Natalie Whatley

Because I visit the salon chair of Mrs. Sharon Saenz on a very regular basis to keep my tresses not the shade nature is intending, I couldn’t ignore the onslaught of recent articles extolling the wisdom, virtue, and current fashion savvy associated with gray hair.

Bear with me for a moment as I delve into a bit of cliché. Apparently, gray is the new black. But since we’re talking hair color, what I’ve been led to believe is that gray is the new blonde. Maybe some of you who have done both can report which was more fun.

I’ve been fighting my hair’s natural progression of fine textured, dark-honey brown to wiry, dead-rat gray for just over a decade. I could get excited over the change if what my hair was morphing into wasn’t so . . .  well, there’s no other word I can find to describe it besides hideous. You know I would never exaggerate.  

It appears that a metallic head is now a fashion must-have. For the first time — ever — I find myself able to be on the leading edge of a trend and could sport my au naturel self while claiming to be the pinnacle of sophistication and style. But I don’t really want to go there. I’m caught between a bottle of hair dye and showing my true colors.

In the name of liberating those who color their gray, proponents of this movement claim dyeing is a disturbing addiction that robs untold numbers of money and time as they chase youth and shun reality.  What do I know? I just bought a red sports car and it is has already taken me to a hair-color appointment.  

The fad is so white-hot that younger people who haven’t sprouted any gray yet are intentionally causing their hair to take that hue. Pardon me, but it just doesn’t look right. Spooky comes to mind. Plus, it tricks our senses into thinking someone is more mature and sensible than they really are. Life experience is a much slower process than apply, let sit for thirty minutes, and rinse.

In the end, I stumbled across a little tidbit that caused the whole tangle to make perfect sense: The fashion industry is reeling from the economy. High-end designers are now in the position of having to be more relatable to the consumer. Simply stated, they’re desperate.

Gray-haired, “mature” (and GASP! “curvy”) models were spotted on the runways in New York, London, Paris, and Milan in April. “Mature” women, bent on making better spending decisions, will not risk on what may not be suited to them. It’s sort of a shame it took such drastic measures for this change to occur.

So, my new black as I deal with gray in a way that suits me will be to see the silver lining of making it far enough for gray hair to be an issue and for not having much bigger things to worry over at present.  And if genetics are an indicator, I’ll have some pretty, silvery-white white hair in about twenty years.

Until then, I must pass through this awful in-between stage. No matter what color my locks carry, I’ll try to be as authentic as I possibly can. And when I’ve earned the degree of wisdom, virtuosity, and style savvy to sport the silver medal of self acceptance, I will wear it proudly . . . just not today.

© 2010 Natalie Whatley

Tags: fashion trends, gray hair