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Breakout Blondes
Once ripe for punchlines, a new crop of smart, talented, and young blondes is dominating the entertainment world, from Taylor Swift to Dakota Fanning. Alison Prato on the peroxide comeback. Plus, VIEW OUR GALLERY.
For decades, blondes have gotten a bad rap, especially when it comes to late night talk show hosts, dirty old men and tween boys. Take, for example, some age-old jokes about the fair-haired, often heard being spewed out of the mouths of the aforementioned: “Why did the blonde tip-toe past the medicine cabinet? Because she didn’t want to wake the sleeping pills!” “How many blondes does it take to make chocolate chip cookies? 100. One to stir the batter and 99 to peel the M&Ms!”
Today, the dumb blonde joke is deader than David Alan Grier’s Chocolate News, thanks in no small part to a slew of young, smart, talented women who are dominating the entertainment industry, from singer Taylor Swift to actress Dakota Fanning. Theories abound as to why: Some say it’s because we need some light during this dark recession. Others believe it’s because after years of anti-blondes taking the top spots in movies, music, TV and fashion (think Angelina, Jennifer Hudson, Kate Walsh and Gisele) pop culture junkies are ready—once again—for some comfort food, a.k.a. blondes. Whatever the reason, check out our guide to Hollywood’s most exciting bottled beauties—at least until redheads steal the spotlight again.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
TAYLOR SWIFT, singer-songwriter
AGE: 19
IN A NUTSHELL: Though she hasn’t even been on the planet for two decades, this fair-haired spitfire—who got her start singing at festivals and dominating the karaoke circuit in her hometown of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania—has skyrocketed to the top of the country-music scene. Not content to share the bill with fried Twinkies and local drunks warbling “Sweet Home Alabama,” the singer-songwriter packed up for Nashville at the age of 11 and knocked on every label door on Music Row, armed with the plea, “Hi, my name’s Taylor, and I’m looking for a record deal.” Her latest album, Fearless, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and was the fourth bestselling album—in any genre—of 2008 (after Lil’ Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay).
BREAKOUT MOMENT: A crowd-slaying 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards performance of “Should’ve Said No,” during which she seemingly—and endearingly—surprised even herself.
THE GIRL’S GOT BALLS: After being dumped by Joe Jonas over the phone (OMG!), she talked smack about him on Ellen, released a video blog in which she tells a Taylor Swift doll juxtaposed to a Joe Jonas doll, “Stay away from him,” and wrote a scorned-teen breakup song about him called, “Forever and Always.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Touring the country in support of Fearless; a performance at the CMT awards on June 17.
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ABC
JULIANNE HOUGH, ballroom dancer, singer
AGE: 20
IN A NUTSHELL: It’s no secret that Dancing With the Stars is a smash hit because of its scorching female dancers (not because of you, Steve Wozniak). Case in point? This gorgeous hard body, who got her start in TV commercials and music videos, including doing the choreography for Gwen Stefani’s “Wind It Up.” After winning DWTS twice (this season she competed with her boyfriend, country singer Chuck Wicks, before the two were booted in week eight), she announced that she won’t return next season in order to concentrate on her budding country-music career. (Pervs everywhere, who favored watching the show with the volume down, flooded ABC with complaint letters.) Julianne’s self-titled debut album, which came out in May 2008, reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts, and she won the Top New Artist award—and got a standing ovation—at the Country Music Awards in April. The opening line of her speech? “It’s a good thing my dress ripped, because now I have something else to think about.”
BREAKOUT MOMENT: Shaking her hips—Elvis be damned—during a too-hot-for-prime time samba with partner Helio Castroneves in 2007.
JULIANNE IN THE WORDS OF FORMER DWTS PARTNER ADAM COROLLA: "We don't communicate. She's 19 and from Utah and has been dancing since birth. I brought up Vince Lombardi and I think she thought it was some kind of ice cream."
WHAT’S NEXT: Her name is being talked about to star in the Footloose remake, perhaps in the Lori Singer role of Ariel. Her possible co-star: Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford. Break out the teen Depends!
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
The Speidi Chronicles
Alison Prato is a writer and editor specializing in entertainment. Born and raised near Chicago, Prato graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was awarded the Hugh M. Hefner magazine scholarship. She began her journalism career with an internship at Playboy magazine and eventually rose to Senior Associate Editor. She has been the Executive Editor of Giant and the Entertainment Director of Maxim. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Vince, and her boxer, Axl.
Kirbonicus
I wonder how many of these 'stars' have curtains that match the drapes... ?
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Emeraldgreen
Is the African-American community ready for The Blondes Ms. Prato?
Are little Black girls ready for them?
Feigning puzzlement and acting like you really don't care would probably be your only answer, I suppose.
I can only hope and pray that you are so sorely wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
keemia
You lost me with this: "thanks in no small part to a slew of young, smart, talented women who are dominating the entertainment industry".
So the "entertainment industry" dictates how the nation as a whole views a certain demographic. Blond attorneys, engineers, scientists, doctors, nurses, teachers... can't be smart. It's the blond ENTERTAINERS(!!!) that are doing it. Self centered, are we?
KateTheGreat
*YAWN* an article about bleached blondes...tripe, offal, and gas.
akitty
upon reading the article, as a blonde , i have to give myself some credit
for writing the novel "TRUE BLONDES',. I have always been mystified by the
excitement that is generated by the color of a womans hair.. Remember the
story of HELEN OF TROY, she was blonde who sunk a thousand ships.
And remember Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Grace Kelly , none of them were
really dumb. TRUE BLONDES (A NOVEL) BY CAROL HOLLENBECK
stevenpill
In every one of these "abridged" online bios of Dakota Fanning, one key word is conspicuously missing. "Hounddog". It's been almost three years now since that obscene movie wrapped, but its impact on the film world is still being felt... and will be for quite some time. Dakota's twisted agent intended it to be her little client's "starmaker". Instead, it not only left a cloud over her, personally and professionally (and at age 12!), but likewise left one over every child actor in Hollywood through her example. That's why it's rarely mentioned, now. It was Hollywood at it's absolute lowest; endeavoring to bring child porn into the mainstream. In a very real sense, too, they succeeded. But they used Dakota's name and image as an indespensible part of the process. And it will haunt her for the rest of her life.
maluminse
The photo of Alison, the writer, is not her best. Shes amazingly beautiful and has an amazing figure. She has turned down playboy and other venues from modeling. She is robbing us of her beauty! You can be smart and beautiful yes?
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