The age-old theory of gentlemen actually preferring blondes is to be put to the test by scientists at the prestigious Sorbonne University in France, during a high-brow academic debate called, predictably enough, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” This weekend, the debate will hopefully end with a straightforward answer to the question “why are men so fascinated with blondes?”

Organizer Marie-Camille Bouchindomme tells the Daily Mail that the idea came to her because of the iconic blonde Marilyn Monroe and many others that followed her, and because of the way they constantly enraptured men. But it’s not just men that are mesmerized by blondes, as so is our culture – and has been ever since the prototype of fair-haired vamp emerged.

Consequently, blonde women have been depicted, Bouchindomme says, as anything from stunner to whom no one can resist, to remorseless and guilt-free vamp, and the undeniable epitome of human stupidity. It is these very distinct facets of the blonde woman that the upcoming debate will attempt to pin down, in the hope of finding an answer to the question of whether men really choose blonde women over women with other hair colors.

“Blonde hair on a woman seems to awaken some kind of desire in men, which can be anything […]. Venus, the goddess of love [sic], and there has always been a strong link between blonde hair and male desire. In so ways, blondeness seems to invite transgression […] in men that darker hair does not.” Bouchindomme tells the Mail. Furthermore, the connection between blonde hair and desire will also be studied from a cultural perspective, from the works of directors Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch, to the infamous “Lolita” of Vladimir Nabokov.

One thing is for certain, though: even if the upcoming debate does not manage to settle the question, worst-case scenario, it will still help clear a bit the image of the blonde woman. “I am happy to dispel the myth that blonde women are less intelligent. […] There is a lot of historical evidence that men like blondes better for a host of reasons.” Bouchindomme says, adding that this misconception may have arisen because, since blondes are seen as more sensual, they “may be correspondingly less brainy.”