Dear former professor who called my friend a bimbo,
I am writing this public announcement to let you know that stereotyping blonde women is unacceptable. As an educated man you should know better, but one has to assume that some of you are stuck in the past and cannot change with the times.
For those of you that were not there, let me break down the situation for you. My friend and I went to a local, popular bar to grab some drinks and dinner one night. While waiting for our table we sat at the bar and noticed that a retired professor from our college was sitting next to us. I did not know him very well but my blonde friend did. As they started to catch up she explained how she was on her way to becoming a paralegal and that she was doing well in school. With a look of bewilderment painted on his face the ex-professor spoke down to her saying “not many bimbos do well in school,” and “good for you” in a patronizing tone.
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If you are anything like me, after reading those comments your mouth will drop and your mind will whirl with anger and confusion as to how someone can say things like this. In the moment I didn’t know what to do and I am upset that I didn’t say anything back. I have been working on gaining the courage to explain to people why what they said is offensive and sexist because I know I can do it in a calm and intelligent way. So here’s what I wish I had said in that moment:
- The blonde girl stereotype is one of the oldest in the book. If you do not know by now that a person’s intelligence does not correspond with their hair color, then you clearly missed a few lessons in biology.
- As a teacher you should understand that someone’s learning capacity is not determined by their gender.
- As a husband, you shouldn’t refer to other women as unintelligent, sexual objects.
- As an older gentleman and professor, you should know that using derogatory language to refer to students is inappropriate.
I could go on forever.
To anyone who thinks less of blondes or women in general, we intelligent, strong women will work that much harder to prove you wrong. Yes, we can do well in school. Yes, we can get good jobs. It is people like you that motivate my friend, me, and women all around the world to be successful.
Sincerely,
The equally intelligent brunette with a lot of smart blonde female friends