Stereotypes Of Being A Blonde Girl

Starbucks coffee. Just a pretty face. Stupid. These are terms that are associated with being a blonde female. For generations being blonde has been the topic of many jokes and has created a superstition that being blonde automatically made you stupid. As a student in academically challenging AP and IB classes, I felt that I had to prove myself to my classmates due to my appearance. TEDtalks are made to challenge social believes and change our future. I want to encourage a future that is rid of all stereotypes that prohibit a person from believing in themselves by telling my personal story in order to fuel other blonde girls that they are not just a “pretty face” but as mentally capable as any other girl. My experience as being a “blonde girl” started as young child. One year I decided to dress up as Belle for Halloween. Why did I dress up as Belle and not a blonde haired princess? I choose Belle because she was proud of showing her intelligence. I then noticed that all the other blond haired princesses lacked this ability and their skill was purely their beauty. I wanted to be a girl who was intelligent and skillful, but in our society blondes are often depicted as “air heads” or even bullies. One movie that deeply impacted me was Legally Blonde. This movie depicted a blonde girl who followed her
I challenged myself through AP classes and the IB program and I remember feeling like I did not belong. I felt that I had to prove myself through grades, pushing me to study hardier and creating an intrinsic motivation and love for my studies. One instance that will stay with me forever was when I had earned an A in AP Chemistry and was exempt from the final. A student turned to me and asked why I wasn’t working on the final project, automatically assuming that I was “too stupid” to exempt it. Her question insulted me and made me doubt my own intelligence, something that I refuse to allow myself to do