Blondes to Alleviate Economic Pains of Latvia

To deal with the economic crisis, an “army of 500 blondes will try to put a smile back on the face of recession-weary Latvians by staging a festival this weekend designed to show that they really do have more fun."

The Baltic nation of Latvia has had to take more than its share of the economic and financial crisis. To deal with it, according to the AFP, an army of 500 blondes are staging a festival. Latvia's economic woes began last year. The country became one of the initial, and most dramatic, victims of the current crisis. In January, 10,000 people took to the streets in Latvia to express their anger over the economic situation. Economic growth fell 10.5% over the last quarter of 2008 in comparison to the same period just one year ago, while unemployment rose 1.3% in just one month between December and January. Marika Gidere, head of Latvia's Blondes' Association, told the AFP that the “economic situation is such that society needs these types of events...People are depressed, they don't have enough positive emotions. And this is something very positive and fun. And we know that blondes have more fun.” The weekend events will include blondes parading through the streets of the nation's capital, Riga. It has not been made clear why blondes specifically could help improve the Latvian public's mood in light of the turbulent economic times. However, Gidere did note that “we know that blondes have more fun.” The widely held contention of blond hair colour being the source of increased fun has often been challenged. Recently, the Press Association reported that the British online dating site, parship.co.uk, has found that “blondes are more likely to have their romantic hopes crushed after a first date, a survey has found.” It is evident that the notion still holds true for many people. Whether or not blondes bombarding the streets of a nation facing economic woes can alleviate some of the public's anxiety and pain is another question altogether.