An experiment with hair color. Who has more fun? Who is better at problem solving? Who do you expect to be nicer to you, thus you are nicer to her? Who gets served first at the bar? Who is taken more seriously?
Paris-based photographer Danielle Voirin travels the world and documents her experiences in photographs. She takes street photography and photojournalism a shade beyond even art, to the level of mysticism. You may see more of her work on her website DanielleVoirin.com, or her alt website, DaniVoirin.com.
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Excellent questions — I’d love to hear the results of your experiment, Dani!
Really fun photo, too. I’m struck by how, when I look at it, my brain wants to say, “twins!” not “Dani with a different hair color!” I think it’s something about how our faces are not perfectly symmetrical, maybe? Or perhaps it’s just the slight difference combined with how seamlessly you’ve combined the two images and the subtle difference in shadow on your cheeks.
I’ve been really surprised (though now I’m not sure why, I should have anticipated) at how the world changes when you have very light blonde hair. People are nicer to you, I think because they think you’ll be nicer (more childlike or innocent?) to them. Heads turn that didn’t turn before. Cars more frequently stop and let you cross the street, bartenders serve you faster… A friend recently went brunette, after years of being blonde, and she is getting called Madame more often, and with a respect that she didn’t feel as a blonde.
Wow. I feel like I should not be surprised, and yet I am. I do wonder if it’s just some form of cultural brainwashing (the whole, “blonds have more fun” thing), or if there’s some innate biological/evolutionary/DNA-level response going on. I would assume the former, but I don’t actually know. Fascinating, in any case.
My experiences tell me it’s more than an idea “blondes have more fun.” I walked down the same street as a blonde and a brunette, same clothes, same haircut, and bright blonde hair is magnetic. I think the response is biological, it happens before a thought has time to take form.
Dani and Amanda, reminds me of a lovely story. Many years ago, when I was first living in Rome, a colleague of mine who had a mop of dyed blond hair got so sick of people shouting “Ciao bionda!” (Hi blondie!), that she decided to go brunette. The people in her neighbourhood continued calling out to her, but with a sllght modification, “Ciao ex-bionda!””.
Love that story!
Lizzy, that is truly hilarious.
🙂