Blonde Like Me - by Natalia Ilyin (Paperback)

About the Book

Citing ancient myths, fairy tales, Hollywood iconography, and the daily assault of advertising, Ilyin shows that our modern fixation on blondes has ancient roots.

Book Synopsis

In this irreverent, unsparing, and witty look at our cultural obsession with blonde, Natalia Ilyin shows us that our apparently modern fixation has truly primeval roots. Highlighting cultural criticism with personal experience, she cites ancient myths, Hollywood iconography, and the daily assault of advertising to reveal why the allure of being a blonde has crossed the boundaries of ethnicity, economics, and age. In essence, she shows us the difference between simply having blonde hair and being a blonde.

Review Quotes

Ilene Beckerman author of What We Do for Love and Love, Loss, and What I Wore Natalia Ilyin forever puts to rest the theory of the "dumb blonde." This very witty, very wise book reads as if Mae West, RuPaul, Princess Diana, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and I all had Freud on the couch and were trying to explain to him why he should "lighten up."

Judith Viorst author of Imperfect Control and Necessary Losses Mix one part Robert Graves, one part Fran Lebowitz, and one part peroxide, and you get this scholarly, slyly funny, and deliciously readable exploration of the ultimate, and not-so-ultimate, meaning of blondeness.

M. G. Lord author of Forever Barbie Natalia Ilyin takes a premise as wispy as a strand of baby blonde hair and weaves it into a surprisingly rich and entertaining tapestry.

Bruce Jay Friedman Funny -- and helpful to those of us who have spent much of our lives trying to puzzle out the insufferable appeal of blondes.

About the Author

Natalia Ilyin has taught courses in American mythic images at Cooper Union and Yale University. She lives in New York City.