Dumb Blonde
by Avril Lavigne (featuring Nicki Minaj)

Album: Head Above Water (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Dumb blonde" is a dated and misogynist expression used to pigeonhole young blonde women as attractive but stupid. The term was inaccurately used to typecast Marilyn Monroe (she had a higher IQ (163) than Albert Einstein (160)). Dolly Parton also used the term to poke fun at the stereotype.
  • Avril Lavigne told Entertainment Weekly that this feisty pop-punk song about self-love and female empowerment was inspired by a misogynist. Intimidated by the singer's independent outlook, he called her a "dumb blonde." Lavagne thought to herself, That's a good concept and title. She brought the idea to songwriters Bonnie McKee and Mitch Allan, who helped her bring it to life.

    Lavigne explained that the comment was unfair as it made her feel belittled for being a female with a vision and opinions. "If you're a leader or you're a strong woman or someone who has an opinion or is driven, you shouldn't be made to feel bad about that," she added. "Men, or anyone for that matter, should embrace that and not put you down because of their own insecurities. That's really what that song is about."
  • Lavigne tweeted her fans an explanation of the foot-stompin' track's meaning. "We wrote 'Dumb Blonde' as an anthem for anyone who has been stereotyped or talked down to," she said. "Keep your confidence up and don't let anyone tell you how to be."
  • The song was originally going to be an Avril Lavigne solo track but at some stage a don't-mess-with-me verse by Nicki Minaj was added to the mix. The Queen Barbz has been a fan of the Canadian's music from the beginning. She recalled in a tweet how she used to drive to her job at Red Lobster playing Lavigne's debut Let Go album "for an hour straight everyday for months."

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