Paris Hilton: Dumb blonde no more?

Now we really can't get enough of Paris Hilton and she just can't seem to stay out of the news radar. She may be in jail but so far she's already inspired some art, and now she's inspired a song. Riding on the American public's fascination for Paris Hilton is a music video which spoofs Hilton's song 'Stars are Blind'. Created by comedians Allan Murray and Sean Haines 'Paris in Jail: The Music Video' stars a Paris Hilton lookalike and takes potshots at Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.

With over five million hits in just eight days, you bet this is as good as it gets for Paris Hilton in showbiz. But now Paris is spoiling it for the media as she says, she's dropping the dumb blonde act. Well it's our loss, I guess, no more Paris Hilton jokes. But ever wonder how that whole stereotype started in the first place?

People made fun of her for saying it but in a way, Paris Hilton was right. Last year, she said, "I think every decade has an iconic blonde, and right now, I'm that icon." Now she's told Barbara Walters she's going to stop acting dumb. Whether an act or not, the dumb blonde thing has worked wonders for her -- just like it did for others before her.

In the late 1970s, 'Three's Company' made Suzanne Somers a huge star. Goldie Hawn kicked off her career in the 1960s on 'Laugh-in'. In the reality television era it's Paris and Jessica Simpson. But where does the stereotype come from? Studies show there's no correlation between hair colour and intelligence.

Researchers say since blonde kids generally grow darker hair by adulthood, blonde is associated with youthful naivette, which on a bleach-blonde adult can suggest a lack of intelligence. Some icons have played that up. Researchers say the dumb blonde image was driven into the American psyche by 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. It was first a book in 1925, then the star of the movie - Marilyn Monroe often used child-like ways of speaking.

Some studies have shown that some people do associate lighter hair with lower intelligence. But times are changing. The next US President could be a blonde woman - and she doesn't seem to need to prove her intelligence.

Josh Levs