Joanne Hudson’s friends didn’t hide their surprise when she mentioned earlier this year that she was considering letting her grey hair show. Most were enthusiastic and supportive. But they treated the idea of going naturally grey as a bold, gutsy move.
Colouring her hair was considered the default decision, says Hudson, 52. Going grey was not.
At 58, Lydia Bishop opts to colour her grey hair, though occasionally a few silver strands show through. When they do, her 88-year-old mother speaks up in code, pointing out with gentle concern that “Mrs. White is visiting.”
One of these days, Bishop might just let “Mrs. White” stick around.
“I’m ready to let all my greys come out,” she says. “But my boyfriend isn’t ready to face that we’re old enough to have grey hair.”
After a half-century, Clairol’s famous “Does she or doesn’t she?” query has been answered with a resounding, “Of course she does. And her husband and kids probably do, too.” Suburban moms in their 40s are adding dark blue streaks to tresses that are already colored brown or black, while 79-year-old Robert Redford remains perennially sandy blond.
But grey hair? That’s for college students and young pop stars like Lady Gaga who step out with shimmering, dyed-silver locks, rather than for baby boomers reaching the milestone ages long associated with grey hair.
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