=93To dye or not to dye?=94 ... that is the question. At least that was the question I began asking myself a decade ago as I grew weary of dyeing my grey-streaked hair. Back then, upon presenting my dilemma to my hairdresser I chose to follow his self-serving advice, =93You=92ll have plenty of time to go grey!=94
Giving up the quest for a glamorous, youthful look was especially difficult for me as I had been the fashion queen; owning fashion boutiques, doing image consulting and writing a fashion column for ten years. I had felt pity for my sister-in-law years ago, when she decided not to dye her hair. At that time I vowed to never =93let myself go,=94 and remain as youthful and glamorous as human powers would permit.
Held Hostage to the Beauty Industry
Yet, rather suddenly, more years of dying my hair passed and I found myself resenting being held hostage every six weeks to grey roots, chemicals soaking my scalp, dark stains along my hairline, and fumes in my eyes and lungs.
More and more I begrudged the societal message clouting us: =93Women lose their value, beauty and worth as they age and must do their utmost to hide the fact.=94 Proof of this message drives the multi- billion dollar beauty/anti-aging industry which goads us into defying nature and negating the beauty, vitality, sexuality and worth of aging, grey-haired women.
Now it is commonplace to perpetually dye greying hair; surgically nip, tuck and lift aging faces; Botox worrisome wrinkles away; lyposuction fat off thighs; enlarge small breasts; pluck =93inappropriate=94 hairs (then draw eyebrows back on!); wear make-up with toxic ingredients; and