Why do many people pretend to be blonde?

[ultrasun]

Why is it that in the UK there seems to be quite a high proportion of people who ‘pretend’ to be blonde. I’m not talking about a brunette who has obviously dyed their hair blonde, I’m talking about people who deny using dye/highlights. Dyeing ones hair is okay! I have met several women in work who swear dead that they are naturally blonde, and don’t dye it, but I see the roots and the change every few weeks!

Is it because many were blonde as children and then it’s darkened?

I've never met anyone who denies having highlights, although I guess it's not something I'd generally ask. How do these conversations go?

Dunno. I can imagine it’s easier to hide grey hairs as you get older maybe.

I've never met anyone who denies it either. Most women do the opposite I find, and overshare in a self-deprecating way.

I have not seen it here but it was a thing in my country growing up (% of natural blondes was roughly 0.5)
But in September they will all come blonde and say it was the summer. Nope 😁

Well. I think it's because a lot of men prefer blondes. But honestly why does it matter! Isn't it better someone Is a decent human being?

My hair is quite dark in my opinion. I have it highlighted to hide the grey. However when I lived in Spain I was forever being catcalled Rubia which means blonde (well maybe not catcalled on a daily basis but you know what I mean). I notice that my natural hair colour is called dark blonde so maybe thats why?

This is probably me. I was blonde when younger, but went grey at 15. I have dyed my hair ever since. what’s left of the colour now comes out dark brown at the roots so
I assume it has turned dark, but when people ask what my natural hair colour is I say dark blonde or mousey.

I think it’s an English / welsh colouring thing (less so Irish/ Scottish!) we have a sort of
Indistinguishable mousy colour that is often categorised as blonde. For example I have blonde arm and leg hair, yet very dark brown eyebrows and Pubic hair! A hybrid

I am dark blonde. I get highlights maybe every 6 months that make me light blonde. I don't deny the highlights but I would still say my natural colour was "blonde".

I used to do this as a teenager. Was blonde as a child but grew darker/ mousier as I got older. My mum encouraged me to stay blonde and would pay for salon highlights when I was 13 onwards. I think I inherited her pretending to be naturally blonde and assumed it was desirable to a natural? I would definitely insist it was naturally “blonde” all on its own to my friends and boys until I was about 20.

I’m not really sure why it’s perceived to be desirable to be natural - maybe because true blonde is a bit rather then dark blonde/ mouses/ light brown? I picked up a few more questionable opinions about desirability and men from my mum that have taken many years to shrug off.

Now I have (naturally) darker hair (sort of mid brown) and I love it. I only wish my eyebrows were darker too - they’re too dark for blonde hair and not dark enough to be that lovely dark matchy-ness of hair and eyebrows.

*rarer to be naturally proper blonde

What type of women are you referring to? There seems to be a massive spectrum when it comes to grooming- extensions,eyelashes,manicures, fake tans on one end and washing with soap and brushing hair only on the other. I can imagine that a lot of women are keen to distance themselves from being seen as pretend the ultra groomed Love Island type woman because women who spend lots of time and effort on their appearance are seen as shallow, less intelligent etc and they want to convey a more professional, down-to-earth image. Obviously the reality is that most women will fall somewhere in between but female grooming is seen as frivolous and wasteful (hence the stereotype that ex-wives spend maintenance on nails and hair)
It's like the competitive food budget stinginess seen on MN. I bet that many who claim to buy the magical MN chicken aren't feeding their family of 5 on £20 a week or whatever.

I have natural dark blonde / streaky hair. I’m sure that people generally think I must have dyed it but it isn’t all that unusual to be a natural blonde - I know several (including my father and brother). It’s actually pretty common in the north east (where my family are from originally).

Well. I think it's because a lot of men prefer blondes

Eh? Totally not true and pretty offensive too!

A friend in her 30's has natural light blonde hair. People who don't really know presume it's bleached.

I'm now blond because it covers grey better than dark dye. The roots would look crap with dark dye.

the standard English Rose hair colour as an adult is a gentle soft brown that was blonde/blonde-ish in childhood. I knew hardly any blondes as a teenager/early twenties as few were natural or could spend the money (only knew two real at school and one at university). Nowadays the English Rose "mouse" are all virtually blonde as it's much easier to achieve

I’m a mousey with natural blonde and red streaks, it does get lighter in the summer and grows out darker roots through the winter. I’ve never used color but I’m always getting asked where I get my color done. Sick of that look of faint disbelief with the barely suppressed rolled eyes when I say it’s natural so now I lie and have invented this brilliant colorist in a state I visit regularly (or in my home state if asked when traveling) and everyone’s happy. Just saying OP some people are natural blondes or mouse with natural highlights even if root growth makes it look otherwise.

Yes I agree op.
Very, very few adults have natural very blonde hair.
Those that do have fair eyebrows and fair eyelashes. They are usually pale skinned too. That's not a look that is sought after eight now.
I know plenty of people who claim to be blonde but she their hair.

@SpeckofStardust Sounds like me. I have been asked several times if this is my natural colour and met with disbelief when I tell them how my hair goes in the sun.

Of course there has been no sun this summer so a lot darker than I would normally be at this time of year.

I've never known any woman to tell fibs about her hair colour. Sounds like something people would have done a few decades ago when hair dye was considered the preserve of strumpets.

I’ve been dying my hair so long that sometimes i forget I’m not actually blonde 🤣

I never pretend I don’t dye it however. And would go darker if I didn’t have so many grey hairs! Much easier to hide when your hair is lighter

Probably similar reason why ime a lot of french and Mediterranean women claim they had blonde hair as children/teens. In reality most of them had light brown hair rather than blonde. Sometimes difficult to self assess your actual hair colour, it's all quite relative.

As you get older I think you need to go lighter so you don't end up with that awful dark brown hair that really contrasts the skin. This is why I have highlights!

I dont know anyone lying about being blonde, but anyone who does lie over hair colour seems a little over invested in something small and trivial.

I've never known anyone to deny having highlights/colouring their hair. My hair is dark blonde but it was light blonde until I was around 12. In the sun it will still go very blonde but since we rarely get any proper sun in this country it remains mostly minging.