每日英語 #120: The Dumb-Blonde Stereotype in the Media

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The Dumb-Blonde Stereotype in the Media

Many Americans believe in a “dumb-blonde stereotype,” which is the idea that women with “blonde” (yellow- or light-colored) hair are not intelligent and do stupid things. There are many jokes about dumb blondes in “popular culture” (the things that most people participate in) and also in the “media” (television, movies, songs, etc.).

許多美國人相信所謂的「笨金髮女郎刻板印象」，即認為金髮女性不聰明，常做出愚蠢的事情。在流行文化（大多數人參與的事物）和媒體（電視、電影、歌曲等）中，關於笨金髮女郎的笑話屢見不鮮。

For example, Marilyn Monroe was a famous American actress who was in many popular movies in the 1950s. She was beautiful and very “sexy” (attractive), and she also had blonde hair. Many people assume that she was a dumb blonde – someone with a pretty face, but no “substance” (intelligence and an interesting personality). This probably was not a fair “assessment” (evaluation), but the “notion” (idea) that blondes are “space cadets” (people who are not intelligent and cannot think deeply or seriously) is “pervasive” (common and deep-rooted) in American society.

例如，瑪麗蓮·夢露是1950年代美國著名的女演員，她參演了許多熱門電影。她美麗而性感，也有著金髮。許多人認為她是一個笨金髮女郎——僅有漂亮的外表，卻沒有內涵（智慧和有趣的個性）。這種評價或許並不公正，但金髮女郎是「太空迷糊蛋」（不聰明且無法深入思考的人）的觀念在美國社會中非常普遍且根深蒂固。

Farrah Fawcett is an American actress who became very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Like Marilyn Monroe, she was blonde and was seen as a “sex symbol” (a woman who is viewed as a sexual object more than as an intelligent and interesting person). Likewise, Pamela Anderson is a Canadian American actress who is known as a dumb blonde. All three of these women are attractive and sexy, and for those reasons many people “assume” (believe that something is true without knowing the facts) that they are stupid.

法拉·佛西特是1970年代和1980年代的美國女演員，和瑪麗蓮·夢露一樣，她也是金髮且被視為「性感符號」（被看作性象徵，而非聰明或有趣的人）。同樣，帕米拉·安德森這位加拿大裔美國女演員也以「笨金髮女郎」聞名。這三位女性都吸引人且性感，因此許多人會理所當然地認為她們愚蠢。

Like all other stereotypes, the dumb-blonde stereotype is “unfair” (not giving equal treatment to all people). “Consequently” (as a result), many blonde-haired women fight against that stereotype, working hard to show that they are intelligent and “capable” (able to do things well).

像所有其他刻板印象一樣，「笨金髮女郎」的刻板印象也是不公平的（未能給予所有人平等對待）。因此，許多金髮女性積極對抗這一刻板印象，努力證明自己是聰明且有能力的。

重要單字

• Stereotype (刻板印象) /ˈstɛriəˌtaɪp/
• Blonde (金髮) /blɑnd/
• Popular culture (流行文化) /ˈpɑpjələr ˈkʌltʃər/
• Media (媒體) /ˈmidiə/
• Substance (內涵) /ˈsʌbstəns/
• Assessment (評價) /əˈsɛsmənt/
• Notion (觀念) /ˈnoʊʃən/
• Space cadet (太空迷糊蛋) /speɪs kəˈdɛt/
• Pervasive (普遍的) /pərˈveɪsɪv/
• Sex symbol (性感符號) /sɛks ˈsɪmbəl/
• Assume (假定) /əˈsum/
• Unfair (不公平) /ʌnˈfɛr/
• Consequently (因此) /ˈkɑnsəˌkwɛntli/
• Capable (有能力的) /ˈkeɪpəbl/