American Beauty
I was discussing the concept of “blonderexia” with one of the colorists at Tribeca the other day and realized a sad truth about Western society’s addiction to blondes. First of all many Americans are “Blonderexic” which is the “medical term” 😉 that pertains to a person that can never be too blonde. To these sick individuals, white is the only shade of blonde and even when every hair is shredded into bits by caustic bleach, they want to go “lighter and brighter”. They then will travel from salon to salon in search of the colorist that will pull their already trashed locks though a cap for one more go around since they got fired from their last stylist. So ultimately I ponder, WHY? The real question in America is WHY NOT?
Why shouldn’t a girl want to be blonde? Listen to the terminology we use when discussing blondes. Platinum blondes, Golden blondes, Silver blondes and now Titanium blonde is the latest precious metal. What young lady doesn’t love a little bling? How about our most famous blondes? Marilyn, Marlena, Grace…Gwen, Madonna, GaGa…Anyone under the age of 30 living in the Playboy Mansion…All the girls that have fun are blonde.
From the way we describe our blondes, to the the fame our blondes share, we are a society obsessed with blonding. Now I won’t say that there is anything wrong with blondes, I’ve built my career on them; but our obsession with lightness versus healthy is horrifying.
A young woman came in for a consultation the other day; (which is always free at Tribeca) her natural hair was a dark blonde, but she had about two inches of golden orange hair abruptly transitioning to white frizz. No kidding. Horrible white cotton candy that looked like it would be more at home inside a stuffed animal versus on a human head. After discussing with her some of my ideas, it was quite evident that the color of the frizz was the only acceptable tone. She was unwilling to cut off the frizz and was quite put back by the price of a color correction, even though the $14 deep conditioner option was completely brushed off as soon as it was mentioned.
To this end, I realized that even though she said she was looking for professional advise, none would be taken, I wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear. She wanted me to tell her that she could have hair down to her ass, a gleaming white blonde and get it by applying her $2.99 box color at home. It’s impossible and sad.
So what are we to do? Tell your young dark haired daughter that she has beautiful tresses. Tell yourself that your dishwater blonde will look great with just a little bit of brightness around the face instead a full on bleaching. Remember that brunettes are “rich” and “complex”. Think about how bronze and copper are valuable. Consider how shiny healthy hair truly should be your goal. No matter how light you want to get, frizz and dull brittle hair are unattractive and unhealthy.
Turn to your colorist for advice on how to break the blonderexic lifestyle. With some time and therapy you will be on the road to recovery! Remember Tribeca always offers free consultations, and our level system meets any budget. Call us at 813-242-4080 in Ybor or 813-250-0208 in South Tampa.