“To dye or not to dye?” ... 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, “You’ll have
plenty of time to go grey!”

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 “let myself
go,” 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: “Women
lose their value, beauty and worth as they age and must do their
utmost to hide the fact.” 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 “inappropriate” hairs
(then draw eyebrows back on!); wear make-up with toxic ingredients;
and

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