Dumb Blond Question

Maryn

Sees All
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
55,447
Reaction score
25,467
Location
Snow Cave
And from a brunette, no less.

Eons ago, I was taught that blonde, with the "e," applied only to females and was only and always an adjective. When you used the hair color as a noun, it was blond without the "e."

So a blonde hostess might seat you, but a blond took your order. I remember at the time thinking that was fairly complex and weird, and I bet a lot of people messed up.

But now I'm wondering: Was it ever correct? I'm seeing nothing about what part of a sentence blonde-with-an-e can be when I look it up online.

Anybody know? I don't assume my teacher was always right.

Maryn, questioning the teachings of her youth
 

Fallen

Stood at the coalface
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
5,500
Reaction score
1,957
Website
www.jacklpyke.com
I think there's a distinction between UK and US usage. UK goes for gender usage (blonde female v blond male v the blonde v the blond). US mixes, some having been taught gender, but also your way, Maryn.

Some American publishers prefer the gender 'blonde' for a woman, 'blond' when describing a male, regardless whether of noun, adjective etc.

But there's many a change to lexis that goes over my head. Maybe it's just one of those that's in flux? :)
 

F.E.

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
637
Reaction score
106
My two cents, :)

Well, it seems to me that dictionaries might have varied a wee bit on this, and I've seen various opinions in writing-craft related books about this (not sure what CMOS says, if one of their editions had talked about it), anyway ... The way I've tended to look at it (and still do, though perhaps even stronger now, especially for fiction) is that: blonde is used for both adjective and noun for female stuff, while blond is used for both adjective and noun for other stuff (male and neuter).

(Edited-to-add: Though when I was very young I had opined for "A blonde has blond hair." But no longer do I. Perhaps, in that situation, both could be acceptable to most: "A blonde has blond/blonde hair"; but the following would not be acceptable: *"A blond has blonde hair.")

That's the way I write and read fiction. An editor best not screw around with my usage of it in my fiction, not if he wants to keep the rest of his nine digits intact. And so, if I read the following (especially if fiction),
So a blonde hostess might seat you, but a blond took your order.
I'd be wondering, "Hey, where'd that dude come from?" :D

Of course, this is my personal preference. And perhaps if the writer is writing for a publisher whose style guide says something different, then that would probably be a different type of sort of thing.
 
Last edited:

Deleted member 42

And from a brunette, no less.

Eons ago, I was taught that blonde, with the "e," applied only to females and was only and always an adjective. When you used the hair color as a noun, it was blond without the "e."

So a blonde hostess might seat you, but a blond took your order. I remember at the time thinking that was fairly complex and weird, and I bet a lot of people messed up.

No; you're right. It's a distinction that's fading rapidly in the U.S. so that now it's a matter of house style. Even recent dictionaries will vary.

Brunette also used to be feminine gendered. Not so much now, and petit and petite, even as loan words, are losing their gender distinction.

Blonde/Blond is part of a very limited group of adjectives that have retained gender in English; people write dissertations on this stuff.
 

fireluxlou

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
2,089
Reaction score
283
I was taught in school that American English used blond and British English used blonde.
 

Deleted member 42

I was taught in school that American English used blond and British English used blonde.

That's not accurate—I know you were taught that, but no.

What's changing—more rapidly in the U.S. than in the U.K.—is the gendered distinction. This is less because of the usual reason, the loss of suffixes, and more because of concerns about inappropriate gender discrimination/distinctions.

Here's a snippet from the American Heritage Book of English Usage on gendered language:

gendered language said:
The obvious discrepancies in usage between words such as blond/blonde, which have tended to be gender-marked in English, and words such as entrepreneur and gourmand, which have not, suggests to some that the usage has at its base a sexist stereotype: that women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics.

Furthermore, you still see both blonde and brunette used with some frequency as nouns to refer to females, while blond and brunet do not have a history of this usage when referring to males. When you read about a blond (or a blonde) entering the room, you automatically assume it is a woman. In other words, it is easier for speakers of English to equate a woman with her hair color than to do the same to a man.

If you agree that these usages are sexist, you should use the adjectival forms blond and brunet to modify the noun hair or one of its synonyms (a woman with blond hair,) not a blond woman). You should also avoid noun usages of these terms.

I tend to think there are better ways to express that I'm interested in a particular woman than referring to her as her hair, when it's the person I'm interested in.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Sage

Currently titleless
Staff member
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
64,562
Reaction score
22,367
Age
43
Location
Cheering you all on!
I looked this up last year, and my research told me that "blonde" was a noun referring to a female, and "blond" was either a noun referring to a male or an adjective.
 

guttersquid

I agree with Roxxsmom.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
1,324
Reaction score
229
Location
California, U.S.A.
My dictionary defines blonde simply as the feminine of blond both as adjective and noun.
 

mccardey

Self-Ban
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
19,213
Reaction score
15,825
Location
Australia.
No; you're right. It's a distinction that's fading rapidly in the U.S. so that now it's a matter of house style. Even recent dictionaries will vary.

Brunette also used to be feminine gendered. Not so much now, and petit and petite, even as loan words, are losing their gender distinction.

Blonde/Blond is part of a very limited group of adjectives that have retained gender in English; people write dissertations on this stuff.

Lord - don't tell the French!
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,311
In school, it was always blonde for females, and blond for males. I see it used in all sorts of ways now, but I'd never use blonde for a male.
 

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
16,768
Reaction score
4,663
Location
Scotland
In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Clint was called Blondie - :snoopy:
 

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
16,768
Reaction score
4,663
Location
Scotland
Last edited:

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian
Staff member
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
16,877
Reaction score
5,196
Location
Near the gargoyles
Website
www.alessandrakelley.com
"Blondie" is a nickname like "Red." It can apply to either men or women, although I've mostly heard it used for women.

I like the idea of eradicating referring to women simply by their hair color. I still remember with annoyance the 1970s-era ad for a Barbie-type doll, "Tiffany Taylor (wolf whistle inserted in the song here), She's what you want her to be, a pretty brunette, a willowy blonde (wolf whistle inserted in the song here)."
 

Ken

Banned
Kind Benefactor
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
11,478
Reaction score
6,198
Location
AW. A very nice place!
"Blondie" is a nickname like "Red." It can apply to either men or women, although I've mostly heard it used for women.

I like the idea of eradicating referring to women simply by their hair color. I still remember with annoyance the 1970s-era ad for a Barbie-type doll, "Tiffany Taylor (wolf whistle inserted in the song here), She's what you want her to be, a pretty brunette, a willowy blonde (wolf whistle inserted in the song here)."

... would have agreed with you up until this thread was posted. I never knew guys were also referred to by hair color: "blond." So since the term is used for both men and women it seems more okay. Still not entirely so, though. Your point is still valid to a degree.
 

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
8,049
Reaction score
770
Location
Clearlake Park, CA
Website
www.strokingthepen.com
When I was a kid, my hair was carrot colored. I was nicknamed "Red" and "Carrot Top".

Blondie indeed does apply to male/female, though I'm sure women get called Blondie more often.
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,311
"Blondie" is a nickname like "Red." It can apply to either men or women, although I've mostly heard it used for women.

I like the idea of eradicating referring to women simply by their hair color. I still remember with annoyance the 1970s-era ad for a Barbie-type doll, "Tiffany Taylor (wolf whistle inserted in the song here), She's what you want her to be, a pretty brunette, a willowy blonde (wolf whistle inserted in the song here)."


Men and women both are referred to by hair color. Hair color gives a more accurate picture.

I also love pretty brunettes, willowy blondes, and especially fiery redheads.

We all have something inside of us, DNA, or early childhood memories, or instinct, that makes use look at a particular appearance with great favor. I don't think, Okay, she has red hair, green eyes, and a few freckles, so I think she's beautiful.
I see her, and with no conscious thought, my mind and body both react.

People are all people, but types do exist, and they do matter. You can't eradicate human nature, human instinct.
 

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
23,083
Reaction score
10,778
Location
Where faults collide
Website
doggedlywriting.blogspot.com
I just spell it blond for everyone. It seems really strange to me that an adjective describing hair color would be spelled differently for males and females. As far as I know, we don't do it for other common adjectives describing appearance (like spelling tall "talle" if it's used to refer to a female). If I'm fortunate enough to get an editor someday, I guess I'll have to go with what he or she wants.

I'll admit it's always galled me a bit that hair color is so often used as a noun for a female but is nearly always an adjective for a male (sometimes males are referred to redheads, but I've never seen them called blonds or brunettes :p). I am a woman (or even a person) with brown hair, darn it, not "a brunette." It's almost as if (gasp) a woman's superficial appearance is her defining and most important trait!

Women certainly have preferences with regards to male appearance too, and many women notice hair color (hence the tall, dark and handsome stereotype). But in general, they seem to spend less time focusing on hair color as a singular trait. I think if women have a strong prejudice, unfortunately, it's for males who are at least somewhat taller than they are (which annoys my more petite male friends to no end). But I've never seen a tall man referred to as "a tall."
 

Tedium

Le sigh.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
222
Reaction score
21
Location
Searching for Willoughby
I've read the word blonde/blond so many times in this thread, it doesn't look right any more...

My 2 cents - I was taught blonde for female, blond for male. This is the first I'm reading about noun/adjective spellings.

Nao mah head hurtz.

I'm with you, Jersey. Wow, I feel pretty stupid now. I guess it just never came up again after learning it so incorrectly.
 

Duncan J Macdonald

Plotting! Not Plodding!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,882
Reaction score
455
Age
66
Location
Northern Virginia
I'm with you, Jersey. Wow, I feel pretty stupid now. I guess it just never came up again after learning it so incorrectly.

For hurtz heds, try on:

Male Spelling --- Female Spelling
Aviator --- Aviatrix
Executor --- Executrix
Steward --- Stewardess
Actor --- Actress
 

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
23,083
Reaction score
10,778
Location
Where faults collide
Website
doggedlywriting.blogspot.com
For hurtz heds, try on:

Male Spelling --- Female Spelling
Aviator --- Aviatrix
Executor --- Executrix
Steward --- Stewardess
Actor --- Actress

But we are getting away from a lot of this in modern life (thank heavens). For instance, I've seen women referred to simply as actors, and the words steward and stewardess have been replaced by "flight attendant."

A lot of the male gendered words for professions have also been replaced--for instance, chairman is now simply "chair," and fireman is now firefighter.

Back in the 80's, I remember people who hated feminism used to make fun of the so-called language police by stating that clunky substitute words like "fireperson and chairperson would never catch on. They were right, but people just naturally lapsed into using different terms that weren't clunky but were gender neutral, since it started to seem subconsciously wrong to them to genderize words that were no longer gender specific.

Language evolves, and to me at least, it seems silly to cling to/insist on traditional uses that have outlived their function (which was, I assume, to separate the sexes).