Dumb Blonde Part 2

“Phenotype Stereotype” – Television Tropes & Idioms http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PhenotypeStereotype

In my previous article, Dumb Blonde? Part 1, I talked a little bit about stereotypes of blonde and red hair. This week, I would like to talk about some other common stereotypes of different hair colors. My focus will be mainly around brown and black hair stereotypes.

Certain websites like Kristi Riley categorize women with black or brown hair as women who think sex is a game. Further, she defined this theory as “In a car, in a park, in a pool. Wherever and whenever they can get it, they take advantage. They are down to try the freaky stuff as well. However, most have a set style they like to perfect and change up. Depending on the time and place of course.” Along with this, these black and brown haired women are many times thought of as living in the shadow of the attention blondes receive from men.

This outlook is both sexist and highly dependent on the male response to female appearance. Sites such as girlsaskguys.com and askmen.com only further the drive of females to please the male fantasy. An article written by Farah Averill supports strong female attribute such as success in the workplace and self-sufficiency; however, all of these ratings seem to be from male participants. Male preference has further developed social stereotypes and expectations from female phenotypes.

In the media, hair color stereotypes coincide with many racial stereotypes as well. “If a character is black, he or she is most likely to be from the United States, rather than from an African country or somewhere else. The character may be drawn with poofy hair, if not an afro, as hair texture is otherwise a tricky detail in low-budget animation,” says an article on Japanese anime phenol-typing.

These are only some of the stereotypes females of darker colored hair may experience. Many, may seem complimentary; however, it can be a sheer exemplification of male bias and sexist views on women.

Until next time, don’t let stereotypes define you!