Whether or not  blondes have  more  fun,  blondeness has  been  a crucial  component in  the  hair  care  industry, the  world  of fashion, and  popular imagination. While  blondeness has for centuries been  associated in art and  literature with the fairer  sex, and  thus  inextricably bound to all the  race  and  cultural implications that have long privileged light complexions, bleaching hair blonde was not readily embraced until the middle  of the 20th century. Changing hair color, much like the use  of makeup, was associated with  deception, artificiality,  and  sensuality, all of which  violated  middle-class ideas  about respectability. In the  20th  century, Hollywood  made  blondeness the  crowning glory of film icons  like Jean Harlow  and Marilyn  Monroe, who epitomized both feminine vice and virtue. Clever advertising  campaigns made  dying  hair  acceptable for the  girl next  door  and  cashed in on the inherent contradictions that  such  a bold look implied  to make millions for the hair color  industry.

Hollywood Blondes

Against  the  backdrop of  decades of  deteriorating race  relations that  relegated blackness and  ethnic identities to that  of other, 1930s  Hollywood turned to the blondest of blondes to  sell  films  and  fantasy  amid  economic depression. Jean Harlow  titillated  moviegoers in films like Platinum Blonde (1931)  and  Blonde Venus (1932), in which  she achieved her trademark blondeness with the help  of bleach, soap,  and  ammonia that  was so damaging that  she had  to resort  to a wig. Nevertheless, Harlow  and  Hollywood paved the way for a series of blonde starlets who ranged from  the  sassy Mae West  to demure Marlene Dietrich. The  most  famous 20th-century blonde, however, was Marilyn  Monroe. Her  famous nude calendar shot  made  her  the  first  and  most  famous Playboy centerfold and  blondeness a symbol  of unabashed sexuality.  Blondes  were  turning heads  but  they  were  not without their  critics who mocked blondeness along with other narcissistic beauty practices. Assuming brains  and  beauty  were a rare combination, an ever-growing litany  of dumb blonde jokes  could  be  heard in  bars  and  businesses, especially as increasing numbers of women directly  challenged the  prevailing sexism.  By the  1970s,  liberation movements coupled with  the  rise of the  natural look  also threatened the bottled blonde, but California tans and sun-kissed highlights made weaves and  frosted tips all the rage. By the 1980s,  artificially had  lost much of its taboo in the  realm  of beauty  consumption. At the  one  extreme, Princess Diana coupled purity and humility with her look, and at the other, stars like Madonna and Pamela Anderson unapologetically  embraced blondeness  as a symbol  of personal ambition and sensuality.

Advertising Campaigns

Hollywood sex  symbols   made iconic,  advertising campaigns marketed to fit an ever-changing political  milieu: blondeness inspired some  of most  innovative  advertising campaigns in the  beauty  industry and  privileged  female  innovation in the almost  exclusively  male  world of  advertising. Clairol  quickly dominated the  market thanks to an  easy home rinse  process and  the  advertising genius  of Shirley   Polykoff.   In   the   late 1950s,    Polykoff ’s    innovative ads  toyed   with   an  ambiguity that  balanced sexuality  and  respectability. The  slogan  “Does she or doesn’t she . . . only her hairdresser knows  for sure,”  reassured the  girl next  door  that  she  too  could  be blonde and  beautiful. Polykoff  followed  with  other iconic  ad campaigns such  as the rhetorical catchphrase that  asked “Is it true  blondes have more  fun?” and “If I’ve only one  life, let me live it as a blonde.” Competition from  other companies was quick  to follow. Advertising agencies were male dominated in the 1960s  and ’70s, and  Ilon  Specht, a female  copywriter, grew  irritated with  male  colleagues who  insisted, for example,  that  she only use “girl” rather than “woman” in all of her  copy.  Frustrated personally and  professionally, she  came  up  with  L’Oréal’s “I’m worth it” campaign that captured the mood of the women’s liberation movement  and  a major  share  of the  market. Most  recently, L’Oréal’s  “Feel the  Power of Color”  ad campaign captured the  same  vein for a generation of women looking to crack  more  glass ceilings.  Today, Western fascination coupled with  global marketing strategies have  made  blondeness popular in  countries as  diverse  as Brazil, Japan, and China, expanding a hair color industry into previously untapped markets around the globe.