Copyright © 1999 Henrietta W. Hay
Hair!
July 9, 1999
Did you ever wonder why cats are covered with hair and we aren't; or
why some people are blondes and others are brunettes? Did you ever
wonder why some people spend hours every day taking care of their hair,
while others of us just run their fingers through it twice a day?
One interesting thing about aging that I have found is wondering about
stuff that really isn't very important -- like hair. But maybe hair is
really important after all.
I went to the Web to see what it had to say about hair and found far
more than I ever wanted to know. One interesting entry is
http://www.tlhs.org/extlng.html.
For the peace of mind of those
politicians who are worried about porno on the net, there is not a
single naked lady at that address, just fully dressed women with long,
very long hair. One woman's hair curled around her feet as she stood
tall and straight. There is a picture of an early frontierswoman with a
heavy braid down to her knees. I would think it might have interfered
with her ridin' and shootin', but apparently not. And then we have
Lady Godiva, who had enough hair to avoid sunburn.
Recently there have been a lot of short skits and ads on television
showing sitcom stars as they looked back in their early show business
days, and as they look today. Good physical maintenance and cosmetic
surgery can keep the faces from changing too much, but oh those
hairdos! You can tell the age by the hairdo. The men -- not the
hippies but the jocks -- have hair over their ears and bangs. The women
just have "hair," big hair.
Hairdos often define personalities. I'm not sure what she is trying to
say, but Dolly Parton brags about the many wigs she owns, and they are
all big and blonde. Dennis Rodman doesn't have wigs, but he has a hair
dresser with more colors than Crayola. Andre Agassi, whom we watched
last week at Wimbledon, solved his receding hairline problem by shaving
his head. He looks very handsome that way, certainly a lot better than
Jesse Ventura, who is definitely making a statement.
Back in the days when they couldn't find anything else to criticize
Hillary Clinton for, they complained that she changed her hairdo every
day. Elizabeth Dole stays consistent, but the public has never seen one
single hair out of its appointed place. Wonder how she does that!
Barbie doesn't have her personal hair dresser, but she has NEVER had a
bad hair day.
Some of the more interesting hairdos today are worn by women in
sports. Venus Williams is a fine tennis player, but is better known to
the public at large by the white beads she has strung on her cornrows.
With her black skin and her black hair, she is a spectacular sight.
Cornrows may have started with African American women, but they now
appear in all colors on all colors of hair. One of those things I
wonder about is how they make cornrows -- and why.
My favorite sports figures are women pro basketball players. Most of
those athletes have medium length hair tightly pulled back for the game
into a ponytail which sticks straight back.. When two teams dash up
court, there are 10 bouncing ponytails. The exceptions, like Cheryl
Swoopes, have very elaborate hairdos held in place by faith and
willpower.
As to the women we meet every day on the street, the hairdos are quite
varied. Personally I like the one worn by Stephanie Plum in Janet
Evanovich's new mystery, "...I took a shower shook my head with
the hopes that it would style my hair." As to color, well, only our
hairdressers know for sure. And they'll never tell.
I can't leave the subject without remembering that wonderful rock
musical "Hair" that I saw in New York in the 70's. It wasn't really
about hair, but rather about peace and love, but one song says it all:
Hair, hair, hair .....
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it.
My hair, hair, hair ......
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair.