Have you ever seen a “dumb blonde” meme on Instagram or a silly blonde in movies? For ages, blondes have been the subject of stereotypes, often portrayed as less intelligent or more focused on looks than their non-blonde peers. However, the rise of blonde female leaders nowadays is challenging these cliches. Some figures, such as the first female justice of the US Supreme Court and the first female presidential candidate, serve as proof of this trend. Given this evolution, it raises the question: Is there more to blonde hair than meets the eye?
Interestingly, data reveals that many women in leadership roles today have blonde hair that is often dyed. On the other hand, male leaders don’t exhibit such a trend in hair color. This leads to a question: If blondes once symbolized a lack of intelligence, why are some female leaders now going blonde on purpose?
A study from the University of British Columbia provides some insights. In an experiment, researchers presented 100 men with photos of both blonde and brunette women paired with commanding quotes. The brunettes were more often perceived as seeming unpleasant or bossy, while the blondes scored higher on warmth and appeal because of existing stereotypes. Blondes’ friendly image is considered to soften the blow of commanding behavior. That’s why, in leadership roles, experts think some women might use social perceptions to their advantage and lessen criticism through their hair color.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons 照片：維基共享資源
The fact that even top-level women sometimes alter their appearance to fit in underlines a deeper issue. There’s a substantial journey ahead in the pursuit of gender equality. But let’s hope for a day when every woman, blonde, brunette or otherwise can openly be herself.
你曾經在Instagram上見過「金髮傻白甜」的迷因梗圖或者在電影中看過愚蠢的金髮女郎嗎？長久以來，金髮女性一直是刻板印象的主題，往往被描繪成比非金髮的同儕更不聰明或更注重外表。然而，如今金髮女性領袖的崛起正在挑戰這些陳腔濫調。一些人物，例如美國最高法院的第一位女性大法官和第一位女性總統候選人，都成為這一趨勢的證明。考慮到這樣的演變，這引出了一個問題：金髮是否有超乎表象的內涵？
有趣的是，數據顯示當今許多女性領袖的金髮通常是染的。但另一方面，男性領袖並未在髮色上表現出類似的趨勢。這帶來了一個問題：如果金髮曾經象徵著缺乏智慧，為什麼一些女性領袖現在會刻意染成金髮呢？
一項來自英屬哥倫比亞大學的研究提供了一些見解。在一個實驗中，研究人員向 100 名男性展示了金髮和深髮女性的照片，並附上命令性的語句。深髮女性更容易被認為令人不悅或專橫，而金髮女性因為現有的刻板印象而在溫暖和吸引力方面得分更高。金髮女性友好的形象被認為可以緩和命令行為的衝擊。這就是為什麼在領導角色中，專家認為一些女性可能會利用社會觀念來獲得優勢，並通過她們的髮色減少批評。
即使是高層女性有時候也會改變外貌以融入環境的這個事實凸顯了更深層的問題。在追求性別平等的道路上還有很長的路要走。但讓我們期待有一天，每位女性，無論金髮、深髮還是其他，都能夠坦然地做自己。
MORE INFORMATION
meme n. 迷因（網路上迅速傳播的圖像或影片）
justice n. 法官
there is more to sth than meets the eye 比表面看上去的更複雜
symbolize vt. 象徵；代表
brunette n. 深色頭髮的女性 & adj. 深色的
lessen v. 減少；降低
KEY VOCABULARY
1. blonde adj. 金髮的；極淺色的 & n. 金髮女性
Landon prefers women with blonde hair because he finds it very attractive.
蘭登喜歡有著金色頭髮的女性，因為他覺得這非常吸引人。
The magazine cover featured a stunning blonde as the “Model of the Year.”
這本雜誌封面以一位令人驚艷的金髮女郎作為「年度模特」。
2. portray vt. 描述；描繪
In many novels, the main character is portrayed as a hero who always does the right thing.
在很多小說裡，主角都被描繪成總是做正確的事的英雄。
3. supreme adj. 最高的；至上的；最好的
The supreme achievement of the actor’s career was winning an Oscar.
這名演員職業生涯的最高成就是獲得了一座奧斯卡金像獎。
4. presidential adj. 總統的；總裁的
All the voters are waiting for the result of the presidential election. 所有選民都在等待總統大選的結果。
5. dye vt. 把……染上顏色
Amy was tired of having black hair, so she dyed it a much lighter color. 艾咪厭倦了黑髮，所以她把它染成淺上許多的顏色。
6. intelligence n. 智慧；智力；情報
The detective used his intelligence to solve the perplexing murder case. 這位偵探運用他的智慧解決了這個複雜的謀殺案。
7. perceive vt. 認為；察覺；感知 / perception n. 觀念；見解；感覺
John didn’t mean any offense, but Vivian perceived his joke as an insult. 約翰無意冒犯，但薇薇安將其笑話視為羞辱。
8. soften v. 減輕；緩和；軟化
Tim tripped over his son’s toys, but the thick rug softened his fall.
提姆被他兒子的玩具絆倒了，但這張厚地毯緩衝了他跌倒時的衝擊。
9. equality n. 平等
Women around the world have long fought for equality in the workplace.
全世界的女性長久以來都在為職場裡的平等而奮鬥。
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