Final Paper- Build
a Protest
Kayla Hanifen
Dr. Brown
English 306
May 5, 2016
There is no such thing as a Blonde
Moment: A Protest against Blonde Stereotype’s
Blonde
humor has been an unlawful, unprovoked, universal misunderstanding that to this
day, has affected the lives of many blonde individuals- natural or not.
Attractive blonde women, in particular, are subject to this kind of crude discrimination,
effecting not just their social and personal lives, but even in their careers –
and no, I do not mean Hooters. Understandably, it would seem there are bigger
fish to fry, the social crises of all the ‘isms’ in this world: sexism, racism,
elitism; but what is commonly ignored by the public, to a fault, is the unacknowledged
term “blondism”.
The
term “dumb blonde”, originated in the early 1920’s in Hollywood, during the
production of silent movies, female actors like Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish
played the role of helpless victim, while their male heroes come to the rescue.
(Phrases) Despite the lack of pointed fingers on the directors and their conflicting story line, the
characters of the film were often associated to the lack of logical sequence. “Dumb”
was the term that emerged
from the audience’s consensus, where the term ‘dumb belle’ was linked to the blonde
fair maidens that laid helpless in the silent films. It was with the help of
Anita Loos’ novel Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes that the dumb blonde imagery flourished. Merilyn Monroe, the face
of the stereotypical label was ironically associated as dumb blonde despite her
history as an astute business woman who capitalized on the 1950’s Hollywood
trend where the mass media preferred blondes (Phrases). However, despite all
the marketing, and media attention, Blonde is just an attribute, unrelated to
the human senses. Blonde hair is light in color because it lacks a pigment
called eumelanin, but often so, it is also associated with a lack of
intelligence amongst those who share the recessive gene (Dickinson).
(1) In
society, it is considered ‘lowly’ and ‘pathetic’, to discriminate against someone because of
the difference in their skin tone, or religion, gender, even their different
ancestry. However, how funny is it, that blondes are overlooked and unprotected
by the federal laws of discrimination?
Where movies like Legally Blonde act as a voice of power to the blonde community. This social stereotype, while
seemingly harmless to those not on the receiving end, have real-world
implications, not just to the individual, but as a culture. Author, and
research scientist for Human Resource Research (CHRR) at Ohio State University,
Jay Zagorsky states: “research shows that
stereotypes often
have an impact on hiring, promotions, and other social experiences”
(Grabmeier). In a 2006 study
where hair color was analyzed in over 500 UK CEO’s, it was found that blondes were underrepresented compared to
the rest of the population (Takeda, PHD). In another study conducted in
1996, subjects read resumes that included head-shots of the “alleged
applicants”, and while the resumes were identical, those who were blonde were
seen as less competent by the viewer (Kyle, Mahler). It’s not surprising the
stereotypical statements were concluded false in which Zagorsky states “this study provides
compelling evidence that there shouldn’t be any discrimination against blondes based on their
intelligence,” (Grabmeier).
While
the facts are compelling and fundamentally disprove the stereotype, blonde
discrimination remains unacknowledged. The only real protesting is derived
through experimental research and the influences between hair colors,
genetically and socially. Needless to say, this protest has yet to reach its
period of inception, or “public notice” (Griffin, 11), one of the key
components in the development of a movement. This period, as it is widely
acknowledged, will enter in a
period of rhetorical crisis (Griffin, 11) where the points of blonde
discrimination will reach the point succeeding in disrupting social balance. It’s apparent the goal to
which this protest will aim to complete, addressing the social hypocrisy
between federal protected discrimination, and blondism. By targeting a specific
age gab in the workforce (20-40), there will be increased rise in awareness
than there would be by selecting a specific demographic of people. Once we have
the primary audience attention, then we can direct ourselves to the secondary audience,
the corporations, and demand they acknowledge blondism as a type of
discrimination, and one that needs to be cracked down on. If we were to target
corporation prior to getting that attention from a population on a wide scale,
then it would be more difficult to persuade them. Without that pressure from the public,
they would not be so easily swayed by any rhetorical performance.
With
that in mind, in order to protest effectively, peaceful protest will be
conducted around highly populated areas (preferable central city locations). With
having the target audience largely based on the work-force, these protests
should be carried out outside jobs. Posters against discrimination should be
emphasized and spread out so they are unavoidable. Bring to the public, the
several different experiences contributed to blonde discrimination and how that
influenced them in the work place. Using the symbol of Marilyn Monroe to emphasize the cause of the
protest, it would easily be attributed to the social discrimination that
blondes face. Monroe, largely known as sex icon, and widely famous due to her
signature blonde hair, it will be easy to place two and two together, and understand
what is being said here. The performance
protest alone will be the sole factoring in appealing to the audience, and as
you can see, by utilizing the
space and symbol of their protest (Marilyn Monroe, as the representation of the
protests purpose), the chances of increasing awareness and producing change is
much higher than it would be if the audience did not have anything to attribute
to the protest; essentially, not making it memorable. (Heaney and Rojas).
A
lot of the materials in the protest would consist of statistical proof that
shows how blondes are not associated with a lack of intelligence. This also
consists of any federal rights made to protect those who fall victim to
discrimination. By using Marilyn Monroe and sharing personal experiences, the protest will
be appealing to logos as a way of employing logic of reason. That by sharing
the personal experiences of discrimination out of the simple fact their hair is
blonde, and the imagery of Marilyn Monroe, a sex icon, who was actually a
business philanthropist, it will be easy for the audience to see where there
thoughts had gone wrong. However, logos will not be the only rhetorical device
used, ethos, will probably be the most critical. Ethos will represent the
credibility of the protest. Without ethos, the audience could just as easily
assume that blondism is just a band of sensitive individuals, and more so
contribute them to dumb than they would if they hadn’t protested at all. So by
having the ethos in the protest, expressed with quotes from highly accredited
doctors, and lawyers, that support the cause, it will be harder and harder for
the audience to dismiss their case.
By
speaking against blond discrimination through the acts of peaceful protest,
there can be an opportunity in which the protest can display an even powerful
symbol. One that doesn’t wish to threaten the culture of their society, but to
correct their genetic misunderstanding of blond hair, and the discriminating acts
that come with it. Social media, like with a lot of social movements, set the
bar for new rhetorical challenges in protest. In pop culture, blondism is foreseen
through the eyes of the public screen, where movies, and TV shows feature
airheaded blonde bombshells, essentially hindering the identity of blondes.
Smart blonde isn’t an oxymoron, nor should it even be considered as one, and
while the dumb blond stereotype has been part of American culture for decades,
it’s hypocritical to believe that acts against blondes based on perception isn’t
an act of discrimination. Discrimination, as we all know, doesn’t seem like a
great symbolic representation of a country that embellishes itself with labels
of liberal, intellectual, and progressive.
Purpose of Conclusion:
My conclusion
evaluates the use of peaceful protest and why it offers the opportunity to
become a powerful symbol. This conclusion supports this statement by talking
about how American culture will not be perceived as threatened because of the
responsibility and maturity that goes along with a peaceful protest. Especially
in a culture that is heavily immersed in social media. I wanted to emphasize
the power of social media and its ability to misconstrued identity, which will
hopefully be taken away when the audience see’s the next dumb blonde on a
cinema screen.
Paragraph Structure Paragraph:
(1)
The
purpose of this paragraph is to help the audience see the many different ways
stereotyping can effect a community – large or small. That even in a community
that identifies with the color or their hair, can be falsely accused of being
what they are not, and adapting to the social repercussions that come with
that. This paragraph is and example of a mixed topic string because it is easy
to follow, and returns to the most familiar character several times. The sole
character is the blonde identity as exemplified in the paragraph. This was to
establish the purpose of the protest and the controversy that led up to this
protest in particular.
Citation Page
Dickinson,
Katherine. “Why Are Blondes Considered Dumb?” realclearscience.com, 14 July,
2012.
Grabmeier,
Jeff. “No joke: Blondes aren’t dumb, science says.” News.osu.edu, 21 March, 2016.
Griffin,
Leland. “The Rhetoric of Historical Movements.” Readings in the Rhetoric of Social
Protest, Brown, Stephen Howard, and Charles E.
Morris III, Strata Publishing, Inc., 2013, pp.10-14.
Heaney, Michael
T. and Fabio Rojas. “The Place of Framing: Multiple Audiences and Antiwar
Protests
near Fort Bragg.” Readings in the
Rhetoric of Social Protest, Brown, Stephen Howard, and Charles E. Morris
III, Strata Publishing Inc., 2013, pp. 243-259.
Kyle, J. Diana,
and Mahler, M.I, Heike. “The Effects of Hair Color and Cosmetic Use on
perceptions
Of a Female’s Ability.” Psychology of
Women. Vol. 20, No.3, PP.
447-445.
1996.
“The meaning
and origin of the expression: Dumb blonde”. Phrases.org.uk.
Takeda, B.
Margaret PhD, Helms Marilyn DBA, and Romanova Natalia. “Hair Color
Stereotyping
and CEO Selection in the United Kingdom”. Journal
of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.
Volume 13, Issue 3 2006, PP.85-99, 04 Oct, 2008.
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