Someone at work said “Hello Gorgeous” to me today instead of “How are you, Mo” or “Good Morning, Mo.” It made me feel good, but I immediately wondered how much my appearance affects my likeability and/or job performance. And by someone in the workplace commenting on my physical appearance, do they automatically demean my work ethic? It may be a sexist assumption, but I think that this is a problem that few men have to deal with, but I’m not a man, so I can’t be sure. I think that we’re weird creatures because we want to be acknowledged for our non-physical values and achievements, but we also like to have people consider us attractive. Women are walking contradictions and being one of them, I don’t really have a better purview of the situation. I want to be the pretty girl in the room, but I also want to be one of the smart girls in the room. Our society seems to think these two things are mutually exclusive. A “babe with brains” is the cliché term for this phenomenon, but is it an oxymoron? My mom gave me a pair of socks that say this – because my mom is awesome. Perhaps these social constructs forced me to make a decision between beauty and brains long ago. I chose brains. I definitely had a very unattractive awkward phase. I think that this choice has influenced every aspect of my own self-image. Which is total bullshit.
Going blonde has somewhat changed this. It’s not magic, but it’s kind of like jumping into a swimming pool filled with freezing water. You are suddenly very painfully aware of your skin. You walk around in it all day, thinking nothing of it most of the time, until something dramatic reminds you of its existence in a visceral way. This is what blonde has done for me. I see myself in the mirror and instead of almost looking through myself, it’s as if I see myself for the first time. Normally, I would maybe look in the mirror, shrug my shoulders and think to myself “this is as good as it gets.” Now it’s as if I actually see.
That was a little too deep. But being blonde has helped me realize that being beautiful shouldn’t have any drawbacks. And neither should being smart. You can have it all and you probably already do. Anyone that tells you different is probably selling something.
Today gets 3 Barbie Warhols: 
totally agree with you. being blonde automatically gives the "dumb blonde" connotation, when in reality there's a lot more to us than some hair color. it's a prejudgment and we feel the need to prove 'em wrong. we can be both smart and blonde!
ReplyDeleteIt's not only being blonde (I mean, it is, but also) - it's being an attractive woman. It's going to take time - but I think we can overcome this whole thing.
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