(Page 2 of 4)

A study by hair-care giant Clairol shows that a whopping 76 percent of women and 74 percent of men believe the first woman to be elected president will be a brunette.

Such results might send Hillary Clinton to a colorist, and apparently, New York's blond senator wouldn't be the first powerful lady to do so.

In her new book On Blondes, hair historian Joanna Pitman says famous redhead Queen Elizabeth I was actually a natural blonde, as was the raven-haired beauty Cleopatra. Other scholars beg to differ, but only a queen's beautician might know for sure.

But if Clinton intends to stay natural, perhaps she can find inspiration from a "power blonde" like Margaret Thatcher, who didn't seem to let her hair color diminish her ability to lead.

The Clairol survey of nearly 1,000 customers also showed that you may want to think twice about interviewing for a job on a bad hair day. Respondents said that if a boss had to hire a worker based on hair color alone, the job would most likely go to a brunette and least likely be given to a redhead.

The Greatest Blond Joke — Extinction

Blondes always seem at the center of controversy. Last year, the London Daily Mail reported that natural blondes were headed for extinction, quoting a study conducted by the United Nations' World Health Organization.

According to the newspaper, too few people carry the blond gene to assure its long-term survival — and by the year 2202, the last natural blonde on Earth would go the way of the dinosaur.

But the British paper — and many news organizations that picked up the report — were the victims of a hoax, perhaps the greatest blond joke ever told.

The WHO even issued a denial that it had never conducted such a study, with doctors claiming, "We have no opinion on the future existence of blondes."

Blond Girl Power Trademarked

Facing overt blond oppression, it's no wonder Debra Carroll of Arlington, Wash., created just-for-blondes T-shirts and hats so that girls like her 12-year-old daughter can proclaim their hair color with pride.

Carroll trademarked the slogan "Smart Blonde" and now sells a variety of kids' clothing all over the world through a Web site, getting orders from as far away as Australia.