How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb?

I was 7, up until then I thought the world was a place of sunshine and rainbows where everyone was treated the same, girl or boy, black or white, blond or ginger.

I had been called to select my book from the library in school, and from the vast amount of books my school had to offer I decided to take out Horrid Henry's joke book by Francesca Simon. When I got home I started reading it intently, until I got up to the blonde section.

Blonde section? What? Why? What was this all about? A section dedicated to poking fun at girls for being blonde and stupid??

As I had just moved up in the food chain in age I wasn't really sure what to think of this alien behaviour, so I went to seek the worldly advice of my parents. I told them how it didn't really make sense that it made fun of blondes for being stupid and dumb when I was one and was amazingly intelligent and clever.That was when mum sat me down and was forced to have that difficult conversation and show me the cruelty of the earth.

I decided I had to do something about it and mum came up with the idea to write a letter to the desk of Francesca Simon to ask why as a woman she thought it was appropriate to expose outdated stereotypes to a young generation of children who were unaware of this behaviour and who could then possibly see it as a way to live by.

I'm ten now and instead of the utopia of a fair and equal world, each year I notice a more prejudice in clothing, advertisements and books, mainly pushing stereotypes that girls should be pretty and sweet and that boys should have ADVENTURES!

Where is my part in the jigsaw of life?A blond girl who wants some adventure?

I created this blog to highlight the examples of what I see.

And what I see is often not cool.

#equality #feminism #blondejokes #fightingback