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What was once seen as an unfortunate side effect of aging or the neglect of one’s personal image, has recently become one of the strongest symbols of female empowerment. The gray hair trend is becoming increasingly widespread among celebrities and regular folk of all ages. They are all part of a worldwide movement that embraces natural hair with joy, and makes it a symbol of aging fearlessly, reports news provider MSNBC.
Gray hair as a symbol of post-pandemic freedom
Women have historically had to comply with the requirement of camouflaging their gray stands as soon as they began to appear in adulthood. Root touch-ups have always been an unquestionable must, making even the youngest adult women dependent on beauty salons and hair tints.
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But the pandemic changed everything. Phrases like “I had no choice” and “nobody sees me anyway” were the perfect excuse to justify the momentary abandonment of a practice that was deeply rooted and naturalized. And as the restrictions that closed salons started to loosen, and things started to return to normal, it was clear that for many women there was no coming back. They had embraced their grays with joy, The New York Times explains.
A female empowerment cause
The list of female celebrities that are adopting their natural silver is steadily growing. Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Glenn Close, and Andie MacDowell are just a few of the well-known faces that have made this look fashionable.
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Some others are intentionally dying their hair gray to support the powerful message behind this trend. And while a poll from hair care product brand, Garnier, reveals that half of the women consulted color their hair to hide gray hair, natural aging is becoming increasingly accepted and even celebrated, MSNBC points out.
“I think women are tired of the idea that you can’t get old and be beautiful,” actress Andie MacDowell told style website The Zoe Report. “Men get old and we keep loving them. And I want to be like a man. I want to be beautiful and I don’t want to screw with myself to be beautiful.”
A trend with a multiplier effect
The internet has been flooded with influencers of all ages showcasing their transitional journeys, documenting their progress, and inspiring other women to go gray as well. Hashtags like #GrayHairDontCare, #SilverSisters, and #Grayhairrevolution are becoming more popular each day.
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There are even specialized colorists that work with the gray instead of trying to eliminate it. They advise women on how to return to their natural hair color. One such high profile stylist is Jack Martin, aka the Southern California guru of gray. With famous female clients and more than 680 thousand Instagram followers, his business tripled because, earlier in the pandemic, “a lot of women found out how beautiful the pattern of their silver was,” he told The New York Times.
While gray hair is about celebrating the natural passage of time, it is also about making room for a new ideal of beauty that’s different to the traditional one. An ideal where a woman’s natural signs of aging can also be perceived as attractive, glamorous, and sophisticated.
"I think it's something to be very proud of, achieving natural beauty. I think that when you achieve natural beauty, you're working on all aspects of yourself," Wendy Nichol, a designer from New York City, told MSNBC. "There's nothing wrong with achieving beauty in other ways; I support people who are trying to be themselves. I think that the best thing that you can do is just be yourself."
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