Blondeness was created 11,000 years ago, toward the end of the last ice age, by a genetic mutation that has resulted in a look that some might regard as an iconic ideal.

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is presenting "Beauty and the Blonde: An Exploration of American Art and Popular Culture." The show looks at the way culture and art have interpreted the image of blondness in history.

According to a study conducted by Peter Frost, an anthropologist from Laval University in Quebec, blond hair originated in northern Europe in an area that had scarce food. Women with blond hair and blue eyes stood out from their rivals during a time of competition for the lack of males. At the time, you might say, "The cavemen preferred blondes," and so goes the evolution of the blond gene.

Click here to visit the exhibit's Web site: Beauty and the Blonde