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Life > Experiences

Yes, I am blonde. No, I am not dumb.

Ayla Batz
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

I thought this stereotype stopped years ago. “Clueless” was made in 1995 and “Legally Blonde” in 2001. It’s been almost 24 years!

Here is some background if you are unaware of these movies. Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, a blonde teenage girl, in “Clueless.” She is a girly girl that adores fashion. Yet, that’s the only thing the world sees her as. She is more than that; ambitious, empowering, and confident.

The iconic Reese Witherspoon play Elle Woods in the comedy, feminist film, “Legally Blonde”. Elle is constantly at battle with proving herself, just like many women today. She is accused of not being smart enough or not serious for law school. She doesn’t go down without a fight and leaves full of success and strength.

Throughout both movies, the characters reject the “dumb blonde” allegations.

No matter how impactful these movies were, the stereotypes have not stopped.

All throughout high school, I have heard all the subtle comments. “Just that blonde in you” from people I was not even close to. “Blonde moment” after I asked a question that I wanted an answer to, not an insult. “It’s because your blonde.” Thanks, you just made my point with that one!

I moved on from these comments, thinking it was an immature high school thing. They had somehow followed me to college. As my friends and I stood in a store when a guy tells my brunette friend “I thought blondes were the dumb ones” as he made a stupid joke and laughed about it. My other blonde friend and I stood in shock as we all stared at the man who we did not know.

I never talked about my high grades, committed hard work, or creative mind in high school, so I got assumptions instead. Just like Elle, nobody took me seriously.

I would never be looked at as intelligent and maybe this is because of my personality. I like to make things fun and make people laugh. I have other interests like fashion and art. Because of this personality, it was hard to be taken seriously or looked at as smart. But why can’t I just have two sides to me?

Unfortunately, I had often fallen victim to the “dumb blonde” allegations.  

I know I am not dumb. I am a very intelligent woman that has so much to offer. I succeeded in many areas of my life, and I will continue to do so. I am proud of this, and I love my blonde hair!

So, when can we finally break this stereotype?

Ayla Batz is from Rochester NY and is a new member on the St. Bonaventure Her Campus chapter. Ayla is thrilled to write about fashion, self-care, advice, TV shows, brands, the arts and just life in general! She has always been interested in creative writing and can’t wait to meet all the other talented girls in this chapter. Ayla is a freshman majoring in Strategic Communication and has a plan to minor in Marketing. She has experience in social media, photography, and product design due to her business that she owns and advertises. She created daily content whether it was try-ons of the product or stop motions of the jewelry process. Her clay jewelry business, AMae's Clays, is what led her on the path of studying communications. She is also involved on campus with the SBU Dance Team and wants to be a part of the yoga club, art club, and the social media team for the school newspaper, Bona Venture. In her free time, Ayla likes to hang out with friends and family, make crafts, play games, listen to music and explore nature. Ayla is excited to get out into the world and travel. The top places on her bucket list are Greece, Costa Rica, and Italy!