Book on the history of blonde hair, some women get very jealous in the amazon reviews

Book description

"Number of natural blondes in America: 1 in 20. Number of American females who dye their hair blonde: 1 in 3.

Blondeness became a prejudice in the Dark Ages, an obsession in the Renaissance, a mystique in Elizabethan England, a mythical fear in the nineteenth century, an ideology in the 1930s, a sexual invitation in the 1950s, and a doctrine of faith by the end of the twentieth century. With its powerful imagery of wealth, light, youth, and vitality, built up over thousands of years, it has woven itself into the most popular materials of the imagination. In art and literature, in history and popular culture, blonde has never been a mere color. For two and a half thousand years, it has been a blazing signal in code, signifying beauty, power, and status.

From Greek prostitutes mimicking the golden haired Aphrodite, to the Californian beach babe; from pigeon dung and saffron dyes to L'Oreal-because you're worth it-Joanna Pitman unveils the lengths to which women will go to become blonde. We watch while the blonde as erotic symbol, saintly virgin, or racial elite waxes and wanes throughout the ages, but never disappears. Why is it that blondes rose to prominence in Hollywood and in Nazi Germany at the same time? Why do young Japanese women today want to be blonde?

By looking at the world through the eyes of famous and infamous blondes and their admirers, we are drawn into an intriguing portrait of society. Weaving a story rich in drama, mystery, triumph, deception, disaster and curiosity, Joanna Pitman effortlessly combines the wealth of her knowledge with a sharp and clear-sighted view of the power of the blonde throughout the ages."

I thought the author was going to give a more global context of what blonde means to societies all over the world but instead she said blondes are wonderful, blondes are the most beautiful and innocent and sexiest of all women, and everyone wants to be like us. Hello!! That is the problem. Women of different ethnicities pretty much give up their culture to live the blonde White-American dream, and there is only one reason- to feel more accepted in our society because the closer you are to white the more society will accept you, and one way to do this is to dye your hair blonde. Instead of telling us what we already know, or better yet what society reinforces to us, that blonde is the ultimate beauty, why not tell us how this fascination has hurt society and women especially from different races. I am guessing it was too easy for her to spew off the gloriousness of blondeness- she being a blonde herself, than to search for something deeper because we all know sometimes the truth is hard to take, especially when you are on the inside looking out.

I feel like this book is saying if you aren't a blonde you agent good enough & your results will not be as good if you are not a blonde. Who allowed this author to write? I do not bleach or color my hair nor am I ashamed. I love myself let's all say it together. Other then that I enjoyed the history. A few famous brunettes: Sophia Loren , Angelina Jolie , Cleopatra , Elizabeth Taylor, Salyma Hayek, Sophia Vegara. Mmm what was that thing you were saying about brunettes? Oh yeah Diana would not have gotten an award for all the charity work if she had been a brunette. Okay I hate the writer. Anyway I think if you make up your mind to succeed in life you will. Unless everyone is like this author forget it .

One brave blonde woman stands up for her people

people need to stop harshing on blondes. i've had my hair every imaginable color, red for years, and resisted being a natural blonde because i hated the stereotypes. so now if people dont like my hair color the way it is, thats too bad. you could just as well write an intelligent book about the history of redheads, there is alot of stereotype and mystique surrounding red hair as well. i found that i attracted the most fascinating people when i was a redhead! i also personally think that dark haired women are the most beautiful women in the world, probably because im a blonde and i cant pull off a dark hair color, i've tried... i just wish people wouldnt take this book personally! if i were to write a book about hair it would involve all colors. certainly there is alot of cultural and historical info about it. mary magdalene is actually more often described as a redhead, queen elizabeth was red, not blonde! and red hair has always been associated with sorceresses...also how about snow white? i could go on, but ive made my point, i think. girls who are not blond may be hurt by this kind of book, but its also hurtful and depressing to be a blonde and have people stereotype you, cat call you, and hate you because of your hair.

Lots of inaccuracies in this book. Phryne was not blonde. She was known for her dark skin color! Phryne was depicted with black hair in Greek antiquity.

Recent western artists have changed that. Aphrodite was not blonde. This is the modern Western image. Aphrodite was always depicted with black hair in Greek antiquity. I am familiar with Greek literature and it was never mentioned that Aphrodite was blonde. There is no evidence that Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene were blond. I find it very irreverent that she just made this up. I cannot recommend this book because it is based on fantasy and not on facts.

There are a lot of successful brunettes so what is she talking about?

Message of the writer: blond beats brunette and is the best. A feel-good book for blonde girls. To read for fun and not for education.

This was a fun (and yes, intelligent) read on the history of blonde hair. It sounds like a boring read, but I had a good time reading all about where the stigma of "dumb blonde" came from. Perhaps I needed a break from "blonde" jokes, and just wanted a bit of honest history on the subject, if just for my own reassurance, (I am a natural blonde :) )