Book cover: Lynda Nead (2025), British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain. London: Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

In the 1950s the American ideal of the glamourous blonde swept into a war-torn Britain, where it was transformed into something uniquely British – Marilyn Monroe became Diana Dors.

Join author Lynda Nead for a look at the ways in which post-war British class, social aspiration and desire shaped images of women, through a discussion of four iconic British blondes: the quintessential blonde bombshell, Diana Dors; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain; Barbara Windsor, star of the Carry On films; and the Pop artist, Pauline Boty.

The talk explores topics elaborated in Nead’s new book, British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain, which will be for sale and signing on the night.

British Blonde examines post-war Britain through the changing ideals of femininity that reflected the nation’s evolving concerns in the twenty-five years following the Second World War. 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.

To find out more about the event and the book please go to the direct links.