'Grandma chic' has graced the fashion scene for some time now, still I was bemused to read that hip young things such as Pixie Geldof (pictured), Lady Gaga and Australian MTV darling Ruby Rose have let it go to their heads. Literally. On the pages of fashion magazines, and up and down runways and the red carpet, the message was clear — keep a lid on your hair dye. Grey is the new black.
For most women, the discovery of a strand (or strands) of grey is hardly cause for celebration, and the sheer range and availability of hair dyes are testament to the lengths, and expense, many go to cover it up.
The reason is obvious. Alongside crows feet and laugh lines, nothing signals the ageing process quite like the shock of a grey lock. As Philip Kingsley, a hair care specialist based in New York, told www.mothernature.com. 'If you're going gray, I guarantee you're not happy about it. I have seen tens of thousands of people over the years, and none of them wants gray hair. It can really make people feel old before their time.'
So it's not surprising that when style icons the likes of model Kate Moss and 13-year-old fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson are spotted around town with silver streaks in their hair, the paparazzi sit up and start snapping. While Hollywood celebrities continue to erase all signs of age, it's intriguing, not to mention perplexing, to uncover a group of young fashionistas thumbing their nose at it.
But is this really the case?
By its very definition, fashion is fickle, mercurial, superficial. In an industry where high expectations sit alongside haute couture, the point is to make a headline and a statement — in that order. Consider the recent use of 'bigger-sized' models on catwalks. Sure, names such as Karl Lagerfeld got in on the act, but the occasion was more about pushing the envelope than social boundaries.
Yet it's counterintuitive, and counterproductive, to blame our collective ageism on one industry regardless of how influential or insidious it may appear. While we look to fashion to tell us the latest trends, it merely reflects, rather than challenges, overriding attitudes.
And despite living in a rapidly ageing world (according to the United Nations the rate at which we are ageing worldwide is unprecedented) the overriding attitude towards growing older, in the