Barbara Bush Example Seen as Liberation From Hair-Dyeing Trap
Does she or doesn’t she?
That was the question whispered to women from hair color ads a decade or so ago (only her hairdresser knew for sure).
But with Barbara Bush soon to be the first silver-haired First Lady since Bess Truman, the question has become, “Why doesn’t she?”
Why do some women stay gray while so many of their sisters dye, dye away?
For state Sen. Marian Bergeson, the answer is simple: “You base your priorities on what you’re doing. Dyeing your hair is very time-consuming. You can become a slave to that time requirement.”
Bergeson admits to having her silver hair “highlighted,” making it a little more blond in some areas. But that needs to be done only every 6 months, she says.
In general, Bergeson thinks women have begun to have a more casual attitude toward grayness. “For instance, I’ve noticed that many women television commentators are allowing their hair to gray. And with our new First Lady taking a more casual approach to her appearance, we’re going from what we’ve considered was a sophisticated elegance to a casual elegance. Men with gray hair have always been considered very distinguished looking. Maybe now we have arrived.”
Suzanne Peltason, wife of UC Irvine Chancellor Jack Peltason, agrees that tinting gray hair takes up too much time. “I’d rather be reading,” she says.
“I tried it a couple of years ago, and my hair kept turning orange. If I could get it to be a nice honey beige, I would dye it for 2 years--just for fun--and stop. It would just be too much effort to keep it up.”
Peltason is reluctant to equate grayness with maturity. “I know some very silly gray-haired women,” she says. And as for gray hair being some kind of symbol, a synonym for wisdom or good breeding, Peltason says, “I don’t think it symbolizes anything.”
“It’s just more trouble to be what you are not than what you are. And I’ve been married 42 years and have marvelous children who are successes in the world. If I tried to hide my age, I couldn’t tell people about that. There are just too many things about the length of my life that I’m proud to talk about.”
For community activist Marilyn Nielsen, having gray hair also means having to spend less time in the beauty parlor. “But my hairdresser and I decided that if you have gray hair, you can’t have a gray hair cut . No Leisure World bubble!
“I keep my hair short. I don’t want to emphasize those hanging down lines (lots of laughter here).
“I guess it’s a matter of confidence. I’m a confident person and hair doesn’t matter so much. I’m surrounded by people who know me, who care about me, and who don’t care at all what color my hair is. Come to think of it, when I’m analyzing what I think about people, the color of their hair never occurs to me.”
Laguna Beach arts volunteer Betty Kemp, sister-in-law of Jack Kemp (George Bush’s designated secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department), also says that having gray hair keeps her from spending too much time in the “shop.” “I just get in and out of there as fast as I can. I don’t like spending time on myself. There are so many more interesting things to do.”
But Betty Kemp has something else going for her grayness. Her husband, Tom, became gray when he was 18, she says. “So I’ve been in good company for a long time.”
“Frankly, I’ve always liked gray hair,” says Emma Jane Riley, wife of County Supervisor Tom Riley. “I’ve never felt older in my gray hair. Being gray is OK!”
Carrying the Torch: Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his wife, Ginny, sat with producer David Wolper last weekend at the presentation of the TV Hall of Fame awards in Los Angeles. Wolper was among the award recipients, and Peter was one of his presenters. “We really enjoyed being with David,” said Ginny, who resides with her husband in Emerald Bay. “We think the world of him!” As you must recall, Wolper orchestrated the phantasmagoric opening and closing of the 1984 Olympics for his good friend, Olympics organizer Peter Ueberroth.
Up and Coming: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and business giant Marvin Davis, part owners of the Sports Club/Irvine, will attend the club’s kickoff celebration on Thursday. Talk about a social whirl. Davis plans to arrive, avec pals, in a helicopter (word’s out they will spin down from Los Angeles and land, not at John Wayne, but thrillingly close to the tent that will be erected for the occasion). The club is expected to open this summer. . . .
Watch for Tiffany & Co. at South Coast Plaza to toss a very chic cocktail party in March to benefit UC Irvine’s Fine Arts Gallery. Gene Moore, designer of window displays for Tiffany in the Big Apple, plans to attend and create some whimsical windows for the party. Who says apples and oranges don’t mix?
