A blonde joke is a brand of joke mocking people, usually women, with blond hair. These jokes revolve around the reoccurring theme that blondes have low intelligence and lack common sense. Many work on similar lines to David Beckham jokes in the 1990s and early 2000s and jokes in Britain against the Irish or the jokes New Zealanders make against Australians.
The use of the term varies, but blond is a rare type of adjective that has male and female forms. Others include brunet and brunette. Few men are referred to as blonds and all references to a blond or blonde bimbo mean a woman. This means the ‘e’ in ‘blonde jokes’ refers to jokes making fun of women with blond hair.
Typical blonde jokes ask a question and then give an answer. One has a blonde falling to the ground and dying. Later, it is discovered the battery on her music player had died and the tape continually repeated “breathe in, breathe out” — the woman died on the "breathe in." This joke was also transcribed with the blonde replaced by David Beckham in the late 1990s.
On occasion, blondes can get revenge in the jokes. One joke asks, “Why are blonde jokes so short?” The answer: "So brunettes can remember them." The film “Legally Blonde” also tried to bust the stereotype of blondes by having the blonde main character become a lawyer.
Blondes are chosen as the victims of blonde jokes because they are associated with carefree fun. The exact origin of blonde jokes is unknown. Some people believe it is because of the blondes played on screen by actresses such as Marilyn Munroe, Suzanne Summers and Diana Doors.
Another possible reason is jealousy. Blondes are seen as beautiful and special in many cultures. Many men find blonde women attractive and desirable compared to others. Simple jealousy may have had non-blondes making snide comments about the man only wanting the blonde for her looks and not her brains.
Many blondes believe blonde jokes are harmless, while some try to take action to stop them and still others strive to prove them wrong. Subtexts in jokes are hard to spot and define, but some are easier to discern than others. If a joke becomes spiteful or denigrating, it is often hostile; if it revolves around wit where the person mocked can change and the joke would still be funny, then it might be okay.
Jokes, such as blonde jokes, that target a particular element of society are often viewed as hostile. It is believed such jokes carry a prejudicial sub-text to them. Jokes about women are sexist, jokes about black people are racist and those about Jews are anti-Semitic, for example. Many groups have taken such jokes made about them and neutralized them by making the joke about themselves.