Happy birthday, Missy Elliott, Kristen Bell, Sandra Oh, and ...
The art of growing gray • Introducing Midst Merch!
Grey’s Anatomy: The politics, science, and art of growing grey
“Like so many, I stopped dying my hair at the beginning of the pandemic. Not by choice at first,” said Christine Wolf, 43, a motion picture editor (above). “But once I realized how much grey hair I had, I thought I would give it a go.”
Thus began one of the biggest beauty trends over the past few years — a move toward natural hair color, and for some of us in our 40s and older, that means grey.
“When Covid hit and we were in lockdown, I decided that was the time to go all out,” shared Mia Beckman, 51, jewelry designer, metalsmith, and mother. “I can’t believe the number of women that stop and compliment me and say that they wish they were ‘brave’ enough to go grey, too.”
“Bravery” may seem like an odd word choice for natural hair color. But many of us know by now that any visible (or internal) change to our bodies, especially when it comes to aging, is a potential commodity, headline, or social statement.
The politics of going grey
In August 2022, news hit the waves that Canadian award-winning TV anchor Lisa LaFlemme reportedly lost her 35-year tenure at CTV, under Bell Media, because she stopped dying her hair. The public quickly condemned the media empire for sexism, discrimination — and most notably, ageism — for going grey.
The unbalanced response to women “transitioning” versus men is a tale as old as time: George Clooney is a silver fox, while Sarah Jessica Parker is a tabloid headline. Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell responded that Bell Media, who fired LaFlemme, “confirmed one sad truth: Even after all the progress women have made, they continue to face sexism and ageism at work every day” (nytimes.com).
The public responded. Social media had an uproar. And an open letter, signed by a who’s who of Canadian arts, business and politics stated that LaFlamme was a ratings leader for the company “until one thing changed: the colour of her hair” (torontosun.com). Brands quickly followed suit.
Sophia Bush was born July 8, 1982
Kristen Bell was born July 18, 1980
Sandra Oh was born July 20, 1971
Maya Rudolph was born July 27, 1972
Lisa Kudrow was born July 30, 1963
Introducing Midst merch!
I finally got around to creating the merch that’s been in my head for a coupla years now. Let me know whatcha think! — Amy Cuevas Schroeder
The Midst Unisex Oversized Boxy Tee, $29
Sorry, Brain Fog Embroidered Sporty Cap, multiple colors, $33
Embroidered B.C. Before Coffee Unisex Heavy Blend™ Hooded Sweatshirt, multiple colors, $55
Hardcore Adulting Tote Bag, 16” x 16”, $22.45
In response to our new series, Change Is The Only Constant, starring Terri Trespicio:
“This is one of the best things I've read on The Midst so far.
It resonates for me at this time in my life. I'm separating from my husband of 18 years, and I teared up when I read about ‘The (choices) that require that you be willing to lose the self you were, for the self that might be born in the act of choosing.’”
— , Midst subscriber
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