The Blonde: A Celebration of the Golden Era from Harlow to Monroe

by Barnaby Conrad III

Do blondes have more fun? It was Clairol that first posed the question, but the answer never really mattered-just being a blonde made you special. In this celebration of the Golden Age of golden hair, Barnaby Conrad iii, author of the best-selling The Martini, pays tribute to a cultural icon that changed the world. The worship of blondeness started with Jean Harlow's wise-cracking platinum vamp; overnight, blonde became the hair color of choice for the adventurous woman, and the ticket to top billing in Tinseltown. Stars like Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Veronica Lake, Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, Eva Marie Saint, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, and Jayne Mansfield each in her unique way advanced the mystique of light-colored locks. When brunette Norma Jean transformed herself into the golden Marilyn Monroe, the ultimate dye was cast. Combining fashion photography and literary excerpts with a witty and admiring text, The Blonde revels in the myth and magic of the blonde ideal. An appendix of post-Marilyn blondes including Sharon Stone and Cameron Diaz shows how the legacy lives on. Left unresolved is the conundrum of why gentlemen, who prefer blondes, so often marry brunettes.

Genres: Photography

132 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Barnaby Conrad III is an American author, artist, and editor.

NB: Son of writer/bullfighter/raconteur Barnaby Conrad.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome pictures and photos. There are some real classics in this book. Do blondes have more fun? That depends on ones definition of what fun is, I
would imagine. Lots of sterotypes concerning hair color. Blondes are perky and fun. Redheads are vivacious and firey. Brunettes are smart and serious.

Are they, really? I don't know. My hair is dark blonde... maybe I am fun and slightly serious at the same time...tedious? Crazy?

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos and history of the blonde as sex symbol. Features Jean Harlow, Marilyn, etc. Great companion piece to this season's You Must Remember This podcast on dead blondes.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book that leads the reader on the path of Blonde discovery. The subtitle tells it all from Harlow of the 1920s we get a glimpse into the world that made the Blonde so revered in our culture. Through photos and insightful stories the author crafts this golden path through the decades, through the glitter and glam that followed, until the downturn of the blonde icon.


I found this book delightful and such an easy read. The photos and magazine articles were great and added so much to the text. Already familiar with hair history of the 20th century I still found myself wistful for the era of the silver screen starlit.


The only thing that could have made this book better is the last chapter. Yes the title says it ends at Monroe but the author acts as though he's going to give the reader more and doesn't. He crams 40 years of blond into one small chapter ending with Princess Diana. It seems like a forced ending to a magic book of blonde. It left me feeling incomplete, like chewing gum that loses its flavor too quick. A strange analogy but it seems to fit. This chapter is the reason I didn't give the book a 5 star rating. I wish I could give it at least a 4.5.