Who was responsible for the myth?
Snopes, a website that specializes in debunking urban legends and gossip, confirmed that the blond-extinction story was false. They did so using a Washington Post article as proof that the topic was overreported. Additionally, Snopes uncovered nearly identical stories about the anticipated extinction of blondes at various points in history, from 1865 to 1961.
The 1961 article claimed blondes had a maximum of 140 years left, while the story from 1906 warned people that blonds would be wiped out in 600 years. They all cited “scientific research” and noted that men tended to find women with dark hair more attractive.
The World Health Organization never conducted a study about blondes going extinct, which the Washington Post confirmed. However, no outlets that wrote about this phenomenon have bothered to fact-check and contact the WHO to confirm this. In Washington’s Post exposé, they tracked down the magazine where this WHO claim originated. Apparently, the German women’s magazine “Allegra” named an imaginary anthropologist working for the WHO as its source. In reality, that person didn’t exist. As a result of this discovery, numerous TV stations and newspapers were required to revise their shoddy reporting.
