How did we become so obsessed with coloring our hair in the 1980’s when the number one advertisement in People Weekly was for cigarettes? 12 total ads about cigarettes, including the back cover. Absolutely no ads about Clairol or any other hair coloring product.
Yet, as you turn each page, women with their hair colored is apparent.
Don’t you just love subtle advertising messages about the importance of keeping your hair colored?
If you wanted to look cool, you had to have a cigarette in your hand like Richard Gere. But, if you wanted to look beautiful, you had to have golden locks like Farrah Fawcett.
Of the 8 people pictured with gray hair, there was only 1 woman in the Special Double Issue of 12/24-31, 1984. Geraldine Ferraro and Betty Ford are both pictured as intriguing people of 1984.
While the pictures of all the actors are in black and white throughout the issue, it is easy to remember back to who had colored hair and who had gray hair at that time. Betty Ford colored her hair (she would’ve been 66 at that time) and Geraldine Ferraro (she would’ve been 49 at that time) didn’t.
In the article, there is no mention of Geraldine’s choice to go natural with her hair. It wasn’t a trend setting choice, so no need to even mention it. She definitely had bigger fish to fry or be fried by?
Our choices to color or not back then definitely didn’t compete with the influential activities both of those women contributed to the 1980’s era.
30 some years later, and here we are continuing on with influential women and men in politics. Two come to mind as those who maybe even colored their hair in the 80’s? I’m pretty sure both Hillary and Donald still color their hair? Donald is now 70, in 1984 he was 38. Hillary is now 69, in 1984 she was 37.
Over the age of 60 and I guess they are still taking Betty’s route for success. At least Richard Gere is embracing his gray hair and he’s dropped the cigarettes too.
Good graycious, have we come a long way baby when it comes to trendy and true hair color? Maybe we’re making a bit of progress.
PS…yes, the discovery of the magazine is an additional reminder that I have a way to go on the minimalism adventure.
