Are Blondes Really Less Intelligent Than the Rest of Us?

Is there truly such a thing as a "dumb" blonde? The answer is yes, just like there are dumb red-heads and dumb brunettes. As far as I know, Mensa doesn't have a rule forbidding blondes from joining their organization. I jest. Of course hair color does not equate to intelligence. In mentally healthy individuals, nurture trumps nature in the intelligence department, so the stereotype of the dumb blond is a false one, so why then does the dumb blonde stereotype continue to live on? The answer lies in our ancestors.

Long ago, before hair dye and salons were invented, blond hair signified youth. Most natural blondes, even blondes today, are born with delicate, light blonde hair, but as they mature, their hair usually turns to a shade of brown. While these young girls still had pure blonde hair, they were naturally immature, uneducated and naive. As they got older, the change in hair color just so happened to correlate with maturity, education, wisdom and intelligence. This is also why some people think blue-eyed individuals are less intelligent than darker-eyed individuals. Blue eyes tend to go with light colored hair, and dark eyes with dark hair and the aforementioned maturity.

In the mating game, male troglodytes were attracted to youth, vitality and fertility. They subconsciously wanted to mate with an obviously fertile woman, and knew, perhaps through prior experience, that young women were more fertile than older women.

This sense of the importance of youth carried over into the genes of modern-day men, as well as women. Women can't improve their fertility as they age (without the use of fertility drugs), but they can answer the call of men by changing their appearance and demeanor in order to attract the animal instinct of men. If women look younger and act younger than they are, they will more readily attract a mate.

Acting younger to attract mates is what perpetuates the dumb blonde stereotype but it can backfire on an unsuspecting man who meets a young blonde lady at a bar and thinks she will be an easy target, only to find she has a Master's degree in psychology. Some men will find this wisdom intimidating and move on to someone else, someone outwardly young with seemingly no cares in the world.

Unfortunately, some women who are very aware of their presence as a blonde, use their bleached hair and a ditzy attitude as a means of attracting older, stable men who will support them. Perhaps that's why blondes in southern California are considered to be especially ditzy. The cost of living is outrageous and if they are able to attract a mature man, they will be financially "stable" for a period of time. It makes sense, but makes for a bad name for professional blondes who are constantly trying to find validation in the business world. A woman who is unnecessarily thought of as being "dumb" will have a harder time breaking through the glass ceiling already put in place by their male equivalents a long time ago.

We've all had our share of embarrassing moments, and some people are naturally ditzy, but unfortunately some of these dim individuals happen to be blonde, so the joke lives on. To say that blondes are less intelligent is a whopper of a misnomer. There's a huge difference between blondes who have ditzy moments and blondes who put on a show to attract men. One type should not be grouped with the other.

Men have evolved and say they are starting to prefer personality over good looks when it comes to a mate, but it will be many years before people will be able to lay this blonde stereotype to rest.