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'It's almost like a weapon': How the blonde bombshell has symbolised desire and danger Western culture, she says, has built a whole mythology around female blondeness − from religious iconography and fairy tales, to art and advertising − that has told specific stories about what it means to be blonde. In cinema's early years, comedies such as Platinum Blonde (1931) and Bombshell (1933), starring Jean Harlow, embedded concepts of the dazzling, devastatingly beautiful blonde into the cultural vernacular. "The idea that you're a bombshell, it's almost like a weapon," says Nead. "On the one hand, it is this kind of ideal, but at the same time, it's also threatening."   Before Harlow, there was another − more natural-looking − blonde on the scene: Mary Pickford, whose amber curls helped earn her the moniker of "America's Sweetheart". But while Pickford played the guileless girl waiting to be rescued, Harlow's peroxide blonde ...
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 Japanese star Miho Nakayama found dead at 54


Japanese actor Miho Nakayama was found dead in a bathtub in her Tokyo home on Friday. She was 54.

Ms Nakayama found success as a singer in the 1980s and 90s - at the height of J-pop's influence - but was best known for starring in the 1995 film Love Letter.

An acquaintance discovered Ms Nakayama on Friday after she failed to show up for work. They called the paramedics, who confirmed her death at the scene, local media reported.

The cause of her death is under investigation.

Ms Nakayama had originally been scheduled to perform a Christmas show in Osaka on Friday, but cancelled her appearance, citing poor health.

A statement on her website, published by her agency, confirmed her death on Friday.

"We are stunned by the sudden occurrence of this event," the statement said, adding that her cause of death was not confirmed.

Ms Nakayama, who was one of Japan's most popular teen idols in the 1980s, also enjoyed an illustrious acting career - most notably as the lead actor in Love Letter, a 1995 film about a grieving widow's letters with a stranger.

The film became a massive box office hit and garnered critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Ms Nakayama's performance earned her several best actress awards.

Ms Nakayama leaves behind a son, who is in the custody of her ex-husband, musician Hitonari Tsuji.

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