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Blondness came from a genetic mutation about 11,000 years ago (toward the end of the last ice age), that resulted in individuals lacking the pigment eumelanin that makes hair the color brown.

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Blondes have a fascinating history, both in human origin, migration, culture and in ancient mythology. In Western culture, blonde hair is typically associated with naiveity, youth and innocence, but culturually has seen a remarkable transition from its roots to where it is today.
Blondes in Mythology
Blondes first began appearing around 11,000 years ago during the last ice age, and have since become major figures in mythology. Two of the Norse goddesses, Sif and Freyja were blondes.

Sif was a wife of the god Thor. She was known for her golden hair and was described as the most beautiful of women. She once had her hair shaved off by Loki, the god of mischief. Her hair symbolised fertility and prosperity in agriculture.

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Freyja was characterized as a goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was said to be the fairest of all goddesses. The Norse people often prayed to her for help in matters of love and to assist with childbirth.

Freyja was also known to assist in such things as war, battle, and death, magic, prophecy, and wealth. One mythical story tells of her receiving half of the dead lost in a battle in her hall FÃ³lkvangr, while Odin took in the other half at Valhalla.

In European tales, fairies preferred blonde hair in people. Blonde babies were more likely to be taken from their cribs and switched with changelings. And young blonde women were often enticed to join the land of the fairies. And of course many of us know the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears!

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Genetic History of Blondes
Natural blonde hair, is caused by a lack of a pigment called eumelanin. This pigment deficiency is what gives blondes their hair color.

The general explanation as to how blondes came into being, is related the need for Vitamin D and lower levels of sunlight in some regions. To compensate for the deficiency in sunlight, people with lighter hair and skin were born.
Blondes: Where are they now?
In Northern Europe, natural blondes are a common sight, especially around the areas around the Baltic Sea. Lighter pigmentation of eyes is also associated with people of this region. Some sources, such as Eupedia, claim that in central parts of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, 80% of the population is blonde, with natural fair-haired people in other Baltic Countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and other parts of Scandinavia) making up 50-79% of the population.

Migration of blondes today can be seen across the globe as far asÂ America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (largely due to colonialism of the last 400-500 years).

The stories of blondes throughout history is fascinating and just a piece of all the amazing things in our past to explore and discover! The Nordics host a rich spectrum of mythology, cultural heritage, migration and history waiting to be discovered.

Now that you've expanded your knowledge about the Nordic cultures, surely you would consider visiting one of the most astonishing landscapes destinations in the world!

Check out our holiday packages and choose what best suits your curiosity and budget! Whether it is a weekend break in Iceland, a trip to Finland, a break in Norway or a Northern Lights weekend break, your Nowegian holiday starts here.

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Blondes have a fascinating history, both in human origin, migration, culture and in ancient mythology. In Western culture, blonde hair is typically associated with naiveity, youth and innocence, but culturually has seen a remarkable transition from its roots to where it is today.

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In many ways, Marilyn Monroe can be credited with influencing the modern day blonde. She is the epitome of what one might think of when the term "Iconic Blonde" is brought up. This can be largely attributed to the role she played in pop culture with President John F. Kennedy and her film career as the blonde bombshell.

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Her status as a sex symbol was largely due to the gendered power dynamics of the time, where women were expected to be submissive and sexually available to men. And while she did play a large role in the popularization of blondes, it is still important to note that her portrayal had a negative effects to gender norms of the time and for the future.

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Although the stereotype of "dumb blondes" had been around for years prior, this film has been credited to take that idea mainstream. The film's premise is show girls trying to find true love, however the pair get themselves in a difficult situation.

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The Barbie doll came out in the late 1950s and further defined blonde positivity. Although in recent years, the Orignal Barbie has been critically re-looked at with respect to gender equity and providing an un-obtainable beauty standard. At the time, Barbie proved to have a glamorous lifestyle with her partner Ken, while also having many careers that would prove her to be extremely well-educated.

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Marilyn Monroe provided a figure from her prized role in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" for manufacturer Mattel to model a doll after. There are many similar attributes between Marilyn and Barbie that she very likely inspired.

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Princess Diana is arguably one of the most well beloved royals of all time, even years past her passing. She was well known and well-loved for many other things besides being a princess, including modesty, charitable works and her affection for children and the sick. This led to an extremely positive image for blondes, as she became a role model for generations to come.

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The concept of the "dumb blonde" can be traced back to Rosalie Duthé, a blonde French prostitute from the 18th century who was well known for her beauty, but not her intelligence. Her reputation served as inspiration for a play titled "Les Curiosites de la Foire" (Paris 1775) which can be credited with making the dumb blonde joke mainstream.

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The early 2000s is when the perception of blondes had a shift. This period of time saw the move away from the "dumb blonde" and into a more inclusive, empowering era for women.

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Clueless, the Paramount Pictures film came out in the summer of 1995 and portrayed Cher, a privileged blonde from California. She was displayed as a typical "dumb blonde" often making driving mistakes, getting bad grades and caring more about fashion and her looks than her future.

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Madonna's "Blonde ambition" tour in 1990 launched her third concert tour and her fourth studio album for arguably one of the biggest female artist's of her time.

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Not only is she one of the most well respected, hard-working singer and songwriters of our time. Swift is also an icon for blondes. Swift's long, natural blonde waves has become a signature look for her which she has been able to turn into a brand.

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Over the years, we have learned to respect and appreciate each other physical attributes as well as the ones that we are not able to see so easily. These woman have helped to empower people of the time and have left a positive impact for generations to come.

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Legally Blonde was a film released in 2001 that broke previous stigmas of "dumb blondes". The start of the film comments on Elle Woods (the main character) being stupid and only obsessed with looks and fashion. However, she breaks this stigma when she gets into Harvard Law School and earns herself a wonderful, coveted internship.

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The film "Mean Girls" came out in 2004 and had the main supporting role be an extremely mean girl to the main character of the film. The main character was portrayed as a typical blonde that was known for being awful to her friends.

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Understanding that everyones own individual qualities can be appreciated, we cam see the evolution of how things can change for the better. From blondes promoting the stereotype of themselves being dumb, to embracing their femininity in a law case. Change is impactful and how we learn from this can benefit the world around us.

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In more recent times, an iconic blonde that went beyond the stereotype of a dumb blonde was Margot Robbie's character in her role as the wife of the main character in "The Wolf of Wall Street:. Margot Robbie will also release another film this year, she will be starring as Barbie in the Barbie movie.

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This is a question posed by many blonde woman over the course of time. It ended up being approved for testing in 2001, and there was a study done at the Ohio State University to see how naturally blonde woman preformed against other hair colors. The results were interesting. Natural blondes had an average score slightly higher than those with other hair colors, but not enough to be statistically significant.

The scientist, Zagorsky, who preformed the test said this: "I don't think you can say with certainty that blondes are smarter than others, but you can definitely say they are not any dumber."