Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported the Jan. 16-17 conference, titled "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" after the Howard Hawks-directed film starring Marilyn Monroe, will involve experts in literature, art, music and film discussing possible answers to questions including: "Why does the blonde exert such fascination and awaken so many fantasies?"

"Blondness awakens desire, probably because of the ambivalence it carries, from innocence to perversion," said Marie-Camille Bouchindomme, an organizer of the conference. "Blond hair is an attribute of Venus, the goddess of carnal love, whose hair is sometimes the final rampart against her modesty."

Bouchindomme said discussions will be held to discuss the portrayals of blond women in paintings, books and the films of directors including Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Brian De Palma.