When did Swedes go blond?

What do Emil in Lönneberga, Anders Zorn인터넷바카라�s 인터넷바카라�dalkullor,인터넷바카라� and Kalle on the tube of Kalles Kaviar have in common? They인터넷바카라�re all Swedish, blond, and blue-eyed.

Are you as blond and blue-eyed as Kalle? Launched in 1954 the tube has maintained the same design from the beginning, depicting the son of the then CEO of the manufacturing company.
Being blond and blue-eyed is something very strongly connected to 인터넷바카라�Swedishness.인터넷바카라� But is it a true image? In a 2014 book called 인터넷바카라�Blond och blåögd인터넷바카라� (Blond and blue-eyed), the myth was examined.
In the fall of 2011, journalist Patrik Lundberg caused commotion because of his article about the prejudice against Asians. The example of so-called Kinapuffar candy (Chinese puffs) and the bright yellow Asian man with a coolie hat, quickly turned into a debate. Fazer, the brand that produces the chocolate, then pulled back the logo.
Then what about Kalle on the tube of Kalle인터넷바카라�s Kaviar? One sarcastic debater on Swedish Television called that a 인터넷바카라�racist caricature of a typical Swede!인터넷바카라� This was followed by Stina Wirsén인터넷바카라�s cartoon characters, then came Tintin in Congo, and Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn Roth인터넷바카라�s pie scandal.
A storm in a teacup? Think what you may, it led to Jeff Werner, professor of Art History at Stockholm University to write a book 10 years ago.
인터넷바카라�It인터넷바카라�s been a great debate the past few years, and it is strange how all the time it is about the 인터넷바카라�other.인터넷바카라� Nobody asks about the norm, the white people,인터넷바카라� Werner says. In his book, 인터넷바카라�Blond och blåögd: Vithet, svenskhet och visuell kultur,인터넷바카라� he states that the image of the Swede as blond and blue-eyed is fairly new. In the 18th century, for instance, Benjamin Franklin described Swedes as a non-white, swarthy people, while the Swedes themselves didn인터넷바카라�t view themselves as blond or blue-eyed either.
인터넷바카라�The image of the Swedish appearance came with nationalism,인터넷바카라� says Werner. 인터넷바카라�Before that, people talked more about customs and practices rather than skin tone. Only at the end of the 1800s was the view that you can actually tell a real Swede by looking at him developed.인터넷바카라�
Because of artists like Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson, the national romantic image of the blond Swede was established. And what has it all led to? Today, people who look like they인터넷바카라�re 인터넷바카라�not Swedish인터넷바카라� are being controlled, says Werner. 인터넷바카라�In ads, films, and pictures the image of Swedes as white, blond, and blue-eyed is kept alive. What인터넷바카라�s so unpleasant is that all statistics show that it is getting harder to get a job and housing if you don인터넷바카라�t look 인터넷바카라�Swedish.인터넷바카라�인터넷바카라�
Osmond Karim인터넷바카라�s 2014 documentary 인터넷바카라�Raskortet인터넷바카라� (The Race Card) deals with black Swedes and their experiences of modern racism. He is convinced the image of the Swede means something for the person who deviates from it. 인터넷바카라�At my children인터넷바카라�s school there인터넷바카라�s a teacher who speaks English with me, even though I always answer in Swedish. Her mind is completely locked, her image of me is not consistent with what I really say. So how will this image affect people when I apply for a job?인터넷바카라�
In 인터넷바카라�Blond och blåögd,인터넷바카라� Sweden is described as becoming more and more blond every decade, the stronger the image of a 인터넷바카라�Swedish인터넷바카라� appearance becomes. In the book the thesis 인터넷바카라�Svenska latinas인터넷바카라� (Swedish Latinas) is mentioned, in which sociologist Catrin Lundström describes Swedish immigrant girls who bleach their hair and get blue contact lenses in order to appear more Swedish.
인터넷바카라�Werner인터넷바카라�s book is important since it hightlights an image that is not true. Somewhere the ideal got so strong that we cannot determine whether or not it is true anymore. Is your reflection different? Then bleach your hair,인터넷바카라� Osmond Karim says.