There's an Instagram account dedicated to getting women to embrace their natural grays, and they are here for it. Turns out, a lot of women are sick and tired of society pressuring them into spending precious hours and dollars in hair salons. Shocking, right? Martha Truslow Smith created Going grey with (grohm)(bray) in 2016 with a simple, yet difficult mission: to start a different dialogue around gray hair on women. Now, it has over 102K followers and it's probably safe to say that people think it's a conversation we have to be having.
Martha was interested in answering the question 'Is it true that my gray hair is ugly, makes me look old, and means I'm no longer good enough?' And after many, many selfie submissions and even more comments under them, she's found the answer. "I'm only in my twenties. If that is true, how will I feel and what will I believe about myself when I'm in my 40s, 50s, 60s?" Martha told Bored Panda in an earlier interview. "I want to challenge the way we think about what we consider 'beautiful,' and why, and propose that we have more important things to spend our precious time, energy and resources on if we find our hearts aren't aligning with the things we find to be someone else's biases."
She kind of looks like Cruella DeVille, but much more beautiful and good.
Rudimental hair colorants have a long history. They date back to ancient Egyptian and Roman cultures (pickled leeches or urine hair baths, anyone?) but emerged in their modern form around the turn of the 20th Century. And as the image of the "perfect housewife" made its way into the 1950s pop culture, brands such as L'Oréal and Clairol began marketing safe and discreet at-home colors. If women wanted to remain fertile and youthful, their appearance had to look accordingly.
I love the lighter and darker shades of grey....Looks really striking..
Please do, you look striking!
Interestingly, most of what we consider 'premature' greying actually isn't. Professor Desmond Tobin, a hair and skin pigmentation specialist at the University of Bradford in the UK, told the BBC that it is perfectly normal for people from European backgrounds to start greying in their early 20s. A research he collaborated on found that different races have different average aging rates - with African and East-Asian backgrounds tending to whiten later. But while some people do have a genetic predisposition to lose pigment or go bald more than others, a lot of other factors influence our hair follicle production, too (including hormones and stress).
People pay ridiculous amounts of money to dye their hair this amazing shade of silver!
Oh my goodness! Her eyes are beautiful.
"Everyday I feel so grateful for my gray hair. It makes me unique, for my age (34), and it's such low maintenance! My first gray hair showed up when I was 17 but it really didn't come in thick until about 30 and that's when I stopped dying my roots. My original color is very very dark brown so when I knew I was going to let the gray take over I colored the majority of my hair white blonde. As it started to grow out the transition was much more seamless. The top half of my hair is always natural and I love how intentional it looks"
I almost bought that same shirt on Amazon. Looks nice on her.
"I sat with the idea of going gray for years. I let it stew in the back of my mind as I scheduled my days around my next dye session; scouring Pinterest and Youtube for inspiration. I was dyeing my hair every 2-3 weeks but seeing roots every 2-3 days. I have a long list of reasons I was done with the dye. Even now I read posts by my silver sisters and think, 'Yes!! that too!' The process was definitely tough at times. It's a mind game, really. And there are so many thoughts that pushed me through. This is one of them... I have been fascinated by my father's silver for YEARS. It looked SO cool when he was just a bit of salt and a whole lot of pepper and it's now this amazing silver with just the slightest touch of dark. I loved every stage of watching his silver come in. At some point I realized I didn't want to miss out on that. I want to watch time paint more and more silver through my hair. It's a slow magic but magic nonetheless."
She looks so young and beautiful!
"I feel more confident since I decided to let my grey shine. I dyed my hair a while ago and immediately regretted doing so; like I'd washed my identity away. While I'm still learning to deal with the new texture, I love seeing my tinsel tresses in the mirror!"
The change in texture is what's tripping me up.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer 12/2016. Chemo caused my hair to fall out and it grew back gray (mostly in the front). I get compliments on it all the time. "
Great example of self love to set for your son!
"Sorry I can't hear you over the volume of my hair. Here's to turning up the volume and not listening to the expectations or opinions of others. Love who you are. Know you are created for a purpose."
She's got a pretty smile, too!
Very beautiful! I love that transition from gray and black to pure black.
This is what mine looks like. Same grey spot, same hair colour. Kinda looks like highlights, doesn't it?
What a gorgeous smile! Lovely!
Can we also accept that some women want to color their grey hairs because the like it, and not because 'society pressures' them? I'm not sure why people seem to think women only do stuff because 'society pressures' them into it. We're not weak, spineless people without our own opinions, you know. I started turning grey at 18 and am still dying at 43, because I like it more then grey, not because anyone ever said that I couldn't or shouldn't be grey.
Truthfully, those that truly like their hair without coloring it ( like yourself) are few. Even though I dont color myself, I have natural blonde hair that bleaches where the sun hits it. Come winter when there's no sun it grows in a darker dirty blonde and the grays show like a beacon... and the pressure is REAL. I have people ask me at LEAST once a day when I'm gonna get my hair dyed again ( everyone thinks I bleach my hair) Or they tell me, "looks like it's time for a hair appointment", "you're too young, get your hair dyed again, I Iiked it like that". After I tell them that's just how my hair is they shut up, but again, the pressure out there is real. It really shouldnt matter either way if you want to color or not, but unfortunately socially it does. Those that do like to color should rock it, those that don't should rock it too, but neither choice should be held higher than the other, personally or socially.
A lot of women dye their hair just to change the color. I have no white hair, but I still dye my hair because I like how orange looks on me more than the brown I naturally have.
I started going grey in high school, and I haven't seen my own hair color in almost 40 years. I've changed the color a lot in that time and it's been a lot of fun. I know how much grey I've got because it doesn't take dye well and it shows.
These women are so beautiful they would look good with any color hair or none at all! I dyed my hair for a few years when I was single, afraid that potential dates would think I was older than I was. Now that I've stopped dying it I like it just fine and it's a relief not to have to deal with the hassle, expense, and smelly chemicals. I don't know why grey is "distinguished" on men but on women it means they've "let themselves go." Total double standard. Anyone should be able to color or not, however they like, without being judged for it.
Stopped dyeing my hair a few months ago and my mom acted like I said I was going to take up kicking puppies as a hobby. It's a long process, and they really stand out in my dark hair, but I'm actually excited now that I can actually see some growth.