Synopses & Reviews
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.
Joanna Pitman is the photography critic for the London Times and a features writer for the Times Magazine. From 1986 to 1987, she worked as a volunteer for SAIDIA, a small British-funded aid organization, building clinics in Samburn, Kenya, and from 1990 co 1994, she worked as the Times's Tokyo bureau chief. She currently lives in London with her husband and two daughters.
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 California beach babe, from pigeon dung and saffron dyes to L'Oréal (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, Joanna Pitman draws us into an intriguing portrait of society. Weaving a story rich in drama, mystery, triumph, deception, disaster, and curiosity, Pitman combines her knowledge with a sharp and clear-sighted view of the power of the blonde throughout the ages.
"Pitman, a distinguished Times of London writer, has taken up the subject of why golden hair has so fascinated men and, to a lesser extent, women, for so many centuries. She traces the origin of the fetish to Greek times, when the sex-goddess (literally) Aphrodite was depicted as a golden blonde, thereby encouraging any number of naturally raven-tressed women to bleach themselves to match her image. Through the ages, the association of blonde hair with sexual allure has held, right down to the present, when advertisers double-talk women into seeing blondeness as both empowering ('I'm worth it') and seductive ('I'm worth dating'). With such an engaging subject, it would be hard to go wrong, and Pitman's engaging style only highlights the appeal of this combination of history, folklore, and shrewd cultural commentary."Patricia Monaghan, Booklist
"The book tackles issues of race, gender and class, ultimately asking, 'Why is America, a culture so publicly concerned with overcoming its problems with race, still so fixated on the blonde?' Pitman admits there are no clear answers, but she offers a bright, energetic and witty exploration of the topic."Publishers Weekly
"Pitman examines with verve and style the changing significance of blondness from ancient Greece to modern times."Kirkus Reviews
Review
"An engaging and dishy read,
On Blondes will have power-hungry brunettes reaching for the peroxide." -
Entertainment Weekly "Blondes aren't stupid. Hillary Clinton runs New York, Madonna heads the music industry and Diane Sawyer is ABC's Everywoman. Is hair color a coincidence? Not likely." -Playboy
"Ms. Pitman... draws interesting parallels between the Nazis' adulation of the blond, the Soviet Union's promotion of the dynamic blond ideal, and 'the development of a radiantly sunlit blond American ideal, the WASP American dream.'" -New York Times
"Pitman's engaging style only highlights the appeal of this combination of history, folklore, and shrewd cultural commentary." -Booklist
Review
"An engaging and dishy read, On Blondes will have power-hungry brunettes reaching for the peroxide." Entertainment Weekly
Review
"Blondes aren't stupid....Madonna heads the music industry and Diane Sawyer is ABC's Everywoman. Is hair color a coincidence? Not likely." Playboy
Review
"Pitman's engaging style only highlights the appeal of this combination of history, folklore, and shrewd cultural commentary." Booklist
Synopsis
By looking at the world through the eyes of famous and infamous blondes, readers are drawn into an intriguing portrait of society. Weaving a story rich in drama, mystery, triumph, deception, disaster and curiosity, Pitman combines her knowledge with a sharp and clear-sighted view of the power of the blonde throughout the ages.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-284) and index.
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
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, conferring beauty, power, and status. Weaving a story rich in drama, mystery, triumph, deception, disaster, and curiosity, Joanna Pitman effortlessly combines the wealth of her knowledge with a clear-sighted view of the power of the blonde through the ages.
About the Author
Joanna Pitman is the photography critic for the
London Times and a features writer for the
Times Magazine, where she also worked as Tokyo bureau chief from 1990 to 1994. She lives in London with her husband and two daughters.