The Epidemic of Blonde Blindness

Blonde blindness refers to the distortion people experience once they bleach their own hair. Once someone begins to color their hair, they lose the ability to distinguish between looking blonder and looking better.

Hair color is a sensitive subject for many women, and it often circles back to one major preoccupation: when they were small children, their hair was lighter than it is in adulthood. Because blonde hair is rare compared to brunette, a blonde child will experience some amount of fawning and attention from family and strangers alike—on the subject of their hair. The reality is that only very narrow types of genetically blonde people present as being light blondes into adulthood. Most formerly blonde children have hair ranging from light ash brown, through bronze and strawberry blonde, to auburn or milk chocolate. Once their hair darkens with age, they may receive actual or implied criticism or disappointment. Sometimes this disappointment is entirely internal, but it often comes from other people.

Sabrina Carpenter (pictured above as a child and as a young adult) has colored her hair to be a caricature of even what her childhood hair was—nothing close to what her adult hair really looks like.

In an effort to recapture the magic, positive attention, and special status of being a light blonde child/teen, an adult darker blonde will highlight or bleach the whole head to emulate their past self. While natural light blonde adults do exist, the vast majority of chemically-treated “blonde” we see is not grounded in the reality of what real blonde hair looks like. It is usually composed of the client and stylist’s fantasy of what blonde hair should look like.

Below on the left, we see a woman whose hair was likely bright blonde in childhood. She may still identify as a blonde, and in fact she is what should be called a dark blonde. On the right, we see a hairstylist’s (skillful) fantasy of what blonde should look like in adulthood:

Because so many of these ideas about what blonde hair should be are grounded in the assumption that darker hair colors are inherently inferior, the end product of these blonde dye jobs is often totally unnatural and unflattering. The mission changes from looking beautiful to looking like you have lighter hair.

Here are some myths about blonde hair that you should eliminate from your toolkit:

1. Hair that is lighter and brighter “brightens” the face: This could not be more wrong, but it is a persistent misconception. When a woman is put in clothing or haircolor that is too light or too bright (or both!) the result is that her skin cannot catch up, and her face looks ashy, dark circles become prominent, and wrinkles or other skin texture are enhanced. One of the biggest negatives about hair that is too light and too bright is what it does to the eyes. Almost every woman that I see with lightened hair has eyes that appear sunken or dim. Once we cover that hair, the eyes usually pop and sparkle.

On the left, we see a Light Spring color fan (light, bright, neutral-warm) paired with a Light Spring background. The two look compatible and equally bright and beautiful. On the right, we see a True Summer color fan (medium, muted, cool) paired with a Light Spring background. The True Summer fan appears dingy against a background that is impossibly bright and light in comparison.

A True Summer woman who wears hair that is lighter, brighter, and warmer than her natural hair can expect to see a similar dimming/unflattering effect on her skin and facial features.

2. Blondes have more fun: There are some old, sexist, and frankly strange ideas about what blonde women are like. Usually they boil down to: blonde women are morally loose, and fun to party with. Although it may not matter to you what other people assume of your character, it’s worth asking yourself if you are bleaching your hair because you think you are drab or no fun. Your personality is a complex blend of factors that cannot be changed or “improved” with a simple dye job.

3. Hair that isn’t bleached looks plain or mousy: If I could delete one word from the English language, it would be “mousy.” I often use animal and nature descriptions to convey references that may help clients recognize colors more easily, but I take issue with the umbrella term “mousy” hair, which is used as an insult more than a description. Does mouse fur resemble some shades of dark blonde/light brown? Yes! Is that a bad thing, as that adjective has come to be? No! Look at these adorable little guys:

4. Dark blonde hair is the same as dark brunette hair: Although dark brunette hair is nothing to be ashamed of (speaking as a dark brunette) I do think it is necessary to draw a distinction among the vast range of hair color possibilities that exist. The hair colors below are three distinct categories: dark blonde, light brunette, and dark brunette. For some reason, people lump these together and act as though you can either be “actually blonde” or relegated to some second-class category, where your hair is lumped together with every other kind of hair.

I notice a tendency towards extremeness in the modern hair color discussion. A woman with dark blonde hair who bleaches it excessively may be encouraged by others to “go dark!” I see this woman, and others like her, overcorrect and end up with dark chocolatey hair which is equally unflattering and unnatural. A woman can have hair the color of a newborn fawn, or of the deepest fresh-ground espresso beans. Neither should be regarded as boring, ugly, or inferior to bright blonde.

Final Thoughts

I am a huge proponent of maintaining natural hair color. I think that there is a possibility to subtly change your hair without destroying your appearance. However, generally speaking, people overshoot the mark and end up with damaging, unflattering color. While you can always wash off an unflattering lipstick or return a top that does not flatter you, hair color mistakes are not so easily discarded. Even A-list celebrities with access to the highest quality colorists walk around with terrible dye jobs that do nothing to enhance their features.

For those tempted to lighten their hair beyond recognition, whether you belong to the dark blonde category, the medium brunette, or the nearly-black-haired, ask yourself if you are presently able to see your hair as it is, and appreciate its beautiful qualities?

Take a break from the arms race of peroxide, and spend a little time romanticizing the innate qualities of the hair that grows from your head. There are beautiful objects and creatures in this world which share your coloring, and they deserve to be celebrated.

Do you recognize your hair color in any of these lovely images?