I am always running into novels I could have written.........but didn't. "Bridget Jones' Diary, for example. Now along comes another: 'The Blondes'. Everyone knows what I think about "dyed blondes" and apparently Emily Schultz agrees.
"I was on a flight to New York and I was reading 'Vanity Fair' and I noticed that all the ads seemed to feature blonde women and I opened up to this Gucci spread in particular and it was a gang of blonde women," Ms. Schultz explained. "They looked so vampiric, as if they were ready to murder somebody. They had the eyeliner that almost made their eyes look sunken in and I just all of a sudden said 'The Blondes'! and as soon as I said that, even though I was still joking around....I just knew that I had to write the book and I started to take the idea seriously."
The book is about a "blonde plague" and explores all the issues that surface because of it. "I knew that I wanted to explore relationships between women and also the many levels of what it means to be a woman in general," she explained. "The book starts with a rant about women and it's not a very positive rant. But I wanted it to start that way because I felt the heroine needed to work through her issues...and all the things that arise from this blonde plague."
Yes indeed-y. As I have blogged, something happens to a woman when she dyes her hair blonde. Presto-chango, she becomes a "dyed blonde". If you dye your hair blonde, apparently you do not accept yourself. By taking that step, you are a "wanna be". You morph into another category of female. B will start an anecdote with, "I ran into this dyed blonde this morning.........." and I will immediately know what's coming next.
For some reason North American dyed blondes have a desire to be noteworthy. Ironically, they are not. What do we all do when someone says, "Well, she's a dyed blonde, so what can you expect?" We roll our eyes. So, to dye your hair blonde, you have to make a conscious decision to be perceived as belonging to the "dyed blonde" category-- in some circles even the "dumb blonde" category. And since no dyed blonde has ever been able to fool anyone into thinking she is a "natural", the dyed blonde can't win.
Weird choice.
"Hairburner", you are the expert, any comments?
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oh yeah!!!
ReplyDeleteYou got a home run my dear friend!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know the old saying "Gentlemen prefer Blondes and marry Brunettes"!
Like Grace Kelly (RIP) - she was always portrayed as some kind of saint - I suppose to marry him she was.Elizabeth Taylor was always considered a tart!!!! I never agreed I think Liz married everyone she had a relationship with. thanks again Nancy, your good very good.
I just added to this post, based on a conversation I had with B -- someone who has endured his share of "dyed blondes".
DeleteI agree about Grace Kelly. She was not a "saint" and had numerous affairs, both as a teen with the fathers of her friends and as an adult (not that I care). I remember Richard Burton saying that Elizabeth was very moral and had to marry everyone she slept with. He was very proud of that -- even though it meant she had a lot a husbands -- although far fewer than others had lovers.