Someone asked in an Internet discussion group why so many
romance novels feature redheads. I didn’t know that to be true, but it made me
consider the question, what does hair color have to do with characterization?
Is it scientific or just an author preference?
In real life, hair color preference is influenced by how society
feels about hair color, according to Midge Wilson, PhD and professor of psychology
at DePaul University, in an interview written by Courtney Linstrand for Teen
Vogue.
In her article, Lindstrand references Wilson’s statement
that “blonde hair used to be seen as dull and unattractive until Clairol came
out with a ‘Blondes Have More Fun’ ad campaign that totally transformed popular
opinion of the color.”
"If society is accepting of pink hair right now, it
makes us more apt to dye our hair pink, therefore perpetuating the cycle,"
Wilson said.
It’s no secret, though, that hair color is and has been for
a long time connected to certain personality traits. Hairfinder.com points out
that in ancient Greece, deities were given a variety of hair colors, and women
dyed their hair blonde as a sign of nobility.
Beliefs change and hair color reflects that. Hair color is
also influenced by location and local belief systems, as well as time period.
Throughout the world, the tendency to imbue certain hair
colors with personality traits persists. In Western culture, according to
Hairfinder.com, blondes are considered a trophy, a woman who can bring
admiration to her boyfriend or husband with her ethereal hair, innocence, and
childlike playfulness or outright ditzyness. Redheads are considered exotic,
wild, and sexy, but of possession of a fiery temper. Brunettes are seen as
sultry, intelligent, bold, and confident.
Today’s trend of dying hair in unnatural hair colors, such
as purple or teal, is a way to showcase a person’s ability to step off the
beaten path and as a means of self-expression. It’s a way to stand out, but in
an accepted way, Lindstran wrote, quoting celebrity colorist Daniel Moon.
“We connect with colors in life like never before. Sunsets,
flowers, trees remind us of our hair color," said celebrity colorist
Daniel Moon.
So, as a writer, I can use these societal beliefs about hair
color as a way to inform my characters’ appearance or not. When I begin
creating a character for a book, I think of a number of things. An image
develops in my mind that speaks to me. I look through website images, magazines,
and ad flyers to see what stands out for me in terms of character appearance.
Personality traits and hair color, as well as other physical traits, mingle
together and either fit together or don’t. Also, I’m very interested in writing
a variety of characters, especially with traits that are not necessarily romanticized
or fit stereotypical heroines and heroes.
For instance, when I created characters for Probabilities,
Book 4 in my Fierce Hearts series, I was intrigued by the idea of a heroine who
is socially skilled, bubbly, and blonde contrasting with a hero is a redhead,
deep-thinking, genius. I saw them as not necessarily likely compatible types.
The confident but awkward geek falling for the heroine who speaks without thinking was interesting to me. But along with their expected personalities aligned with their hair color as based on society’s beliefs, I wanted to give them inner conflicts that affect real people with these traits to humanize the stereotypes.
I believe that a lot of different elements enter into what a
lot of different authors choose for their characters, just as in real life
everyone has personal beliefs about what makes a person attractive or
unattractive. In fact, for some people, hair color is less important because
baldness is badass.
Does any particular hair type trip your trigger more than
others?
