Men with grey hair are often thought of as ‘distinctive’, yet for women, grey hair is the first sign of mortality. But 45-year-old supermodel Kristen McMenamy has broken all the fashion rules by proudly flaunting her long silver locks on the covers of the August issues of Dazed and Confused and fashion bible Vogue.
Mother of three Kristen McMenamy first broke the fashion mould when she hit the catwalks in the 1990s sporting a cropped hairstyle, and describing herself as the ‘first weird-looking model’. With her distinctive looks, Kristen told Vogue, "you can get older and still be rock'n'roll […] I thought all that grey hair would make a beautiful picture."
In an industry so obsessed with youth and beauty, fashionistas have applauded the striking images of the American supermodel displaying her naturally grey tresses, as a “backlash to the eternal quest for anti-ageing".
Editor of Dazed and Confused, Rob Stanley, sang his praises for the supermodel’s silver hair; ’she's happy with her grey hair and so were we, and that's how we photographed her. I think it goes to show that it's all about individuality and originality – Kristen looks amazing and the fact she has grey hair is just part of who she is.’
Nicola Moulton, beauty and health director at UK Vogue, also celebrated Kristen’s grey hair and criticized our society’s constant struggle to look younger. ‘Stopping at nothing to look just a few years younger is starting to look dated itself … which is why I think we're seeing models and younger celebrities embracing things like wrinkles and a smattering of grey.’ She added, ‘the bottom line is, it doesn't stop a woman looking beautiful – on the contrary, it just makes her look more attractive by speaking volumes for her confidence.’
Grey hair is increasingly becoming a sought after hair colour amongst young women. With the help of hair dye, celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne and Peaches Geldof have embraced grey hair. Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss have also been spotted fashioning a touch of grey, and Lady Gaga has also followed in Kristen’s footsteps by posing naked for the front cover of Vanity Fair’s September issue - with a head of long, grey hair.
A spokesperson for the National Federation of Women's Institutes said the organisation advocated more varied images of women in the media, and commented saying, ‘whether this is a passing trend or a wider acceptance of the fact that women can and do age gracefully, different images of women in the media can only be positive for all women, at whatever point they are in their lives.’
What do you think of Kristen McMenamy flaunting her grey hair? Would you ditch the dye and “go grey”?
Picture kindly from here
