Why Blonde Hair Remains a Double Edged Sword of Female Power

Bear with the science and come and learn something new about your tresses. Plus, why there's still such a yen for platinum.

Up to 85% of the population has black hair, while only 1% is redheaded

This week while reading Tish Weinstock’s tender and touching, How to be a Goth, I was struck by her description of a raven-haired youth surrounded by a sea of pretty blondes. It reminded me of a comment from one of my American girlfriends a few months ago, asking why so many London girls have blonde hair. Obviously, not all Londoners are combing through flaxen tresses—our capital’s women draw heritage from every corner of the globe and as black hair is the most common hair colour (making up the barnets of 75-85% of the global population), it’s hardly as if we’re living amongst Midwich Cuckoos.

However, it is notable that around 3 in 10 Brits are natural blondes in comparison to just 4% in the U.S (and 2% worldwide) with only 8% sprouting natural black hair (at least from their heads). Of the rest, 6% are redheads (in comparison to 1% worldwide) while nearly 48% of Brits are natural brunettes. Of course, sitting in a Mayfair eatery on any given weekday, you’d never believe it to be that high. Up to a third of women lighten their hair in the U.K and every hair colourist I’ve ever frequented has told me that blonde highlights paid for their house deposit.

It’s true that while I’ve lived in every corner of this city, I have worked almost exclusively in fashion, which still remains an enclave of very white wealth…often topped off with a Chelsea blonde blow dry. I now also live in a salubrious west London suburb, so it’s perhaps little surprise that I’m so often outnumbered by both natural and bottle blondes. In saying all this, at least in my circles in LA, New York, Paris and Rome, there doesn’t seem to be quite the same yen for platinum.

As is often the case, my original questions sent me down a right old rabbit hole. Because it has fascinated me so, I thought perhaps you might like to hear a little more about why blonde has remained such a status signifier and how it operates in terms of female power.