More celebrities are sporting the “silver fox” look, to the celebration of many. However, experts warn ordinary women may not enjoy the same hair privileges.
According to World Metrics, the global hair colour industry is projected to reach $8.2 billion by 2027, with 42% of consumers dying their hair to cover greys.
Social media reportedly drives 40% of hair colour trends and the overwhelming majority of hair dye consumers are women.
While Hollywood has caught a lot of flak for promoting strict beauty standards, celebrities are increasingly embracing their grey locks in public.
Celebrities like Andie Macdowell, Olivia Colman, and Lisa Bonet are starting a revolution in silver strands.
The actresses refuse to cover their naturally greying locks with hair dye for public and red carpet appearances.
Other actresses have been team grey for years, including Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, Glenn Close, and Judi Dench.
Grey is even making its way into the modeling industry.
Earlier this year, 50-year-old model Stephanie Cavalli opened Chanel’s couture show, showcasing grey “money pieces” adorning her curly locks.
Other celebrities like Meryl Streep, whose natural hair is blonde, take an in-between approach.
Vogue speculated in 2023 that the 21-time Oscar nominated actress was using a technique called “grey blending” to “help transition hair” by incorporating grey through “tactful highlighting.”
Before you go throw out your hair dye, however, former Elle Magazine editor Stacey Duguid warned the decision can come with unwanted consequences, especially if you’re not backed by the star power of Hollywood.
She told The Guardian, “Being able to embrace your grey hair proudly is a privilege.”
“There is a reluctance for women who are trying to get back into the workplace to go grey,” she added, citing her own struggles finding a job in her 50s despite decades of experience.
“To do it, you are most likely already in a senior position in the workplace. As an unemployed, broke, single parent it wasn’t an option for me,” she said.
The sentiment is supported by research on age discrimination. In the UK, age discrimination in recruitment starts ten years earlier than it does for men.
The Australian Human Rights Commission likewise reports only 41% of women had development opportunities and only 13% had mentors.
This could be due to a cognitive bias known as the halo effect, where people tend to attribute socially desirable personality traits to physically attractive people.
While actress Olivia Colman may not be scared of being seen with the mark of grey, Duguid noted her hair “has all the trademarks of a much younger woman.”
She referred to the style as a “sort of fetishised version of grey hair,” seemingly referring to its length and volume.
That said, Duguid maintains there’s a reason ordinary women continue to dye theirs.
She recounted anecdotes from older women resorting to filters on video interviews in an attempt to appear more youthful.
If social media is driving a significant portion of hair colour trends, it remains to be seen what sort of impact Hollywood could have.
With articles like “32 Times Celebrities Went Grey,” still going viral however, it appears to be far from becoming the norm.
