Photo credit: Tracey from @greytransitionproject on Instagram.
There is that one particular scene often repeated in movies when people find their first grey hair and they… panic. But what would happen if we embraced ageing and all that comes with it?
A couple of years ago, a trend for “granny hair” started among younger people who coloured their hair in different shades of grey. The movement is associated with French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, whose show during the 2015 Paris Fashion Week had models with silver coloured hair. That is also when young people started embracing that colour. And after five years, the trend is still going strong.
Photo credit: Tom Cochereau/Unsplash.
But there remains a restraint, especially among adult women, when it comes to letting their hair age naturally - without any treatments or colouring. And the double standards that exist in our society are not helpful - grey-haired men are considered handsome “silver foxes,” while women with some grey strands are “letting themselves go.”
Recently, actor Andie McDowell, 62, decided to stand up to that attitude and stopped colouring her hair. During her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in February 2021, she proudly presented her grey roots. She admitted she is letting her hair grow naturally after her daughters kept calling her new hairstyle “badass.”
This change was seen quite frequently throughout the pandemic. High-profilers took advantage of the lack of public events and just let their hair grow.
Another one of them is media personality Michelle Visage who, in May 2020, showed her grey roots on Instagram and asked her followers if she should colour them. Fans did not disappoint and flooded her with profile with messages urging her to keep the grey. She decided to abandon any hair dyes and embrace her natural colour.
It is sad that people need someone to literally show them that grey hair is okay. Ageing is something completely normal and that’s exactly how it should be perceived. So, maybe next time you stress about finding time to go to a hairdresser, forgo the appointment and rock your “badass” grey hair!
To feature in our image gallery above, email us at fiftymagazine@outlook.com with photos of you embracing your grey hair.
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