Since the dawn of time, society has measured a woman’s IQ by the color of her hair, her clothes, and the makeup she chooses to wear. Blonde? Obviously dumb. Wearing a skirt? Much too frivolous. A red lip? She’s distracting.
Stereotypes stemming from this, such as the dumb blonde trope, are so persistent that they make even the most intelligent woman in the room second-guess her own brilliance. As a blonde woman myself, I am well acquainted with the nickname “dumb blonde.” However, the truth is that this issue has nothing to do with what women actually say, do, or wear and everything to do with how society perceives them. They want us to be pretty but not profound, graceful, never a genius. This is the unspoken rule femininity has been punished for breaking. As Barbie said, “Either you’re brainwashed or you’re weird.”
Is Femininity Really the Antithesis of Intelligence?
It’s largely agreed upon that the greatest power lies in being educated. It provides individuals with a foundation for forming their own thoughts and opinions, enabling them to make informed decisions. When you’re educated, you’re harder to control; thus, intelligent women present a challenge to the structure of the patriarchy. So, are feminine women really unintelligent, or is society scared of feminine women being intelligent because they will realize the societal structure they live in is actively oppressing them and rebel against it? Femininity is not a juxtaposition to intelligence; in fact, it can actually enhance one’s intelligence.
Femininity: A Weakness or a Strength?
Many skills, such as empathy, communication, and teamwork, are often viewed as feminine and considered nonessential to many leadership positions. In reality, these skills are among the most essential for being a modern visionary. Decades of studies have shown that when employed, these “feminine” skills inspire organizational dedication and improve fairness within the workplace. These skills also foster innovation, build trust, and facilitate better navigation of uncertainty, all essential qualities for the contemporary leader. So, this idea that being feminine is somehow a disability has absolutely no merit; if anything, it makes for a stronger, more effective leader.
The Cost of Being Feminine
From Elle Woods to Barbie, numerous examples demonstrate how society views femininity as unintelligent. Elle’s parents tell her, “Law school is for people who are boring, and ugly, and serious, and you button, are none of those things.” Then, later in the film, Warner reinforces this by telling her, “You’re just not smart enough, sweetie.” All the people around Elle see her as a “blonde with big boobs,” completely disregarding her intelligence.
Many people think these stereotypes are confined to the walls of literature and film, when in reality they affect women daily, making even the smallest task more daunting. For instance, I am on the debate team, and while the team itself is supportive, I can’t say the same for the field. As a hyper-feminine blonde woman, I have often experienced this dumb-blonde stereotype in real time.
Often, I am not taken seriously; it is made clear when the men I am debating begin speaking over me and teasing me. Apparently, the fact that I don’t fit their mold of what a debater looks or acts like makes me less valuable and less intelligent. The men who speak over me are conveniently never reprimanded, but if I behaved that way, I can assure you the outcome would differ.
In truth, the long-standing divide between femininity and intelligence is a manufactured ceiling to limit how high women can reach. There is absolutely no truth within these stereotypes, and the only way to rid the world of them is to disrupt the very fabric of society. As Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
To every woman reading this: you are not unintelligent because you like pink, you are not shallow because you care about your hair, and you certainly are not brainless because a prejudiced society tells you that you are. So, wear your girliest dress for your next speech, be sure to curl your hair before that math test, and always be true to yourself.