[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/the-empowering-act-of-going-grey\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/the-empowering-act-of-going-grey\/","headline":"The empowering act of going grey","name":"The empowering act of going grey","description":"Fifty shades of grey. While some people show theirs off in a chic way, others claw their way to the salons for cover-ups. One such person who conceals her silvery highlights is 44-year-old business research assistant Desiree Yaw. She routinely dyes her hair once every three weeks for 10 years, saying that the white strands […]","datePublished":"2021-09-01","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Jia%20Xin%20Gan\/#Person","name":"Jia Xin Gan","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Jia%20Xin%20Gan\/","identifier":329,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d72dfdef589d4a1f38c564a710e331df0007b449053e5eee9d1ce9a08422663e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d72dfdef589d4a1f38c564a710e331df0007b449053e5eee9d1ce9a08422663e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1630459189262_Canva_1280x626.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1630459189262_Canva_1280x626.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/the-empowering-act-of-going-grey\/","about":["Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":1268,"keywords":["Ageing","dyeing","grey","hair","local","silver","white"],"articleBody":"Fifty shades of grey.While some people show theirs off in a chic way, others claw their way to the salons for cover-ups.One such person who conceals her silvery highlights is 44-year-old business research assistant Desiree Yaw. She routinely dyes her hair once every three weeks for 10 years, saying that the white strands stand out like a sore thumb, making her \u201cfeel messy, untidy and unglamorous.\u201d It does not help that she has been remarked to look so every time her white hair peeks out from under her black.Until she retires at the age of 60 to 65, she says she has no intention to stop dyeing her hair.Ms Yaw is not the only one doing so and Bee Choo Ladies, one of the most successful local Bee Choo outlets, can attest to that.Co-founder Crispin Francis says its herbal treatment for oily scalp and white hair, which turns the white into copper-red, is the most highly sought after service.\u00a0He believes that wanting their beauty to last is what drives 30 to 40 percent of his customers to return monthly for touch ups on their white hair. \u201cNot that they need to, but they prefer to,\u201d he says.Self-presentation at the workplaceAnother reason for hiding the whites is the belief that silver strands appearing beneath black hair is not becoming of a professional at the workplace.Mr Francis says a customer\u2019s profession usually helps determine the kind of treatment she seeks and undergoes at Bee Choo Ladies.\u00a0He says a customer, who is a doctor, usually chooses the colourless treatment that leaves her white strands as they are because she does not wish to have coloured highlights in her hair.\u00a0Going grey has its perks too, especially when it is taken to mean the person is older, mature and experienced. It is no wonder some women choose to make the leap and look better than they have ever been.Celebrities like Andie MacDowell, Helen Mirren and Jodie Foster hit the red carpet with \u2018silver fox\u2019 hair at the Cannes film festival in July this year (2021).Stars are embracing their natural locks at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. (Photo source: Vogue)In Singapore, former model Nora Tien and TV actress Hong Huifang have stopped colouring their hair and letting the grey grow out.This has also been the case for 31 year-old Ava, who declined to give her full name. Ava teaches drama and this puts her in direct contact with students, school teachers and parents, many of whom she feels, tend not to give young people the time of day.\u00a0Ava, who looks much younger than her 31 years, and having to wear comfortable clothes in order to show movement during her classes has robbed her of any imposing demeanour, she says.\u00a0But letting her greys grow out has, she feels, given her an air of seniority and she has been taken seriously by others.Ms Yaw, on the other hand, says while her workplace is not bothered with the appearance of silver hair, \u00a0it is she herself who is still compelled to cover up. \u201cI want to look presentable and not want white hair to stick out when I meet my managers and colleagues.\u201dThe concerns for greying can extend beyond being self-aware of one\u2019s appearance. At some workplaces, for instance, greys or signs of aging can have far reaching consequences.\u00a0It is found consistently in studies examining how older adults are stereotyped that this group tends to be seen as less competent, capable and intelligent than younger counterparts.\u00a0A survey on \u201cAgeism in the Workplace\u201d by Randstad Singapore had found that two in three respondents, aged above 55 years old, feel deprived of training opportunities and further career growth as they age, and that attempting to look younger is important for professional advancement.While greying hair gives off seniority, for many, it is something undesirable to be covered up. (Photo source: Canva)No more battle to keep the greys at bay\u00a0For some, greying comes early \u2014 when they are in their 20s and 30s. At Bee Choo Ladies, two in five customers seeking treatment for white hair are below 35. \u201cThey could have five, six strands of hair and they [are] already [coming in for treatment],\u201d says Mr Francis.For Ava, her first grey appeared when she was 23. \u201cI guess I was surprised, and thought that it\u2019ll just go away after a while. But when [the white strands] really started to grow out, I tried to pluck them and had people do it for me too. Even my hairdressers would initiate it,\u201d she says.\u201cApparently, [aging] is a bad thing,\u201d she muses.\u201cFor those with premature greying hair, it seems to be a real problem. They get very stressed because any white hair that grows out will stay white forever,\u201d Mr Francis says. This is because once a hair follicle stops producing melanin, the pigment giving colour to hair, the change is permanent.Financial adviser Jacinta Klassen, 39, has been bleaching her hair for the past nine years. She says when she made the switch to an industry that gave her the liberty to colour her hair, she has not turned back since. \u201cI really liked how my personality and style came through with the simple change of the colour of my hair.\u201dHer platinum blonde hair has been well received by people around her, with many commenting that the colour suited her. \u201cMany of my customers do like the style, and they say I\u2019m brave to try [out] the colour [that] everyone is trying to cover,\u201d she says.In Singapore, former model Nora Tien (left) and TV actress Hong Huifang (right) are among local celebrities who have stopped colouring their hair and letting the grey grow out. (Photo source: @nora.tien and @honghuifang \/ Instagram)Mr Francis says unlike men, women \u201cprobably can\u2019t get away with saying things like, \u2018I want to look older, I think it\u2019s nicer, I look more mature.\u2019\u201d\u201cBut if it was a guy, and he\u2019s a doctor or lawyer and [has] silver hair, he will actually look distinguished,\u201d he says, adding that male customers are therefore more inclined to opt for the colourless herbal treatment that allows them to keep their grey and white hair.As important as being presentable might be to some, perhaps society might do better with placing less emphasis on how people look, and base their self-worth and esteem on something more substantial instead.Ava says she has tried them all \u2013 plucking, dyeing, herbal treatment. But she has since stopped. Encouraged by colleagues and friends that grey hair suits her, she is finally embracing her natural look.Yet, family members and even her parents continue to advise her to \u201cdo something about it\u201d. Today, she is no longer affected by their comments and lets their words fall on deaf ears.To inspire positive outlooks on aging and raise funds for mainly low-income patients, St Luke\u2019s Hospital has gone a step further and spearheaded the #GoSilverSG social media campaign. The drive releases a filter that colours the hair silver to portray how one might look in their golden years. The campaign is part of the hospital\u2019s \u201cCelebrating Silver\u201d initiative, showcasing stories of older adults living their best lives and defying general stereotypes of aging.Ms Klassen feels that \u201cgrey and white hair is beautiful on anyone, especially with a full head of [it].\u201d Afterall, having a head full of white hair is better than having no hair.Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The empowering act of going grey","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/the-empowering-act-of-going-grey\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]