From a Eurocentric perspective, the influence of ‘the blonde’ in different cultures throughout history has been quite remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ancient Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From what has been uncovered over the years, blonde hair meant radiance and a high rank in Ancient Greece (around 1200-323 BCE). Long before peroxide, blonde hair belonged to the gods in mythological legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greek Poets like Homer and Hesiod described these gods and goddesses as ‘golden-haired’. Homer especially used hymns to praise deities with the golden look, as it symbolised rarity and value; most ancient Greeks had dark hair. Natural blonde hair was scarce and considered a treasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hymn to Apollo, Homeric Hymns<\/p>\n\n\n\n Homeric Hymns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Homeric Hymns, a collection of 33 Ancient Greek hymns and one epigram, worship the deities and often describe the gods as having \u201cgolden” or “fair\/yellow” hair. The Ancient Greek civilisation saw being blonde as close to godly and very valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n ‘<\/em>Apollo Granting Phaeton Permission to Drive the Chariot of the Sun’, 1690-1695, Johann Michael Rottmayr <\/p>\n\n\n\n Medieval Period<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Europe transitioned into an era of the Renaissance, and Christianity became the dominant religion. From the 5th century onward, Medieval Christian art <\/strong>used fair hair to signal purity. The Virgin Mary had bound blonde hair and a gold halo. Mary Magdalene, haloed too, often had strawberry-blonde hair worn loose to show penitence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both women are important key figures in Christianity. The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, is the symbol of ultimate virtue, and the fact that her hair is bound in so many medieval artworks reflects this purity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Magdalene, often described as a reformed sinner, is one of Jesus’ most devoted followers. Her fair hair is often depicted as being loosely bound, lightly flowing off her shoulders; their different hairstyles suggest there were different levels of purity to the medieval blonde.<\/p>\n\n\n ‘<\/em>The Annunciation’, Sandro Botticelli, c.1485<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Canzoniere<\/strong> In poetry<\/strong><\/a>, there was the idea that those with blonde hair should be treasured; that they are celestial beings close to God. One specific example is the Canzoniere, a collection of poems from the 14th century written by Italian poet Francesco Petrarch. These poems consisted of 366 pieces, with the central theme being love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is said that Petrarch fell in love at first sight with a beautiful woman, Laura, a treasure. In Canzoniere 90, Petrarch compares Laura to a celestial spirit, saying that she is of \u201cangelic form\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesco Petrarch, Canzoniere 90<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, ‘the blonde’ has shifted from God to gold, then pure and angelic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Blonde Muse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, 15th-century artists used symbolism in their works to show beauty. Especially Italian artists, as they focused on idealised forms and perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Portrait of a Young Woman, c.1480s, a side profile of a woman, with features considered to be perfect at that time, is shown looking off to the side. The hair, seen as a statement in this painting<\/a><\/strong>. Beautiful strawberry-blonde plaits with ribbons frame the woman\u2019s features.<\/p>\n\n\n Portrait of a Young Woman, Sandro Botticelli, 1480-1485<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, Botticelli had thought out the delicacy of this painting, with her tied back, soft strawberry-blonde hair as the focus, further linking blonde to an elegant beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems this painting took inspiration from those early paintings of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, as the hairstyle is a mixture of the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Victorian Era <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been examples of ‘the blonde’ in poetry and hymns, but not yet books. Fast forward to the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens was the famous 19th-century novelist and journalist. He would create gentle, innocent child characters that were blonde. Blonde became the symbol of innocence and a childlike demeanour.<\/p>\n\n\n Cigarette card of Little Nell in ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’, Charles Dickens, by Joseph Clayton Clark, 1920<\/p>\n\n\n\n Innocent and pure, the national identity of blonde women in 19th-century Britain. She had to be modest and shy. Illustrators often depicted Charles Dickens’ innocent, youthful characters as blonde, and this was seen as desirable in the Victorian era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dying Blonde Hair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mid-nineteenth-century hair salons adopted diluted oxidising solutions that lifted pigment gradually. And so fake blond hair was born. Hairdressers professionalised the look and made the demure blonde mainstream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, Late-Victorian adverts promised a \u201charmless\u201d natural shine, which meant women weren’t as worried about damaging their hair. They were quicker to become blonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The “natural blonde” became a brand, and suddenly the question wasn’t Are you blonde?- It was how blonde are you willing to go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silent Films<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The introduction of silent film, the period in film<\/a> <\/strong>history before the introduction of synchronised sound in movies, meant that men and women could see those they fantasised about or aspired to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a massive boom in the number of women dying their hair to become that ‘fake’, chemical blonde. This meant the press treated \u201cplatinum\u201d as a technical look rather than a natural one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n British studios and casting directors wanted the chemical blonde, as she was all over Britain and America. Blonde became a trend and a beauty standard, and it wouldn’t take long before these women were sexualised on the big screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Up until the 1950’s books, paintings, plays and cinema all portrayed the Blonde as innocent, demure and rather lacklustre. Yes, there were a few ‘power blondes’, like Jean Harlow and Lauren Bacall. But they were almost ‘anti-blonde’ and cast as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bacall had a sultry, husky voice and often played the mysterious and intelligent woman in Noir films. Most of these types of characters would usually be played by the brunette, and so these blonde women were only associated with power to a lower level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was not to last for long, as something, or rather someone, grew to fame and forever changed the way the world saw blonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn Monroe, American Actress and Model <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came this overtly sexy woman to the silver screen, and the world never saw a blonde the same way again. She had the baby face and soft voice, with an hourglass figure that suggested something a bit more risky, naughty and rather bad.<\/p>\n\n\n Photo of Actress in late 1953 issue of ‘Modern Screen’<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niagara, a 1953 Noir film, cast Monroe as a scandalous and sexy woman, plotting to murder her husband. In the comedy musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, released in 1953, Monroe played a flirtatious and money-focused “Lorelei Lee”, who could manipulate any man to get her exactly what she wanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Publicity reinforced the idea of the \u2018naughty blonde\u2019, and after Monroe, blondes did not behave; the once virtuous and innocent blonde became a flirty, scheming seductress. She was now too hot to handle, overtly sexy<\/strong><\/a> and scandalous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1950s and 1960s fashion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1950s and 60s saw the rise in consumerism. American advertisements that were very open to showing this modern blonde moved east, and British companies adopted their advertising techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n Poster for Blonde Sinner (UK title Yield to the Night; UK, 1956; dir. J. Lee Thompson). \u00a9 Pictorial Press Ltd \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women were influenced by the success of America, and they too wanted a material world and lavish lifestyle, one they\u2019d been ruthlessly denied growing up in the restrained inter-war years. The sexy and flirtatious Blonde made its way to Britain, and it was here to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The British Blonde<\/strong> by Lynda Nead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynda Nead is an Author and Visiting Professor of History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London<\/strong><\/a>. has a new book celebrating the very British Blonde. Additionally, she has written countless books, including titles like \u2018The Haunted Gallery\u2019 2008 and \u2018The Female Nude: Art Obscenity and Sexuality\u2019 1992. <\/p>\n\n\n Jacket Image, Pauline Boty backcombing her hair in \u2018Pop Goes the Easel\u2019, Monitor (BBC Television, 1962; dir. Ken Russell), frame still. \u00a9 BBC<\/p>\n\n\n\n British Blonde is an illustrated book that, through Diana Dors, Ruth Ellis, Barbara Windsor, and Pauline Boty, traces how blondness sat at the centre of British fame, scandal, comedy and art. These women were not demure; they were British icons united by blonde scandals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s start with Diana Dors. She wasn’t just “the British Marilyn”, she was Britain’s answer to hunger for glamour after the war. The country still smelt like ration books. And then the curvaceous form of Diana Dors appeared; a gift wrapped in satin just waiting to be admired. <\/p>\n\n\n Diana Dors on the cover of Picture Post, 18 August 1956. \u00a9 IPC Magazines \/ Picture Post \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the mid-20th<\/sup> century, Marilyn Monroe\u2019s image was being devoured by the masses, and from that, Diana Dors solidified her position as the “British Marilyn” throughout the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her smile was courteous, and her body was engineered to exceed the frame. The perfected look and nature provided a distraction from the anxieties of a post-war Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Dors\u2019s body offered an imperfect and contradictory image of a nation still traumatised from the war… …of the pleasures and obscenity of consumption for those who have never had and others who might never have it so good.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynda Nead, British Blonde<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there was Ruth Ellis, the blonde who terrified Britain. Ellis was the last woman ever to be executed in the UK. Nead writes that Ellis became “a national spectacle of punishment”. She was absolutely vilified in the press; her peroxide hair turned into tabloid evidence of female danger. She proved blonde could be judged and executed.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cGolden is the tunic of Apollo and golden is his mantle… his lyre… his bow… his sandals.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Apollo,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/appollo-resize.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
The symbol of blonde being ‘ideal femininity’ <\/strong>survived into Ancient Rome, where fair hair could be bought, worn and judged. The Roman wig trade centred on importing real hair, particularly blonde hair from Germanic slaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Toward the end of the Medieval period, poets had solidified their literary code when writing about ‘the blonde’. It seems the descriptions of the blonde, from Ancient Greece and Rome, had carried through to the 15\/16th centuries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cErano i capei d\u2019oro a l\u2019aura sparsi\u201d
<\/strong>\u201cShe let her gold hair scatter in the breeze\u201d<\/em>
\u201cUno spirito celeste, un vivo sole\u201d
<\/strong>\u201cA celestial spirit, a living sun\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n