Hi Neighbor,
Today I saw something you don’t see every day. A woman with Day-Glo, sprayed -on pink hair. Well, you do see such people, mainly young hipsters, grunge types or local Bryn Mawr girls going through a phase. Occasionally older somethings as the trend has leached into mainstream. To each their own, I say. It’s just not for me. The last thing I need is a neon sign on my head of hair which I have never managed to corral into a discernible “do.”
But the thing you don’t see every day is an old lady with Day-Glo sprayed-on pink hair. And by old, I mean old, old. She was coming out of the medical building I was about to enter, ambulating as slow as molasses with a walker. I don’t mean to disparage bag ladies, there but for the grace of …but to be honest, she was pushing the envelope. A few notches away from shabby and not shabby chic.
I was happy to see in my quick pass by that the woman was accompanied, by a man whose age I couldn’t discern as my eyes were blinded by pink, pink and more pink. He who might have been her husband or son was sporting a white as snow ponytail. Of course he would, I thought.
Up in the waiting room of my doctor’s office I sat and thought this through. I’ll admit the demographics and the visuals were jarring in their incongruity. At what point I wondered, did this woman decide, let’s do this this? On which morning did she wake up and say dammit I need a change and this is what she landed on? Did she consider other color choices? Neon green? Neon blue? What exactly tipped the scales? Did she order online from Amazon or call around to see what stores carried the product? Did she walker it over to CVS and peruse the hair product aisles?
I wondered also about her home life. Would I be surprised if she and Hubby or Sonny toked up while listening to Grateful Dead albums? Going strictly by looks alone she looked more like a Lawrence Welk fan. The question, the existential question upon which I speculated is what in this woman’s life brought her to this point, at age eighty plus, to spray paint her hair pink?
I’ll never know, of course. All I can say is bold move, M’lady, bold move.
Be well and be kind,
Susan
I get her completely. At some point in old age, the realization sets in that we are mostly invisible. We just blend in like brown leaves in a colorful, Fall forest. Why would anyone bother to notice us? Neon Pink hair lady wanted the world to know that she’s still here and still has something to contribute, even if it’s just getting others to stop and take a second look. I get her!!
I get her completely. At some point in old age, the realization sets in that we are mostly invisible. We just blend in like brown leaves in a colorful, Fall forest. Why would anyone bother to notice us? Neon Pink hair lady wanted the world to know that she’s still here and still has something to contribute, even if it’s just getting others to stop and take a second look. I get her!!
View lessMore power to her! She just has no more Fs to give – I wish we could all feel that way earlier in our lives. I’m surprised her walker wasn’t blinged out, too. lol
More power to her! She just has no more Fs to give – I wish we could all feel that way earlier in our lives. I’m surprised her walker wasn’t blinged out, too. lol
View lessClearly you are not an artist 😉 I was born an artist and we love playing life by our own rules. I used to have dark purple hair and it was beautiful. I was 45 when I dyed it purple. Then it faded to pink and now it’s my typical blonde simply bc it’s easier to upkeep. I paint, I make magic wands and sell them in local shops and gallery exhibits. I live an unorthodox life bc life is more fun
View moreClearly you are not an artist 😉 I was born an artist and we love playing life by our own rules. I used to have dark purple hair and it was beautiful. I was 45 when I dyed it purple. Then it faded to pink and now it’s my typical blonde simply bc it’s easier to upkeep. I paint, I make magic wands and sell them in local shops and gallery exhibits. I live an unorthodox life bc life is more fun that way. I always wondered why so many people play by the rules instead of coloring their world however they like. I guess I will never know.
View less