The New Rules for Blondes

by Selena Coppock

Writer, comedienne, and full-time Blonde, Selena Coppock offers up adventures, misadventures, and golden-hued nuggets of wisdom in a laugh-out-loud anthem for those of us who really do have more fun. . . .The modern blonde is savvy, wise, confident, capable, and not afraid to laugh at herself when the occasion calls for it. She knows who she is and is prepared to subvert all stereotypes (although she's not above wielding her golden tresses to her advantage), and knows how to be both classy and a little brassy.In the way only a Boston-bred New Yorker who once won "Best Hair" in her high school graduating class could, Coppock doles out tongue-in-cheek advice about avoiding hair disasters, the consequences of dating a man who cares a little too much about his own hair product, and so much more in an outrageous essay collection that will have even the staunchest of raven-haired beauties considering a trip to the nearest salon.

Genres: Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published April 23, 2013

About the author

Selena Coppock is a standup comedian, writer, and storyteller. She recently published her debut book, THE NEW RULES FOR BLONDES, a collection of essays celebrating and subverting the blonde stereotype, to It Books (HarperCollins) in May 2013. Her writing has also been featured on xoJane, Huffington Post, TheFrisky, McSweeney's, and elsewhere.

Her storytelling abilities have been showcased on stages throughout New York and Boston , including RISK! (live and show and podcast), Soundtrack Series, Stripped Stories, and, at The Moth Story Slam.

Selena has been seen doing jokes and characters on VH1, Lifetime, RooftopComedy.com, CollegeHumor.com, and elsewhere. She has also been featured on the Glamour Magazine blog, the Lucky magazine blog, the Examiner, the Boston Globe, LA Weekly, Boston Metro, and the Boston Phoenix.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I being a brunette don’t know what it is like being a blonde. I have never been one. For me and my skin tone, I don’t think blonde would go well together. However, I have always wondered why so many want to be blonde or why people say blondes have more fun. So when I heard about Selena’s book, The New Rules for Blondes: Highlights from a Fair-Haired Life I thought this is a book worth checking out. I will gain some insight into the “light” side.

I have to comment and say that Selena is truly a dedicated blonde. This is a good thing. For this reason and all the other reasons that Selena mentions in this book is why I will leave the “light” side to her. Too much work for me to keep up with finding the perfect balance between “ashy” and “brassy” blondes.

This book did not really hit the mark with me but I still found it to be a pretty good book. I learned a lot more about being blonde than I thought I would. I did not laugh as much as I wanted or hoped to reading this book. The foot notes were great. I found myself drawn to the foot note more as they were interesting. What I did enjoy was Selena’s honesty. She just calls things for what they were.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not as hilarious as the cover quotes promised. It was amusing, but near the end just got old. My biggest issue was that despite being published in 2013, it reads as if it was written 10 years ago. Generally that would not be a big deal, but when including a lot of pop culture references, it's quick to seem dated. Her use of slang is equally dated. She must have used "dope" as an adjective about once per page, often referring to her "dope weave". More obnoxious than I can even explain. Also, the 4 page (literally) explanation of a time she had diarrhea? Unnecessary, gross, and not funny.
Overall, I wish it was written more as a memoir rather than a personal story-laced instruction guide for idiot blondes. It's clearly written for blondes, and as one who's lived 24 years of life with blonde hair, the instructions aren't really necessary. I get that it was meant to be humorous, but often she just came across as full of herself.

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I AM a blond and I found this book not only unfunny, but moreover annoying!

[Jill Marsillett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weirdly racist- a blonde woman repeatedly referring ther her hair as a "weave". Dont waste your time- its not cute.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being born blonde, I was intrigued by author Selena Coppock’s latest release, THE NEW RULES FOR BLONDES: HIGHLIGHTS FROM A FAIR-HAIRED LIFE, and had to know more.

From the moment you start reading, Coppock will have you smiling no matter your hair color. And the humor doesn’t stop until the last paragraph.

While I was reading this delightful book, I was also fortunate to be able to listen to the audio version read by the author herself. I must say this just enriched the story that much more. To hear the author vocalize the emotions of the story made it seem like a conversation with a friend. Her expressions are priceless.

This is a collection of essays from the standup comedian that form a hilarious guide to being blonde. She tackles how the world doubts the intelligence of blondes while secretly wanting to be one. Coppock gives tongue-in-cheek advice about hair care and running in heels, while relating some of her own misadventures as a blonde.

You might even say this is an empowering book. Listening to the audio version with ear buds, you don’t mind the looks you get from strangers when you laugh out loud or find yourself agreeing with the author (out loud). You’ll just smile at them, flip your hair and go on.

THE NEW RULES FOR BLONDES is a must read book for anyone who enjoys life and laughing. Simply put, this book (both print and audio) is fun entertainment.

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. The digital download audio version of this book was sent to me by the publisher. However, receiving the complimentary copies of both formats did not influence my review.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has its moments. I was expecting more memoir, less how-to. If you're blonde, you might enjoy the inside jokes and horror stories, but if you're not dumb, you might find the last chapters incredibly tedious. Unless you DON'T already know how to pump your own gas, read subway maps, and understand football terms... Talk about perpetuating a stereotype of dumb blondes!

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a terrific vacation read. Coppock's insights are universal, despite what the book title might imply. She runs the color spectrum to share laugh-out-loud stories and lessons learned. Even my brown-haired husband laughed from page to page.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those without fair hair will probably not find this book nearly as entertaining.

Part humor, part advice, part randomness - I quite enjoyed it.

[Rori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a more enjoyable listen than it was...often I wanted to tell the author that yelling at me didn't make the statement funny.

[Kayla Sullinger]

So I just happened upon this book at my local Dollar Tree.I didn't even read that back to see what it was about.The title made me kind of think of like a teen bopper group of mean blond girls.Not what you get at all from this book.It is supposed to be funny but I didn't really get that from the book either.It was like she was trying too hard.I pushed through the book though.I understood her references and things.I did grow up as a blonde(kind of a dishwatery color depending on how much sunlight I got) and had friends that fit that ditzy stereotype. I felt like she was real in everything and believes she is funny.Which is great for her.It was a miss for me though.