Dads,Daughters and Dyeing

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well daughter has done something that she's wanted to do for a few years now. I return from work to discover she has dyed her hair.

I have been against it since the first time daughter mentioned the subject years ago. But she's now sixteen. That gave her an ally from which I knew I would lose on the issue....the wife.

The colour at first glance seems to be a sort of blondy gingery look but if the wife's hair dyeing is a judge it's best worked out in daylight. Probably described on the packet as "Champagne blonde" or the such like. The descriptions reminds me of how car colours are described. I once got a car whose palette description was "Pennine Grey" which is odd by itself. Even more so when I tell you that it was a Skoda (what is this link between the Pennines and the Czech Republic? I'm intrigued).

Possibly the worst in this regard was a Renault 5 I once had. The colour here was described as "Iceberg Silver". Only existing in the copywriter's imagination.

But anyway back to daughter. Why was I against it? Is it something to do with her no longer being "Daddy's Little Girl"? Well no. Trust me that ship sailed a long time ago.

It is I think because to me the idea that women (and some men but I'll come back to that later) changing their hair colour is something that will make them feel better is akin to the slimming industry trying to pursue a "beach body" look. As long as your weight is healthy you really shouldn't be seduced into such a path of alledged happiness. Similarly I'd argue that colouring your natural hair is just corporate seduction.

And of course how they do it is such a juxtaposition to those ads with the [insert TV personality here] and the shots of long shiny hair being slicked back. The process (and I'm not an expert) seems to involve bleach, the colouring bottle, possibly foil that makes them look like an extra from Doctor Who. Trust me you take a picture of a woman during this process and "glossy" is not the word that comes to mind.

Men too dye their hair. But it seems to me the propaganda directly aimed towards them is different (though it is the other weapon society uses on women). I vaguely remember an ad for Grecian 2000 in the eighties. It went something along the lines that a man had gives a business presentation He had naturally grey hair and people were unimpressed. Particularly the camera focused on two bored looking women.

The guy is persuaded to use Grecian 2000 and a week later takes another presentation. This time the previously bored women are attracted to him. The subliminal message was clear. With grey hair you are old. The dye makes you appear young again and in the case of men virile (of course in that particular ad the reality would have been that the women having already known that his true hair colour was grey would have still been unimpressed but there you are).

Me? No question there are definitely fifty shades of grey (or is it iceberg silver?) in my hair.

For the moment I'll just have to ride out my dislike and hope that the novelty will ware off and daughter goes back to what it was.

Won't hold my breath though.

Until the next time.