Different representation of "BLONDES" in media

Case of the "blonde" as seen in Marilyn Monroe

In media, we often see blondes as the "bimbo" or "bombshell" type. 

This can be exemplified by Marilyn Monroe or even Regina George from the movie "Mean Girls". 

However before we get to the case of the blonde, what is representation? let's take a look. 

Representation can be defined as the gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues, and events that are all dealt with and presented to an audience through media texts. 

Here are some famous examples of the "Blonde bimbo" stereotype as seen in recent years

Context 

Stereotypes in the media have become so severe that blonde girls/actresses are constantly confined to playing typical blonde characters such as cheerleaders, popular girls, and shopaholics. They've been portrayed as cruel, superficial, ditzy, attention seekers, and unpleasant.

Blonde women have long been associated with stereotypes in American media. With famous blonde figureheads dating back to the 1950s, such as Marilyn Monroe, the media has completely taken control of the identity of blonde women over the years and shaped it in their favor.

Historians unanimously agree that the notion of blondes being stupid dates back to a 250-year-old play titled Les Curiosités de la Foire, which was based on the misdeeds of the legendary courtesan Rosalie Duthé and established blondes as both stupid and sexually available. Duthé took long pauses before speaking, leading people to believe she was both dumb and stupid. 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was released in 1953, and Marilyn Monroe played Lorelei, the dumb blonde. Some of Lorelei's most famous lines only reinforce the stereotype that she is inattentive and vague, slightly ditzy, and only interested in marrying for money: "I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it." Dorothy (a brunette), her co-star, is portrayed as smarter and more capable.

Marilyn Monroe

Since the success of the blockbuster film "Gentleman Prefer Blondes," which starred Jane Russel and Marilyn Monroe, we can see Jane's character being represented in the positive light as witty and smart, while Monroe's character is depicted as nothing more than a ditzy, negative representation. This appears to be because Marilyn is unaware that she is being mocked; it simply passes her. While both women are sexualized in this film, Marilyn is the only one who comes across as naive and immature. Not to mention the title speaks for itself.

Negative representation 

Tabloids such as the sun, reinforced Marilyn as a sex symbol to this day despite her leaving her legacy a mere 60 years. Monroe was simply the second woman in American history to even own her own production company. "She broke the mold and challenged Hollywood studios' authoritarian structure, which dictated what films their stars would make". She was a vocal supporter of equality and talent. Due to the time period being taboo, she was at constant mercy of the tabloids looking into her private life which in turn led her to abuse substances, passing away in 1962, shortly after feminism peaked in the US, and Marilyn's tale continue to be an example of the mercilessness of the tabloids. 

Most of the pictures used in these articles show paparazzi pictures taken of her life, in particular the JFK article by The Sun, used medium close up and interestingly enough the shadow casted on the side of her face can represent how she is always in the public view and is often overshadowed by the hauntings of her fame. This negative representation set the precedent in the "bimbo" stereotype to come. These were only a few of the snippets.

Positive representation

   In recent years, the media has realized how unforgiving they were towards Marilyn Monroe, and that the tabloids' unforgivingness paved the way for Marilyn's death. They made her appear to be nothing more than a sex icon when, according to her closest friends and relatives, the Norma Jean (her real name) was sweet and bubbly, and what the Marilyn people saw was nothing more than an act, a performance, if you will. We can see this now with the resurgence of her name in tabloids and in the news due to the scandal with Kim Kardashian, wearing her dress to the Met Gala, and also through the biopic "Blonde," which Netflix recently released.

 

The use of full shot in this picture of the biopic as the first picture shown in the article  may have aided in connoting to the audience reading of Marilyn's private life, which was exploited by the multiple journalist pushing forward this narrative of the dumb blonde.

That concludes everything for this post, I do hope you enjoyed giving it a read and if given the time I might expand on this segment a little more.