Easy to Spot in a Crowd

I watched Oprah the other day, which is my own guilty pleasure. Oprah featured the Dove Pro*Age models, over-50 women who posed nude in a Dove ad campaign. They were beautiful, and many of them had gray hair.

The very next segment was called "Turning Back the Clock" and featured, among others, make-up maven Bobbi Brown. When asked what was the most effective anti-aging tool, Bobbi pooh-poohed plastic surgery, Botox, and injectable fillers, then gave a two word answer: "hair color." I guess those Dove models could look a lot younger if they dyed.

Disclaimer: I am a slightly vain 46 year old woman who has had gray hair (now almost white) for nearly ten years.

Here's the truth:
1. People can't tell how old I am, and they usually guess older. In fact, more than once, someone (usually a complete stranger) has asked, "Do you have prematurely gray hair, or do you just have amazing skin?" I always smile and say, "Both."

2. My partner says this means that I will look the same at seventy as I do now, and no one will ever figure out how old I am. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

3. My children never want me to dye my hair. For a long time I thought it was because they liked it, but recently I learned that my hair makes me easy to spot in a crowd or in the bleachers at a game. At least it's practical.

4. The first time my sister, Beth, saw me with gray hair, she burst into tears, not because she didn't like it, but because it reminded her of our father, who died much too young. He had a shining white head, a ready wit, and a huge heart. So, I think I'll keep the gray hair.