Feature

Gray hair: Implausibly hip?

The fashion world's latest trend is a headful of gray hair. Should women thank Lady Gaga, ex-supermodel Kristen McMenamy or Betty White? 

In its capricious way, the fashion world has seemingly become enamored of gray hair. Lady Gaga demos the faux version of the silver-lock trend on Vanity Fair's current cover, while Vogue showcases 90s supermodel Kristen McMenamy (who shaved off her eyebrows in her prime) with hip-length naturally gray hair. "You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll," McMenamy told the magazine. "I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture." Could the trend go mainstream? (Watch a behind-the-scenes video of McMenamy's Vogue shoot)

Three cheers for silver vixens: "We approve," says British fashion magazine Grazia. It's an "arresting" look, a refreshing change from the norm, and seems to be catching on. It could also have the positive side effect of making "silver ladies feel more confident about wearing their hair as nature intended."
"(Sing if you're) Glad to be GREY!"

Don't expect men to cheer: Gray hair is one thing on a fashion model, says Harriet Walker in The Independent, but quite another on an ordinary person. A young woman who dyes her hair gray looks "unflattering and incomprehensible" to the opposite gender — "someone to fear or envy," not to pursue sexually.
"The grey area in gender perceptions"

Hedge your bets with a wig: Going gray at home is "near impossible" unless your natural hair color is "nearly white," says Ayren Jackson-Cannady at MTV Style, and a "solid salon visit" to get the wintry look might cost as much as $500. Our advice? "Take the wig route" to sample the look until the next trend (inevitably) rolls around.
"Gray hair isn't just for old people anymore."

Recommended

A company made a meatball from lab-grown woolly mammoth, and you can't try it
Mammoth meatball
'extinct protein'

A company made a meatball from lab-grown woolly mammoth, and you can't try it

6 marvelous homes with great kitchens
House
Feature

6 marvelous homes with great kitchens

The Check-In: How to plan a trip to Antarctica
Penguins on an iceberg
Feature

The Check-In: How to plan a trip to Antarctica

The Week contest: Seaweed invasion
sargassum seaweed.
Feature

The Week contest: Seaweed invasion

Most Popular

The snowmelt in California could cause a long-lost lake to re-emerge
flooding in Corcoran, California.
lost lake

The snowmelt in California could cause a long-lost lake to re-emerge

33 swimmers in Hawaii accused of 'pursuing, corralling, and harassing' dolphin pod
A group of swimmers chase after a pod of dolphins.
Leave 'Em Alone!

33 swimmers in Hawaii accused of 'pursuing, corralling, and harassing' dolphin pod

The 8 most bizarre moments of Gwyneth Paltrow's ski crash trial
Gwyneth Paltrow
downhill

The 8 most bizarre moments of Gwyneth Paltrow's ski crash trial