50 Shades of Gray and Other Hair Colors: a 2020 Reflection

 

Along about June every older woman across America, except for Nancy Pelosi, was concerned about one question on social media: to gray or not to gray?

 

Several years ago, at my Aunt Ruth’s funeral, I overheard a man say to one of my cousins, “The women in your family are beautiful. None of them are gray.” To which Kent replied, “Oh, I think they figured out how to take care of that long ago,” which I thought an interesting observation for a single man concerning his relatives.

 

As a teacher, over the years, the topic of “when to go gray” was dealt with over lunch in the teachers’ lounge (not that teachers ever actually lounge). But, the subject was never resolved. Just when should baby booming grandmas embrace their stereotypical role and let nature have her way? “Not yet,” seemed to always be the conclusion.

 

Then, after 3 months of quarantine, this most irrelevant question came to the fore, as one cannot avoid her mirror indefinitely.

 

With hair salons closed (except for private violations), the question of gray rose to a pertinent level of concern. So, what could an isolation-crazed middle aged (or older) woman do, other than turn to a reliable source of information and advice? Facebook, of course.

 

Then, as now, Facebook provided the answers we desperately sought.

 

First, should she just go gray? The reasoning behind this question was not only that a woman could not visit her favorite salon (or any salon, for that matter), but also that the whole graying process would undoubtedly be complete by the time the interminable quarantine was over.

 

Second, if the concept of “going gray” was out of the question, should she attempt the process “at home,” to which there was a plethora of advice. Whether the outcome was successful or not really didn’t matter. For teachers, thank God, it was summer; and for those who worked at home on Zoom, well, the hair scarf possibly came back into style. What actually took place in individual homes we may never know.

 

So, now that 2020 is nearly over and the first responders are being vaccinated as I write, it will be interesting to see what we all look like when we emerge from our cocoons to once again venture out into the wide post-Covid world. I have to wonder how many grandmas will look the part. Only time will tell. But, as for me and my family—well, apparently, we learned how to deal with that long ago.