January 14, 2016

"Going blonde is an old trick, but it’s a good trick. According to my own calculations, it can add as much as a half-point to our scores..."

"Going from a 6 to a 6.5... represents an 8.3 percent increase in attractiveness, while going from a 6.5 to a 7 makes for a still-desirable 7.7 percent leap. Even if one had to spend a corresponding percentage of one’s disposable income, it might make sense. (Of course, results may vary; my own advance up the scale has been less dramatic. The last time I got catcalled, the guy yelled, 'Girl, you look just like a second-grade teacher!' Disconcerting largely because it's true.)"

From "I Spent $11,537 Becoming a Blonde" by Catherine Baab-Muguira in New York Magazine.

24 comments:

Limited blogger said...

Wait. What? Is 'keeping score' still allowed?

Paddy O said...

Of course she regrets nothing. That's a floodgate once opened. So people have to stay in a circular cycle of mutually endorsed self-justification to keep the void at bay.

It's curious they don't show any pictures, though.

Tari said...
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cubanbob said...

Judging from her images she is an attractive woman, she didn't need to waste the money. But to each his own.

John Althouse Cohen said...

That's about $160 a month. Assuming she makes a good salary and lives in New York City, is that really so shocking?

rehajm said...

Better bang for the buck is a change in geography. A 6 in LA or Miami is a 9.5 in Wichita. But plan to travel far if you're a 6 in Wichita.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

On the bright side, she isn't asking society to pay her 11K in reparations.

walter said...

What say Sandra Fluke?
Surely there's an injustice to be remedied.
I spent 5 minutes reading why we need a woman president...it's an EMERGENCY!

walter said...

“EMERGENCY. I’m getting something really stupid done to my hair.”
My friend Nicole left work and rushed to join me.
--
Her friend who has "healthy self-respect". Uh huh...

traditionalguy said...

Blondes have more fun according to a really smart brunette named M. Monroe, who captured many a man's heart using that combination.

Unknown said...

I guess that beats having it turn grey and then disappear altogether

tim in vermont said...

"People always want to see the blond turn around." I think Aristotle said that.

Tank said...

The whole thing seems racist. Light better than dark? Blond better than black?

Can you say this stuff in the NY'er?

Sam L. said...

$11.5K? So you DON't have to be a blonde to be dumb.

Ignorance is Bliss said...


My friend Nicole left work and rushed to join me.

I can't wait to read the article about equal pay for equal work and how her friend Nicole got passed over for a promotion because she is a woman.

Laura said...

Save the money, back the husband up against the kitchen counter, and get some good vibes for free. Sheesh.

buwaya said...

Joke heard from a Cuban - re Havana in the good old days -

Tourist - Wow! So many beautiful blondes here! What province of Spain did they come from that's got so many blondes? Galicia ?
Cuban - I think they're from the province of Clairol.

I guess its funnier in the original Spanish.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

It's a trick that doesn't work on me. Natural is better.

Anonymous said...
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n.n said...
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n.n said...

Whether blonde, brunette, or redhead, the appeal is individual. A woman should strive to improve her natural aesthetics. That's actually good advice for men too.

Unknown said...

When one is going grey, as I am, I have choices: going grey in my 30's, which is fine, but everyone starts assuming your in your 40's; I can color at home - which by experience has led to horrid results; go to the salon and get a root touch up once a month depending on your grey; get highlights which allows the grey to blend in.

Personally, I'd prefer to be a red-head and skip the blonde highlights, but hubby and I have an agreement: he doesn't shave his mustache off and I get the highlights. Marriage is a give and take and mutual agreements.

tim in vermont said...

I think grey on a woman in her forties and early fifties is sexy, most of the time I have seen in anyway. It denotes confidence, like getting a boob job denotes insecurity.

Rick said...

"Going blonde is an old trick, but it’s a good trick. According to my own calculations, it can add as much as a half-point to our scores..."

If true this suggests people are not perceptive. In fact the percentage of attractive blondes is significantly less than brunettes. This is primarily because 80% of marginally or unattractive non-blondes convert to blond while a much lower percentage of attractive non-blondes convert. The result is a much less diluted pool of attractive brunettes.