Harold Davis
2014-12-06 13:32:25 UTC
In Britain, people with blonde hair sometime encounter prejudice from
people who expect them to be stupid or simple-minded.
I am not sure how far that prejudice dates back before Marilyn Monroe..
In a lot of European fairytales and other folklore, the association of
blonde hair is not with stupidity, but with beauty.
In Britain, only a minority of people have blonde hair; and of those who
do, most are dark blonde.
But in Norway, 80% of people have blonde hair, mostly light blonde.
So I was surprised to meet a middle-aged dark-haired Norwegian woman from
Oslo who also has a prejudice against people, especially other women, who
have blonde hair.
She seems to have inherited the prejudice from her father. He was also a
dark-haired Norwegian, also from Oslo, some of whose ancestors, three or
four generations back, were from Copenhagen and Hamburg, including some
who were Jewish (although nowadays the family isn't).
She freely admits to expecting people with blonde hair to be a bit
stupid, unless she has reason not to.
Since she is Norwegian, her prejudice must be aimed at the large majority
of the population!
Some questions:
1) How common is it for dark-haired Norwegians to have this sort of
attitude?
2) Is the prevalence of blonde hair higher in the Norwegian countryside
than in Oslo? If so, is that of any relevance to the anti-blonde
prejudice? For instance, perhaps this woman sees someone with blonde hair
and wonders whether their recent ancestors - unlike her own - might be
from the countryside?
3) In Norway, is blonde more prevalent in the working class than among
the privileged?
4) Among the privileged in Norway, what sections are more likely to be
more blonde, or less blonde?
5) Do connotations connect with Norse mythology and folklore? Why did
Loki cut Sif's hair off?
6) Is there any prejudice in Norway against people with *dark* hair, or
red hair?
7) How do dark-haired Norwegians feel, being in a minority by hair
colour? Are they constantly aware of it?
Thanks for any help with this!
Harry
people who expect them to be stupid or simple-minded.
I am not sure how far that prejudice dates back before Marilyn Monroe..
In a lot of European fairytales and other folklore, the association of
blonde hair is not with stupidity, but with beauty.
In Britain, only a minority of people have blonde hair; and of those who
do, most are dark blonde.
But in Norway, 80% of people have blonde hair, mostly light blonde.
So I was surprised to meet a middle-aged dark-haired Norwegian woman from
Oslo who also has a prejudice against people, especially other women, who
have blonde hair.
She seems to have inherited the prejudice from her father. He was also a
dark-haired Norwegian, also from Oslo, some of whose ancestors, three or
four generations back, were from Copenhagen and Hamburg, including some
who were Jewish (although nowadays the family isn't).
She freely admits to expecting people with blonde hair to be a bit
stupid, unless she has reason not to.
Since she is Norwegian, her prejudice must be aimed at the large majority
of the population!
Some questions:
1) How common is it for dark-haired Norwegians to have this sort of
attitude?
2) Is the prevalence of blonde hair higher in the Norwegian countryside
than in Oslo? If so, is that of any relevance to the anti-blonde
prejudice? For instance, perhaps this woman sees someone with blonde hair
and wonders whether their recent ancestors - unlike her own - might be
from the countryside?
3) In Norway, is blonde more prevalent in the working class than among
the privileged?
4) Among the privileged in Norway, what sections are more likely to be
more blonde, or less blonde?
5) Do connotations connect with Norse mythology and folklore? Why did
Loki cut Sif's hair off?
6) Is there any prejudice in Norway against people with *dark* hair, or
red hair?
7) How do dark-haired Norwegians feel, being in a minority by hair
colour? Are they constantly aware of it?
Thanks for any help with this!
Harry