Emily’s April Staff Picks – Blonde Ambition

I am not a natural blonde, but I have always felt like one deep down in my soul. It’s why I spent much of tween years trying to convince my mom to let me get highlights, and also why I am determined to spend my adult years living the platinum blonde life. And when I watch the movies I selected for my latest Staff Picks, I feel absolutely validated in my choice to follow my blonde ambitions.

From acclaimed dramas like Badlands (1973) and Erin Brockovich (2000), to comedies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and The House Bunny (2008), to cult faves Barbarella (1968) and The Bride of Chucky (1998), I see this collection of films as a tribute to the brassy bombshells who not only prove that blondes have more fun, but can do so while getting the job done (and done exceedingly well, natch).

So many movies make blonde women the butt of jokes, reinforcing stereotypes that suggest the lighter a woman’s hair is the less she has going on “up there.” But these films give depth to the “blonde bimbo” archetype, with all the leading ladies finding their way despite being constantly underestimated by their families, friends, coworkers, and even the president himself (seriously, don’t sleep on Dick). Yes, they are all literally united by their shared hair colour, but it’s their ambition and will to make things right (sometimes just for themselves, but often times for others) that makes them stand out.

Whether you’re checking them out for the first time or giving them a long-overdue rewatch, I hope you will give these films, and their protagonists, the respect they rightfully deserve. To quote another famous bottle blonde, “I’ve had enough. This is my prayer: That I’ll die living just as free as my hair.”

EMILY’S PICKS

Click on titles below for more info and additional play times

Hollywood Suite 70s Movies

Badlands (1973) – Sissy Spacek’s breakthrough role!
April 15 at 9pm ET
Available all month on demand

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) – A fave of Madonna & Harley Quinn
April 15 at 10:40pm ET

Barbarella (1968) – The costumes are, truly, out of this world
April 15 12:15am

Hollywood Suite 80s Movies

The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) – FAIR IS FAIR!
April 15 at 9pm ET

When Harry Met Sally (1989) – I’ll have what she’s having (and wearing)
April 15 at 10:40pm ET
Available all month on demand

My Stepmother is an Alien (1988) – Willow + Oz’s first date!
April 15 at 12:20am ET

Hollywood Suite 90s Movies

To Die For (1995) – Suzanne Stone walked so Amy Dunne could run
April 15 at 9pm ET
Available all month on demand

Bride of Chucky (1998) – The Monstrous Femme
April 15 at 10:50pm ET

Dick (1999) – Dunst + Williams 4 president!
April 15 at 12:20am ET

Hollywood Suite 00s Movies

Erin Brockovich (2000) – “They’re called boobs, Ed”
April 15 at 9pm ET
Available all month on demand

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – She’s perfect, just as she is
April 15 at 11:15pm ET

The House Bunny (2008) – Anna Faris in a Goldie Hawn biopic when??
April 15 at 1am ET
Available all month on demand