192 Pages, Paperback.
The Roots of the Blonde Myth in American Culture
In this irreverent, unsparing, and witty look at our cultural obsession with blonde, Natalia llyin shows us that our apparently modern fixation has truly primeval roots. Highlighting cultural criticism with personal experience, she cites ancient myths, Hollywood iconography, and the daily assault of advertising to reveal why the allure of being a blonde has crossed the boundaries of ethnicity, economics, and age. In essence, she shows us the difference between simply having blonde hair and being a blonde.
"Funny- and helpful to those of us who have spent much of our lives trying to puzzle out the insufferable appeal of blondes." -Bruce Jay Freiedman
"Natalia Ilyin forever puts to rest the theory of the 'dumb blonde.' This very witty, very wise book reads as if Mae West, RuPaul, Princess Diana, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and I all had Freud on the couch and were trying to explain to him why he should 'lighten up.'" -Ilene Beckerman, author of What We Do for Love and Lice, Love, Loss and What I Wore.