British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain

A vivid account of the atmosphere and culture of postwar Britain, explored through the image of the British Blonde

In the 1950s, American glamour swept into a war-torn Britain as part of a broader transatlantic exchange of culture and commodities. But in this process, the American ideal of the blonde became uniquely British--Marilyn Monroe transformed into Diana Dors.

British Blonde examines postwar Britain through the changing ideals of femininity that reflected the nation’s evolving concerns in the twenty-five years following the Second World War. At its heart are four iconic women whose stories serve as prompts for broader accounts of social and culture change: Diana Dors, the quintessential blonde bombshell; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain; Barbara Windsor, star of the Carry On films; and the Pop artist Pauline Boty. Together, they reveal how class, social aspiration, and desire reshaped the cultural atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, complicating gender roles and visual culture in the process.

Richly illustrated with paintings, photography, film stills, and advertisements, this interdisciplinary and engagingly written study offers a highly original perspective on an era that transformed Britain’s visual and cultural identity.

​Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Lynda Nead is a professor of history of art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. Her books include The Tiger in the Smoke: Art and Culture in Postwar Britain (2017), The Haunted Gallery (2008), Victorian Babylon (2000) and The Female Nude: Art, Obscenity and Sexuality (1992).