Blondes have more fun, they say

[scrollgirl]

Found an interesting article about why guys like blondes (also The Blonde Wars), which also talks about skin colour in relation to blonde hair:
The reason women were traditionally called "the fair sex" is because, all else being equal, they really are fairer. "Although about only a tenth of the difference separating blacks from whites, there does

Comments

[buffyannotater]

Interesting...Not that this is really apropos of anything, since these articles are about guys' attraction to girls, not other guys, but I just thought I'd throw in that, personally, I tend to be attracted to guys with blonde or light brown hair (for example, both Seth and Chris have pretty light-colored hair). Not that that's a hard and fast rule or anything. And I'm not sure what that says about me, or if what that says about me really fits into the theses of these articles, but, yeah, just thought I'd make that contribution. Erm, yeah. :-)

[scrollgirl]

Well, do you find women with dark hair more attractive than women with blonde hair? Not that you have to be attacted personally -- but what do you think is better looking?

Cuz I still prefer guys with dark hair. And if they have blue eyes, or light coloured eyes, I find that even more striking. It took me a couple of episodes, but suddenly I realised that Rob Lowe used to be a model for a darn good reason, y'know? There are other actors I find more attractive to me personally (I went through a phase with Alexis Denisof, who also has dark hair and blue eyes, but isn't as pretty) but sometimes I will watch a scene with Sam and just go, "Whoa, that guy is frickin' gorgeous."

Not sure how I fit in with these articles either. I will sometimes find a blonde woman attractive, but by and large the women that make me sit up are brunettes, some with light skin and some with dark skin.

[buffyannotater]

Hmm, I think it depends on the person, particularly if the color is natural or not. For example, I find Drew Barrymore very attractive as a blonde, which is her natural color, but not so much as a brunette or redhead. Similarly, I think SMG, for example, looks better when her hair is lighter versus darker, as she had it in Cruel Intentions. On the opposite end, I think a natural brunette, like Jessica Alba, looks better with that color hair than dyed blonde. This may be why Charisma Carpenter looked so completely not hot when she had highlights or was a full blonde. There aren't many actresses I can think of who look better with a completely unnatural color than with their own. One example, I guess, is Christina Ricci, who I thought looked very pretty with blonde hair in Sleepy Hollow. But for the most part, it might have to do with people's skin tones and how it matches with their natural hair color, if that makes any sense

[scrollgirl]

There aren't many actresses I can think of who look better with a completely unnatural color than with their own.

Yeah, that could be it. I don't know much about skin tones and what colours work, etc, but some people just can't pull off blonde hair. I always thought SMG was a brunette, with her S1 hair being closer to her natural colour, but she and Julie Benz seem to have the colouring for that very light blonde hair. Agree about Drew Barrymore.

Nick Brendon looks fantastic in photos -- moreso than on TV, which is odd. I have to admit, I don't find BB or Ewan McGregor especially attractive, though they are good-looking guys. Have you seen SG-1 at all? Objectively, I'd say Michael Shanks is better looking than Browder (though even in the show itself they tease about how much they look alike *g*) but who is more attractive or sexy is a personal thing, I suspect. It's how I can say Charisma Carpenter is classically beautiful but I find Claudia Black sexier

[cwx]

For whatever it could possibly be worth, I am definitely a major exception to this so-called "gentlemen prefer blondes" rule. Funny what they said about holding brunettes to a "higher standard" (sort of an uncomfortable but potentially accurate way of looking at it) because I probably do something like that with blondes. That's pretty much been a constant with me ever since the teenage years, as well.

[scrollgirl]

Maybe you hold them to a higher standard just because Hollywood so often passes a blonde woman off as "beautiful" just because she is blonde, whereas a brunette has to really special for anyone to notice. You end up being more discriminating in your tastes. *g*

I find I need blonde female characters to really have attitude and personality before I'll find them attractive or interesting. Otherwise they're just annoying eye-candy, and not even that good-looking eye-candy either.

[honorh]

I think the most intriguing experiment is with oneself. I love playing with my hair color. Right now, it's medium brown with reddish highlights, just a shade or two off my natural color. I've gone all the way from blonde (2-tone highlights did the trick--I wouldn't just bleach, 'cause ick) to dark brunette, and overall, I like myself best as a brunette. However, being a blonde was actually quite fun, while it lasted. I felt like I was trying to attract more attention, and that made me feel more daring. But I still like it best when my hair is dark and shiny. Makes me feel a little more mysterious and sultry.

[scrollgirl]

Hmm, that is very interesting! Good point about experimenting revealing something about yourself. I don't experiment with my hair at all -- thick coarse black hair that I can't even put up because it's so heavy -- but I'm amused when my sister curls or straightens her hair.

I deleted a paragraph about Chinese girls and those blonde streaks that are popular now. Ick, I hate it. It's one thing to bleach your hair (and for Chinese people, it's bleach first or waste your money) and go for a punk or goth look, something dramatic. My friend had a dark electric blue, that was way cool. But what is the point of doing a few streaks as if you had suddenly aquired blonde strands cuz you were out in the sun? No way is it natural, and it quickly turns brassy and harsh-looking.

I much prefer reddish highlights for Chinese girls. But it's trendy to go with blonde, so it's what everybody does.

Mysterious and sultry is definitely the way to go. Blonde is... fun? I can get that, it's about pulling off being a blonde. But that seems like a whole lot

[wistful_fever]

It's so strange that you bring this up, because I've been thinking about this off and on for almost a month. I've been a blonde and a brunette, and am naturally stuck hideously between, and while I think I look cute with blonde hair, and it's a good color for me, I think the dark hair is much sexier on me. Just a personal observation to throw in there.

[poisonapple73]

I like to think that I'm pretty varied in terms of who I'm attracted to- it's all about personality for me, and everything follows from there. Or so I think. ;) Because looking over my lust objects, both fictional and real, there's a definite brunette trend. I do have a thing for direct, driven seeming blondes though- Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon- though both of them can work alternate hair colors really well.

This whole blondes vs. brunettes thing is quite interesting as a redhead. Blondes are adored and expected to be perfect. Brunettes are supposed to be edgy and sexy. And redheads are kind of...fetishized. At least in my experience.

It's nice to see so much Ainsley love. TWW is a show I just can't get into, but I have tried, and Ainsley was the only character that really grabbed me. She made me like *her*, not just the idea of her.

[scrollgirl]

Redheads are an interesting phenomenon in TV. Female characters with red hair especially, because they crop up way more often than is statistically proportional. (Well, then white people crop up way more often than is statistically proportional too, as opposed to other ethnicities.) But thinking of shows like The Sentinel and NCIS, both male-oriented cop shows, there is a high percentage of Babes of the Week that are redheads. And the male lead from NCIS, Gibbs, is canonically attracted to redheads. All three of his ex-wives are redheads.

Even The West Wing has a disproportionate number of redheads. Leo's ex-wife is a redhead, and of course his daughter Mallory is too. Leo's assistant Margaret also has red hair. Toby's ex-wife is a redhead, as is his assistant Ginger. The interesting thing are the assitants, because I kind of wonder if their red hair played a factor in their being hired. Like, the red hair reminded Leo and Toby of their wives and thus made the potential employee more attractive/familiar-looking to them