"I am so sick of being told what to look like," Martha says, insisting that it's important for women to take control themselves. "I don’t think women have suddenly lost any taboo or shame of gray roots. Growing them out takes profound bravery that often doesn’t go unnoticed, for better or for worse, but what I’ve found to be more powerful than any negative words is the ability to look in the mirror and be able to see myself, not a version of me others have told me to construct." Katie Petersen, 34, from Portland, Oregon, agrees. After deciding to stop coloring her hair a year and a half ago, she now rocks a neat brown bob streaked with silver. "I know it’s hard not to worry what others think, but ultimately, do what feels right for you," she says.

"Nobody really cares about your gray hair as much as you do."