Grey Hair on Young Women | Radical, Subversive Chic or Just Playing Around?

Kelly Osbourne goes grey at a Los Angeles DJ night. Photograph: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Vanity FairThree times in my life — one of them at Louis Licari, the New York hair salon known for its work on blonds — a malfunction occurred, such that when I looked at the woman in the mirror, she had grey hair.

With all my talk about not too much botox and aging gracefully, I was paralyzed with the vision of me with all-grey hair. If one stays calm, most hair misshaps are fixable and I soon had Louis Licari himself consulting on phase two of returning me to ‘normal’.

Kate Lanphear, senior style director at Elle magazine via Garance Dore blogPersonally, I cultivate the really light-blond look called ‘subversive’ by Kate Lanphear, the senior style director at Elle magazine. 

In fact, Kate’s hair is considered to be sexually subversive, with reams of research saying that men know she’s hot in bed but is incapable of being faithful.

As a women’s lifestyle consultant, I’ve advised clients that boomer women will be hooking up with their granddaughters, in a collaborative new hybrid feminism.

In all honesty, I never imagined that young women would go grey.

Reality is that from the runways of spring shows at Dior and Chanel in Paris, to the hair salons of New York, young women are going grey. Fashion trend watchers advise that this is not a fashion moment for the nerdy girl but rather a moment for confident stylesetters.

Fashion blogger Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Y-3Even Tavi, the ‘it-girl’ fashion bloggers has gone grey. Besides causing us to smile at the contradiction of her physical features, does her hair color add ‘weight’ to her fashion writing? Probably not. We just admire her guts.

Katie Shillingford, the fashion editor for Dazed and Confused magazine via Tommy TanFor young women like Kelly Osbourne and Pixie Geldorf, it’s a fashion moment, a whim.

If the style goes mainstream, as many predict, then grey hair becomes a dramatically more political statement about individuality.

The daring, Smart Sensuality look going public represents yet more pushback against the fashion and beauty industries eternal commitment —  not only to women’s youthful appeal — but fixing her every ‘flaw’.

Unlike France, Italy and Brazil — to name three other sexy cultures — American women consider peak beauty to fall around age 28. The difference in self-perception of our best physical selves for American women is a 10-20 year gap with these countries, where large numbers of women answer 35-45.

France, Italy and Brazil may cultivate young models just as America does, but their national cultures don’t tell women they’re physically washed up  in their 20s.

Across American culture, we do see changes in pop culture’s perception of Mrs. Robinson. To the best of my knowledge, the Dove Global Beauty research hasn’t been duplicated, to see if self-perceptions have actually changed in the last 2-3 years.

Typically, a fashion moment doesn’t change the public culture’s self-perceptions of womanhood. It takes years for women to see themselves differently, because the self-doubt is embedded deep in our brains.

I do love this grey-hair trend though, even if it doesn’t last long. It’s all part of fashion’s celebration of womanhood, and that’s welcome news in our trend book. Anne

More reading Young Trendsetters Streak Their Hair with Gray NYTimes

In the world of fashion, grey hair is in The Guardian

Comments

[Apache]

I never found Kelly Osbourne to be attractive before now. She looks sophistocated and sexy with gray hair.

[Shay]

I have dark brown hair and had my 1st grey hair at 22 years old and if I did not dye my hair, now 35, 40% of my hair would be grey. I have been grappling with this for years and I am strongly considering for about one year now, to stop dying my hair and let it go natural. I don't have a boyfriend at the moment and am wondering about the social aspect of it all. I currently look between 28 - 30 (I know this for sure :-), but I know not coloring my hair will make me look older. I found this article to be very inspiring and I wish that we as a culture were not so wrapped up in appearing more youthful but rather embracing and loving yourself for who you truly are always - On the inside and out. That is where it starts.

[Anne]

As Apache told you, Shay, you're totally in style, in an adventurous way if you go grey. The cut should be youthful, of course And you might require a somewhat adventurous guy, but I say give it a try. I'm not sure where you live. You can always return to coloring.

For right now, grey is in with the trendiest women who are also making a statement about individuality. Your own confidence must follow suit though. You must see yourself as gorgeous and strong with your choice and not be second-guessing yourself.

You will benefit from the aging demographic among the boomer women, and I promise you that many of us believe that our culture has gotten so much worse on superficiality in the last 20 years.

I feel it in my bones that there's a major push against all these manipulative obsessions. Will we conquer them? Of course not. But I sense that many older women want to help younger women have more choices again, and we're going to get very sassy in the coming years. The Internet is a great facilitator for getting the message out. And more serious sites and blogs are getting much more credibility.

The alliance between the young women and older ones is very strong, even here at AOC. So do what you want with your hair. Nothing is permanent, especially hair color. If you're not happy with your looks, you'll change them. It is an adventurous decision for you. In that respect Tavi is a real inspiration. She is personable, smart and walks to her own drummer -- at 14. Best, Anne