+34
Olivia Colman and Lisa Bonet are among the stars embracing grey hair, but workplace ageism means many women still fear ditching the dye, highlighting a privilege gap.
More celebrities are embracing grey hair, with Olivia Colman and Lisa Bonet among the stars going silver. However, for women outside Hollywood, workplace ageism means many still fear ditching the dye. The decision to dye or not to dye is one many people, particularly women, face when their hair starts to grey. This week, Olivia Colman joined the growing ranks of women embracing grey hair and ditching the dye. Appearing at the Zurich Film Festival, Colman had swapped her dark signature pixie cut for a grey, curly mane swept to one side.
Celebrities Leading the Grey Hair Trend
Online, Colman was swiftly lauded for her new look, with Vogue describing her as a silver hair muse. The 52-year-old joins fellow actors including Andie MacDowell and Lisa Bonet who have embraced the salt-and-pepper or all-out silver look. Colman's new look was created with extensions by the London-based hair specialist Inanch Emir. Using four shades of grey, Emir mirrored Colman's natural colour while adding volume and length.
However, for women outside Hollywood, escaping the tyranny of the hair dye bottle is not always so easy. Being able to embrace your grey hair proudly is a privilege, says Stacey Duguid. In June, Duguid, a former fashion editor, began documenting her struggles to find a job aged 52 despite her decades of experience. She told her followers that she had downsized her house and was now on universal credit. She received thousands of messages from fellow middle-aged women also struggling to find employment.
Workplace Ageism and Unemployment Challenges
There is a reluctance for women who are trying to get back into the workplace to go grey, Duguid says. To do it, you are most likely already in a senior position in the workplace. As an unemployed, broke, single parent it was not an option for me. Grey hairs start to emerge, on average, in the mid-30s for white and Asian people and around the mid-40s for Black people.
Louise Chunn, a former editor turned founder of the therapist-finding platform Welldoing, first stopped dying her hair when she became the editor of InStyle magazine in the UK. She says: I did not fear how bosses would view my grey hair, because the editor's job offer came from New York. It was more important that you were well groomed, somewhat sophisticated. Chunn began dying her hair again in her 50s because she worried it made her look older, but stopped in her 60s.
Duguid describes Colman's hair as spectacular but has all the trademarks of a much younger woman. It is a sort of fetishised version of grey hair, she adds. Sarah Bower, a grey-blending and colour specialist at Larry King salon in London, says clients considering embracing their grey hair are most concerned about looking older. Bower says going grey is not as simple as calling it a day on hair dye. Much of her work involves blending the demarcation line – the visible difference between someone's natural colour and dyed hair – to try and make it look like they have already got their natural hair colour. She says it can take up to three years to fully grow out grey hair.
Statistics on Age Discrimination in Recruitment
According to the Office for National Statistics, about 3% of people between the ages of 50 and 64 are unemployed in the UK. Despite the state pension age rising to 67, a recent study by Ian Burn, an economics professor at the University of Liverpool, found that age discrimination in recruitment against women in the UK starts at least once a woman hits 40, her chances of being called for interview begin to decline. For men, the decline does not start until their 50s.
Recent catwalks have been more age inclusive. In January, Stephanie Cavalli, a 50-year-old model whose hair is peppered with greys, opened the Chanel couture show. Fifty-nine-year-old Evelyn Effrim-Botchey, who stopped modelling in her late 20s after work began to dry up, recently returned to the catwalk. The recent Milan show was grey, while 70-year-old Jerry Hall, still blond, fronts this month's Grazia. Pamela Anderson, 59, has embraced going makeup-free since 2023 but remains blond.
Duguid has heard from older women who use filters during video interviews and calls to help mask their age. It is completely exhausting, she says. Grey hair is different, though, because you cannot really hide it. If you are trying to find a job, you will go out and get a box dye. Alyson Walsh, a former magazine editor who now runs the style platform That's Not My Age, says: Despite the fact that older women have lots of experience and knowledge, there is still the stereotype that you are not allowed to look old. Walsh stopped dying her hair in 2015. I feel empowered, she says. It saves me money. There is less maintenance and it is in better condition. I do not look older. I just look my age.
Grey Hair Olivia Colman Workplace Ageism Lisa Bonet Stacey Duguid Age Discrimination Women Employment
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Judy Wearing Explains Why Baldness Is Masculine and Pubic Hair May Signal CheatingAuthor Judy Wearing explores the evolution and culture of human hair, from baldness as a masculine trait to pubic hair as a possible detector of infidelity.
Read more »
‘It’s utter surrealism’: Venezuela’s Chavistas lament government’s embrace of TrumpDiehard Hugo Chávez supporters struggle to comprehend ideological U-turn being executed by Delcy Rodríguez’s interim administration
Read more »
Dan Carter tells Wallabies to learn from 2023 World Cup failure before home tournamentAll Blacks great Dan Carter says the Wallabies must embrace the lessons of their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign as they prepare for a home tournament, with the All Blacks' 2007 setback a template for turning failure into titles.
Read more »
Young Australian Women Embrace Vintage 4WDs Over Modern SUVsA growing trend of young women, including Pilates instructor Bonnie, are trading in modern vehicles for classic, rugged off-road cars like the 1992 Toyota Pajero, valuing mechanical connection and adventure over modern conveniences and safety features.
Read more »