50 shades of grey!
To grey or not to grey
To dye the grey or die for grey
Grey’s (hair) anatomy
Whoa..so much for greying!
Hey.. all my greying friends reading this post, do you recall your first reaction when you first spotted that white strand of hair on your black crowning glory ? I bet all hell broke loose ! Didn’t you howl, weep, stress out, surf the net (in my times aunties and grandmas were our google search) for ways to stop the whites overtaking the blacks (no pun intended please). And guess what you spent scores of money, time and energy in holding on to your black hair and warding off the white evil with henna, dye, color, beetroot juice, dark coffee, black tea.. you name it and we did it.
The color and dye company founders were laughing their way to the bank. They got their 1st Ferrari, 2nd Mercedes and 3rd holiday in Switzerland ! All because, like zombies, we were purchasing their products to make our white black and they were jolly well making their black into white(sic)!
Cut to 2020..
The trend was on till recently and then the virus attacked and opened a Pandora’s box of new trends. We got caught up in the so called ‘new normal.’ Less is more, work from home, surviving on a pair of pajamas, one formal for online work, nude makeup, home cooked food only, no saloon or spa. The virus made sure we followed the lockdown to the T. And the color trend turned turtle and guess what suddenly out of the blue, greying is in !
Good Almighty, Jesus, Holy cow ..Hey Bhagwan !
Look around.. dont you see 50 shades of gray ? Oh, come off it, I am alluding to hair.. what did you think ?? Salt and pepper hair, full white hair, half white hair, peeping white hair, streaked white hair, partitions with parallel columns of white hair… Gradually.. grey has become the new normal, the new young !
Grey hair, for generations, has been associated with old age. Nobody wants to grow old but you can’t stop aging, can you? There are those fortunate one’s, who have black hair, even in their sixties, bless their genes. But there are also those ‘Les Miserables’, who get their first white hair while still in school or teenage. Bad hair day.. you bet it exists for all of us.
Hey.. so what is it with grey hair ??
Grey heads carry the tag of being old, frail, senile, uncompromising with the new generation, slow at understanding new technology, outdated, obsolete, grumpy, not physically active (no pun intended). People’s behavior is different towards a grey head. More of respect than friendly.
Grey hair also signifies maturity, experience, wisdom, grace, poise, a person who is sure of self, confident and brave enough to accept age.
I have a strong feeling of being coerced into going grey. There are hundreds of women on social media talking about the pros of grey and cons of coloring and how they take pride in flaunting their greys.
IT’S A CATCH 22 !
TO GREY OR NOT TO GREY !
Alchemist and Humans have been searching for that elixir of youth since ages. Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Yunani, Naturopathy have scores of medicines to keep you looking young and beautiful.
Well… I guess, ultimately, we need to understand that working towards your purpose in life, achieving your personal and professional goals, carving a niche for yourself in this highly competitive world is more imp than following a herd mentality. It takes some effort and you SHOULD take some effort to look presentable, pleasant, poised and graceful.. grey or otherwise we all have a right to look good… to feel good !
Self image, personality development has gained utmost importance now to be self-confident, self-assured, self-contained for self-esteem and self-respect!
Persona, is the right balance of inner personality i.e. your nature, habits, values, upbringing, communication skills, religious beliefs, your outlook towards humanity and world problems
..and your outer personality i.e. your dress sense, hairstyle, accessories, neatness and hygiene, smile, body language, manners and etiquette in society
If colored hair gives you confidence.. go ahead
If grey is your choice.. don’t falter
All said and done.. I am back to square one
To grey or not to grey ??
(Oh Hamlet! Did thou find the answer To Be or Not To Be ? )
Thanks for reading !
Bharati