I love being a blonde. I was blessed as a natural blonde in a world of hair dye, bleach and lemon juice. Though blondes are known to have more fun and gentlemen prefer them, the life of a blonde is actually harder than you may think. You are probably smirking and saying to yourself, “Why is being a blonde so hard? Let me guess…can’t walk and talk at the same time?” We can do that, no problem, but being judged and put down on a daily basis is something we can’t and won’t do.
I have had countless jobs in my 26 years of being on this earth. I have worked in almost every field…Healthcare, Law, Finance, Retail, Hospitality and so on. All of the jobs I have had in the past, I have been met with discrimination and judgment from bosses and coworkers. This judgment does not stem from my work ethic or my educational background.
I was judged due to the fact that I am a blonde. I have been passed over numerous times for a promotion because they thought I was an airhead. I would bring up an idea that would benefit the company, and the idea would be met with a laugh and an eye roll. Then I would find out that the same idea I had, was being implemented and the credit was given to someone else….someone who wasn’t blonde. I was never taken seriously by anyone in any position that I had. They all just looked at me and thought I would be better working at the mall then being in the corporate world. Blonde jokes are funny and all, but they aren’t funny when the jokes are taken seriously.
Dating as a blonde is probably one of the hardest things to do. While growing up, I would ask my dates, potential boyfriends, and current boyfriends the same question, “What is your idea of the perfect girl?” Eventually I would start to cringe and all together stop asking the question, because the answer would almost always be the same. Some of them would say “You are my perfect girl”…which we all know is just a horrible pick-up line. The ones who were honest, though…well let’s just say, I would prefer the bad pick-up line. Most would say “My dream girl is short, brown hair, brown eyes, kind of shy and quiet.” After hearing this, I would sink into my seat, feeling awful. Why on earth are you even seeing me?! I am 5’8″, blonde hair, blue eyes and completely over the top! I am the complete opposite of what you want. I even got up the nerve to ask one of my ex-boyfriends, “Why do men ALWAYS prefer the short, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl?!” He answered me and the answer shocked me…”Well, short, brown-haired, brown-eyed, quiet girls make great wives and mothers….blondes are a little wilder.” I couldn’t believe it. I almost died. Gentlemen prefer blondes…but what do they prefer us for? Blondes have more fun…but how much “fun” do you as a male think we are going to have with you?
I do love being a blonde, but it took me a long time to embrace it. I dyed my hair at one point and wouldn’t wear it down. I stopped wearing heels and toned myself down to the point of dull. I then looked at myself and I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me. The world had gotten to me and it showed. I decided that enough was enough. Let me embrace the blonde and try to change the stereotypes. Since then, I let the dye grow out and I won’t cut my beautiful blonde locks. I am back to wearing heels…7 inch heels to be exact and I am probably even more rambunctious! Blondes are called stupid, airheads and sometimes even easy but once people get past the stereotypes of a blonde, then maybe us blondes will have a fighting chance.
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