnt hair colors. For example, R1b people in Norway don't have darker hair than R1a people in Norway. Y DNA doesn't affect hair color.

Can I throw in my two cents, as a natural pale blonde "stupid" girl? And yes as a 28-year-old woman who works as a specialized pain management clinic as part of the pharmacy division I say "stupid" with a smile because the truly stupid people are the ones that were never taught "don't judge a book by the cover". Before this, I was the first woman hired at a mental health facility for the criminally insane by 24-years of age. I am not actually stupid, I am very intelligent [and it is probably that intelligence which intimidates the more-often-than-not simpler interviewers].

However, I don't get my "knickers" in a twist about this, because simply put, life is far too short to worry about arses that are ill-educated, discriminatory, and ignorant. If some idiot doesn't hire me because of my hair color, of all things, why on earth would I want to work for him or even her?


First, I'll deal with Thor. Hollywood really messed up - there's belief Thor & Odin were, in history, either brunettes or red haired. Not blonde.


Secondly, I'll tackle the idea that blonde = youth. There seems to be a misconception that youth = stupidity. It'd be more youth = immaturity, unreliability, and lack of responsibility. Neither stupid or immaturity is highly desirable in any serious career choice.

Now the funny thing about Fair Haired14's comment is most of my colleagues say as long as I don't open my mouth I look in my late teens - early twenties. So that supports the blonde hair = youth mentality. I still get IDed routinely for lotto tickets and the occasional times that I stop by the local liquor store. On the other hand, if I do open my mouth, I sound far older than my age and far more intelligent than an 18-year-old "brat".


Third, are blondes discriminated against. Sure. So are red heads in some areas. Portuguese - widely considered to be of the same "Caucasian" race, so is that racism - are still discriminated against. Go to some of the other countries - have the misfortune of being born in the wrong family / class and good luck ever finding yourself a good job - however, as racists would say, but they're all the same - all look the same.


Now racism - well unless your Hispanic, African descendent, mid-eastern/Asian or native with NATURAL blonde hair [as dye / bleaching jobs are oftentimes eye-burningly obvious to anyone with a lick of sense] it isn't racism in the slightest because blonde hair isn't a race - or as it should be properly termed discrimination has been part of human society since we first evolved. Show me one culture that has never, ever in its entire history had a case of racism or discrimination and I'll start looking for a flying spotted cow.

If a blonde feels she [or he] is been discriminated against then they should do as our forefathers did - Martin Luther King, any of the original feminists - show that they are BETTER than the people discriminating against them. Let's kindly not turn blonde hair into another "discrimination" card. People already abuse true discriminatory terms - screaming at the top of their lungs whenever they don't get their way - that those who originally brought such issues to light are likely spinning in their graves faster than a plane's turbine.