Letters: Shades of gray

Thank you so much for your article [“A Wealth of Silver,” July 11]! I am one of the many women who was encouraged and supported to liberate myself from “coloring my hair hell” because of the wonderful website https://www.goinggraylookinggreat.com.

Diana Jewell, thank you for your awesome website that lends credence to the desires of so many women to live their truth: We have gray hair! We are not gray people!

Thanks to Image for putting a light on the small world of women who embrace the truth of who we are and who are not afraid to look our personal best no matter what our natural hair color.

And thanks to Jewell for giving voice to all of us who have been liberated from this false sense of beauty. I believe that truly wise women know, it’s not your hair color that makes you beautiful. It’s your heart and soul that brings beauty to your face.

Jill McKeon

Culver City

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About 20 years ago, the New York Times ran a similar article. At that time, I was around 50 and had been prematurely gray (since I was 20). At first [I] dyed my locks to a raven (which had been my natural color). Then as I grew older, I was an ash blond.

After reading that article, which was mostly about professional women going gray to white, I let my ash grow out and am now a proud white-haired old lady.

I still receive many compliments whenever I go to the beauty salon for haircuts. It was so pleasant to read your article.

Victoria Seibert

North Hollywood

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Obviously, you are young and employed.

Try going on an interview as a female in your 50s with gray-silver hair. No employer will look past your silvery mane even though you are well-qualified for the position and look presentable to boot.

You only mentioned certain celebrities in your article who are willing to let their gray-silver mane down. It would have been a whole lot better if you were more broad-minded in your article and demonstrated how “real” women with gray-silver hair have to compete for jobs with women who color their hair.

Interesting to also note that men don’t have to color their hair and it is also acceptable for them to have a beer belly, and be bald and not that great-looking, but if a woman looked that way she could forget [about] getting hired.

Liz Brown

Los Angeles

Female hat wearersstand out in a crowd

You ask “Anyone Can Wear a Hat, Yes?” [July 4]. Actually, no! To wear hats seriously — feathered, frilled or veiled — a woman needs hat-itude. It’s a mind-set that announces: “I love looking feminine. I enjoy being admired. I’m delighted you noticed. I’m approachable.”

And, for those of us who wear them all the time, there’s no such thing as a bad hair day!

Barbara D. Mayer

Encino

‘Manguage’is worth keeping

Great article [“Drop the Man-Act,” June 20]. Really, it is. But, consider that we still have terms such as chairwoman, women’s basketball, female doctor, congresswoman.

So a little “mandal” here and a “murse” or two there? All we’re doing is highlighting gender across the board and having a little fun while we do.

Shira Tarrant

Co-editor, “Fashion Talks”

(SUNY Press, forthcoming)