Blondes vs. Brunettes - Psychological or Neurological War?

Throughout the world, west and east alike, a large chunk of the males have a distinctive preference for females with fair complexion, what we now call as the fair skin obsession. This has thus influenced females too to do everything they can within their power to get a shade lighter. For example, India has a flourishing $4oo million fairness based cosmetic industry.  According to Alley and Hildebrandt, 1998, in western cultures it is quite prominent that males have clear sexual and aesthetic preference for blondes over brunettes. That’s not uncommon in non-western cultures too as confirmed by scientific surveys like Van der Berge and Frost, 1986.

This has been subject to a lot of criticism and has been treated at par with racism and discrimination. However, from a technical point of view we can’t help but question why such discrimination anyway? What makes males drool over white cheeked girls than their dusky counterparts? And from the male perspective where do brunettes rule over blondes in a guy’s mind?

Almost all answers to these questions handle the matter from a psychological point of view, on how people have been conditioned because of past circumstances to develop these preferences; the primary causative factor being slavery and how western countries have been heavily dominant as a ruling country in the past. While all this might be true, few scientists also argue that the root of this issue has delved deep into our consciousness and has turned into more of a neurological condition that just a psychological behavior and they present their ideas on how evolution has an important role in it. Therefore we shall consider both these schools of reasoning for a better understanding.

The Psychological Answer – Look into the past

Psychologists argue that all this has to do plainly with the fact that western folks have had the larger share of power play in the past of almost all countries. Colonisation and exploiting the foreign soil had forever been a part of their propaganda. The Commonwealth group of nations is a simple example to illustrate the extent of the colonization carried out by the British. Then there is slavery and phenomenon like apartheid. Needless to say, it’s no unjustified talk to say whites have been symbolically held as the emblem of power and reputation by the colonized countries.

While all that is past now, the imprint has stayed. Due to being previously ahead, western countries are still far advanced in measures of development, thus earning them the title “First World Countries”. For the poor people in other so called Third World Countries, whites still remain a symbol of luxury and wealth and everything that is good. People want to be like them. Similarly although slavery is long gone, ideal job opportunities in such developing nations arise mainly from the western nations who utilize the eastern talents effectively.

Thus they find resort in these fairness creams to resemble them to a white, believing in better prospects for their life. As American culture is invading in almost every other culture, people are being absorbed not just in the cultural facets of their lifestyle; but instead they are bent upon absorbing themselves to become them and live their comfortable life – a poor man’s dream. The situation is aggravated with even some industries passively propagating the issue with their biased selection of employees when they mention in vacancy ads “Wanted smart, tall, fair man/woman for sales/receptionist…” expressing their belief that white cheeks are better to woo customers into buying things because they are necessarily more attractive or beautiful. A leading film industry like Bollywood in India casts almost only fair complexioned females for the lead roles. When populist culture is so obsessed on fairness, the mass is of course expected to follow as they do on every matrimonial ad that you see in the newspapers of these countries where the universal requirement is “fair”.

The Neurological Answer – it’s all evolution

A new group of scientists have points enough to substantially state evolution as a potential and prime cause of such unwanted discrimination, saying there is not much we can do because we have been hard wired to behave as such. Well known among her peers, Havelock Ellis suggested fifty years earlier that men prefer rotund features (which indicate fecundility) in women and that blonde hair emphasizes the roundness by better blending in better with the body outline. Another view is that infants’ skin and hair color tend to be lighter than adults’ and the preference for blonde women may simply reflect the fact that in humans, neotenous babylike features in females may be secondary sexual characteristics.

However, Dr. V S Ramachandran has proposed a third theory in one of his papers and briefed about in one of his books from which I will mostly quote on from now. To understand his theory we must understand why sex and sexual characteristics evolved in the first place. He says Hamilton and Zuk, 1982 established that the reason we don’t reproduce asexually but sexually is to avoid parasitic infestation. Rather than passing all our genes with their shortcomings, sexual reproduction enhances shuffling and probable reduction in parasites. Secondary sexual characteristics thus develop to give mates an idea of the genetic health of their potential mate and the minimalist parasitic infestation within them. The shimmering large tail of a peacock or the blood red wattles of a rooster are just means to “inform” potential mates that “Yes, I am healthy and almost free of parasites. You should shuffle your genes with me if you want an offspring “.

Dr. Ramachandran on similar lines argues that blonde and fair skin may also be secondary sexual characteristics that aren't acknowledged so yet. His points include:

1. He says "Every medical student knows that anemia (caused by intestinal or blood parasites); jaundice (a sick liver) and skin infection are much easier to detect in fair skinned people than in brunettes. There must have been considerable selection pressures for the early detection of anemia in nubile young women in ancient agricultural settlements since anemia can interfere with fertility, pregnancy and birth of a healthy child. So the blonde is in effect telling your eyes “I am pink, healthy and free of parasites. Don’t trust that brunette, she might be concealing her ill health and parasitic infection”.” 
2. Moreover, a survey by showed that out of a blonde and a brunette of same age, men perceived the blonde to be a few years younger than the brunette. As fertility decreases rapidly with age in women, men definitely go for blondes over brunettes as potential mate. 
3. Additionally dermal signs of ageing like age spots and wrinkles are more prominent in blondes thus providing easy identification of their fertility status. The fact that fair skin itself may be associated with youth and hormonal status was proposed in 1995 by Don Symons, a distinguished evolutionary psychologist from UCSB. 
4. Dr Ramachandran also points out in his book that "certain signs of sexual interest like blushing, sexual arousal and pupil dilation are usually easier to detect in blondes over brunettes. Thus the likelihood that one’s courtship gestures will be reciprocated and consummated can be predicted with greater confidence when courting blondes.”

The only point where his theory fails is to account for the use of blonde hair. Although he has a personal belief that they serve as flags from a distance of a blonde in vicinity, he also finds the idea silly. He summarizes that in the end his theory might not be true but it stands the best chance of being the real fact when viewed in contrast to the other trivial solutions proposed by others.

Where do brunettes rule?

Although the read up till now focuses heavily on blondes over brunettes, yet there are instances where blondes can’t face off with brunettes. Brunettes too have their marked share of pride. Although I can’t explain how or why, yet what you are going to read strongly suggests that while blondes have been invested all the physical characteristics required to be a successful mate, brunettes seem to have been invested mostly in their personality and heavy character. It is, as if the average man will always prefer a blonde as a mate and a brunette as a lifetime companion. Perhaps that’s the equilibrium of nature.

Here is a report by the popular website Askmen.com which has established these points on brunettes over blondes based on some extensive surveys. Let’s list the top 10 points:

1. Brunettes are viewed as marriage material: In a study on 1500 men it was found that 61% of respondents subscribed to the idea that brunettes make most ideal wives with 60% associating qualities like loyalty and integrity with dark maned women. In contrast only 14% attributed these qualities to blondes.
2. Men feel more successful with a brunette by their side:  In a study of 2565 people with 1005 men and 1560 women it was found that at least one in five men felt more accomplished with a brunette by their side.
3. Brunettes are perceived as more intelligent: This study was carried out by Weir and Fine Davis. In another study 81% men equated brunettes with brainpower.
4. Brunettes are thought to earn more money.
5. Brunettes are thought to be more serous, less teperamental, more capable and self-sufficient, worldly and mature.

Conclusion

Probably this question shall always remain a topic for open debate because a conclusive answer is illusive to give. However the fact remains that the psychological point of view is well established with much support but the evolution based point of view may fluctuate due to the uncertainty in definiteness involved. However the concept is sound and make us wonder about how our environment affects and moulds us in its own ways.

Needless to say, whether with a theory explaining it or not, such discrimination does violate the moral code of conduct. Although many awareness campaigns are gaining grounds with popular faces backing it up, there is still a long way to go in most South Asian countries given how the total approach of the general public is wrong towards beauty. 

As countless greats have said, it is okay to better the outside and look flawless but unless we are clean within, honest and sensitive, our eyes will never have that spark that completes our beauty and that will be our flaw with the flawless look, blatantly ridiculing our worthless trials to paint and hide the demons within with petty make-up. Lets all be beautiful, in the real sense, so that no one else ever has to superficially try to beautiful; whether a blonde or a brunette.

Bibliography

1. Fair Skin Obsession: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/contributors/contributions/aditi-jain/Racism-in-the-21st-century-India-The-obsession-with-fair-skin/articleshow/28508975.cms
2. Phantoms in the Brain by Dr. V S Ramachandran
3. Where Brunetts rule? http://www.askmen.com/top_10/dating/top-10-reasons-why-gentlemen-prefer-brunettes.html