Am I tired of being blond? Tired of living my life just to catch the colour of the sun? No, but thanks for asking. Clichés are clichés for good reason: Blondes have way more fun.

Not only do we win Oscars, but anthropology is on our side: A recent study suggests blond tresses evolved as a way to catch a man when times were hard. It's certainly worked in Hollywood: Up on the podium last Sunday, there was Reese Witherspoon, who turned a hair colour into a Legally Blonde franchise before she took her quick wit to the juicy role bank. And of course, Harlow blond just screams Old Hollywood glamour.

"There was a return to glamour this year at the Oscars and beautiful blondes are back," says Toronto-based stylist and hair-product king Marc Anthony, who was in L.A. for the awards.

In a yet-to-be-released commercial for the fragrance, the South African-born glamazon struts through a grand, marble-and-silk festooned setting, boldly stripping away her jewellery, then her dress, to reveal a gilded silhouette of blond hair and curves, clad only in perfume.

The sea change started, as always, on the runway. Says Canada's modelling superagent Elmer Olsen: "When Russell Marsh did the casting for Prada last season [the spring 2006 collection], he hired only blond models. We all knew it would trickle down. It has taken exactly six months." Oh, that Miuccia. Leading us all around like her expensive wheeled baggage.

The last big hair trend was for Belgian brunettes, although Canadian model Jessica Stam bred a fondness for electric redheads. She's since gone blond. A recent Paolo Reversi shoot of her in The New York Times spring fashion mag shows her platinum.

Therein lies the rub: Going really blond doubles or triples the upkeep required. "You go very blond, honey, you get into blondage," says my colourist, Marina Loo of Rapunzel in Toronto. She means, of course, touch-ups every two weeks.

At the salon level, L'Oréal Professionel has introduced the Platinum Lightening System, a paste that is supposed to protect hair from damage as you crank up the brightness.

"You need to walk the line between bleach and straw," says Nicole Dupuis, the Montreal-based technical director for L'Oréal. She feels the swing to blond is cyclical, but that right now extreme is the way to go. She says the new system can take almost anyone into Marilyn Monroe territory.

It requires commitment, this blond lifestyle. When I first met my hairdresser, Pino Spadafora, I said I wanted a natural colour, and a wash-and-go clip.

He looked at me, laughed and said with what has amounted to great prescience: "My dear, you are simply a high-maintenance girl. Put your money where your hair is, and you'll be a happy girl." So far, so blond.

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