Would you ever see anything like this for women?

Piste

I thought the dell for women thread was really interesting and it got me thinking a lot lately about advertising and the tricks they use to catch certain demographics. Then on TV the other night an ad for this came on. It's a new hair dye for men called "touch" of gray, which lets men keep some of their natural gray because it makes them look "experienced". I was amazed. It seems like something Brasseye or The Onion would do to highlight the differences in marketing to men and women but this was astounding. I bet if any member of a marketing team said "hey here;s a great idea, why don't we create a hair dye for women that leaves part of the gray so they can look "experienced!" They'd be laughed out of the building.

I'm not sure what I'm getting at with this thread. It's not a rant or a compint or anything. I'm interested to know what people think about it. Could something like this ever be marketed to women or will we always go for hair dye that covers all gray?

It also raises interesting questions about which influences which; does the media influence our body image or does our body image influence the media? i.e. do companies try to sell us products that make us look younger, fitter, slimmer etc. because that's what they know we want, or so we want to look like that because they tell us to?

NINJA EDIT: ooh just saw the end of the ad there, "now I look like I know what I'm doing". Does this suggest people without grey hair (like women who dye their hair but could be of the same age) seem somehow less competant?

Otis Driftwood

My God,that is probably the most ridiculous yet brilliant thing I have ever seen.

Thanks for making my day Piste.

Piste

You're welcome! I could hardly believe it when I saw it too!

The_Conductor

I saw that add too- and had a laugh about it with the wifey. What are they trying to say? Grey hair somehow makes you 'more distinguished'? Most guys simply don't care. A neat and careful haircut means far more than the colour of one's hair.

They are barking up the wrong tree imho in Ireland. Perhaps they're trying to generate a new market- I don't believe the market exists at present......

stovelid

I worked for a company once where the CEO - an American man in his late forties to early fifties - had a strip of too-perfect, symmetrical grey on either side of a suspiciously black head of hair.

The_Conductor

stovelid wrote: »

I worked for a company once where the CEO - an American man in his late forties to early fifties - had a strip of too-perfect, symmetrical grey on either side of a suspiciously black head of hair.

Shudder- it sounds sleazy.......

phic

to be honest I'd imagine the reason for this product is that many men are embarrassed about colouring their hair as its seen as a feminine thing. By leaving the "touch of grey" it will be less noticeable they've coloured their hair, and they can kid themselves its different and more masculine than the way women colour their hair.
the "distinguished" bull**** is just because all this cannot be openly admitted or it defeats the whole purpose.
Seems to me like it's the men that are victims of gender roles here...just my take on the situation!

The_Conductor

phic wrote: »

men are victims of gender roles here...just my take on the situation!

Certainly true. Its far from being a recent phenomenon though- if you go back to Shakespearean plays- such as King Lear- it was considered significant to have 'an aged head' that commanded 'respect'.

Sure- its gender profiling- but its historic in nature- not a new phenonmenon......

Khannie

stovelid wrote: »

I worked for a company once where the CEO - an American man in his late forties to early fifties - had a strip of too-perfect, symmetrical grey on either side of a suspiciously black head of hair.

Instantly reminded me of this....

phic

smccarrick wrote: »

Certainly true. Its far from being a recent phenomenon though- if you go back to Shakespearean plays- such as King Lear- it was considered significant to have 'an aged head' that commanded 'respect'.

Sure- its gender profiling- but its historic in nature- not a new phenonmenon......

I'd completely agree with that and never said it was a new phenomenon! by their nature traditional gender roles, are well, traditional!
My point was that no you wouldnt see something like this marketed at women, and they weren't suggesting women who die their hair are imcompetent, but simply advertising a product that allows men to colour their hair and still feel "manly".

The_Conductor

phic wrote: »

I'd completely agree with that and never said it was a new phenomenon! by their nature traditional gender roles, are well, traditional!
My point was that no you wouldnt see something like this marketed at women, and they weren't suggesting women who die their hair are imcompetent, but simply advertising a product that allows men to colour their hair and still feel "manly".

Lots of people smile in exactly the same way at a woman popping a bottle of 'Nice-and-Easy' in the trolley- in exactly the same way as they would do for the insecure man who feels the need to use a product like this..... Its trying to appeal to a 'vanity' in people.

Btw- my old PO in work (who has since retired) has the most strikingly beautiful head of white hair- it suits her, is very dignified, and the very thought of her having anything other than white hair seems somehow wrong.

Don't know......

phic

smccarrick wrote: »

Lots of people smile in exactly the same way at a woman popping a bottle of 'Nice-and-Easy' in the trolley- in exactly the same way as they would do for the insecure man who feels the need to use a product like this..... Its trying to appeal to a 'vanity' in people.

yes, but the woman using "nice-and-easy" doesn't feel the need to leave a "touch of grey" in order to disguise the fact she has coloured her hair, which is what I believe the reasoning behind the product is!
It's far more socially acceptable for a woman to colour her har than a man IMO.

The_Conductor

phic wrote: »

yes, but the woman using "nice-and-easy" doesn't feel the need to leave a "touch of grey" in order to disguise the fact she has coloured her hair, which is what I believe the reasoning behind the product is!
It's far more socially acceptable for a woman to colour her har than a man IMO.

Its delibertly playing up on both insecurities and vanity- all in one. Its simultaneously 'showing your experience and energy' by hiding grey- but not all of it, in an identical way to a woman who likes to use 'highlights'...... Highlights disguise the fact that hair is dyed- as does this product....... Certainly its more socially acceptable for a woman to dye her hair than it is for a man- but simultaneously its far more socially acceptable for a man to wear a hair piece, than it is for a woman.......?

phic

smccarrick wrote: »

I think this product is specifically colouring grey- rather than trying to hide grey (perhaps I've got this wrong). When I saw the add- it was my impression that it was going to give you a touch of grey- not that you have grey already and are trying to hide it. So you're not leaving a touch of grey- you're creating it. Perhaps I really picked this up wrong?

your whole arguement makes a lot more sense to me now!
well, I had another look at the ad and the idea is to "cover some but not all of your grey", allegedly to retain your distinguished look, but really to hide your vanity methinks!
Would be almost impossible to create grey with a home kit like this anyway!

stovelid

Khannie wrote: »

Instantly reminded me of this....

Is that Harry Enfield or Data from Star Trek?

The_Conductor

phic wrote: »

your whole arguement makes a lot more sense to me now!
well, I had another look at the ad and the idea is to "cover some but not all of your grey", allegedly to retain your distinguished look, but really to hide your vanity methinks!
Would be almost impossible to create grey with a home kit like this anyway!

Mea culpa- I went back and had a look at the ad again...... I really picked it up wrongly.....

phic

smccarrick wrote: »

Its delibertly playing up on both insecurities and vanity- all in one. Its simultaneously 'showing your experience and energy' by hiding grey- but not all of it, in an identical way to a woman who likes to use 'highlights'...... Highlights disguise the fact that hair is dyed- as does this product....... Certainly its more socially acceptable for a woman to dye her hair than it is for a man- but simultaneously its far more socially acceptable for a man to wear a hair piece, than it is for a woman.......?

Hmm but I think far more women would admit to having highlights than men would admit to dying their hair? well as women don't tend to bald in the same way men do, but both genders grey, I wouldn't say thats really a valid comparison?

The_Conductor

phic wrote: »

Hmm but I think far more women would admit to having highlights than men would admit to dying their hair? well as women don't tend to bald in the same way men do, but both genders grey, I wouldn't say thats really a valid comparison?

Well- I am familiar with two older women who have a selection of wigs that they have modelled specifically for going out to 'do's'- men might wear hair pieces more in everyday life- but the real money is in womens wigs.

I agree with you- far more women would admit to getting highlights done than would men- with women to volunteer this information is seen as a sign of saying- 'look at and admire my hair- I've just had it done, and I am taking care of myself to look my best'. I am not suggesting its a vanity thing- simply that were men to do something similar- it would not be appreciated in the same manner. It would be a curiousity at best- but when a woman gets her hair done, its something different.

phic

smccarrick wrote: »

Well- I am familiar with two older women who have a selection of wigs that they have modelled specifically for going out to 'do's'- men might wear hair pieces more in everyday life- but the real money is in womens wigs.

I agree with you- far more women would admit to getting highlights done than would men- with women to volunteer this information is seen as a sign of saying- 'look at and admire my hair- I've just had it done, and I am taking care of myself to look my best'. I am not suggesting its a vanity thing- simply that were men to do something similar- it would not be appreciated in the same manner. It would be a curiousity at best- but when a woman gets her hair done, its something different.

But unless these womens wigs are to cover bald patches(which i'm not saying is impossible, but from your post I dont think thats what you meant?) then its not really the same thing as a mans hair piece?
By readily admitting to having highlights though, women aren't disguising the fact they've coloured their hair in the way the product encourages men to. Which is what I was saying about gender roles in the beginning...think we're arguing the same point here!

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

phic

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I agree, but by keeping some grey, he is avoiding being "found out"! It's nothing to do with being distinguished at all!

Otis Driftwood

stovelid wrote: »

I worked for a company once where the CEO - an American man in his late forties to early fifties - had a strip of too-perfect, symmetrical grey on either side of a suspiciously black head of hair.

Fagedabowdit.:D

amacachi

Grey hair? I may only be twenty but bring it on!*
But yeah, ridiculous ad, fairly sure from seeing characters on TV with that perfect bit of grey around the temples that it's been going on in America for a good number of years now.

*Nothing to do with me going bald so early and just wanting hair of any description.

The Sweeper

Well, think about the western perceptions of what is 'attractive' in both men and women.

Young, fit men are beautiful all right - but they come across as all cock and brawn, built but no brains. Youth and energy are attractive traits, but western men have moved the goalposts to suit themselves - success is attractive, so is power. You don't attain success or power until you're a bit older, so the ideal is this: stay fit, stay at an optimum weight, exude confidence and money, dress stylishly and radiate charisma - that's an attractive man.

If you've ever met a bloke who really works the above - and I mean really works it - they have a magnetism that far exceeds the cock and brawn blokes.

Hence this hair dye product appeals to that image - it fits with the profile of the sucessful older bloke. I mean, the less fortunate of us will see our first grey hairs in our 20s (me, for instance - runs in my family) but most of us have a few by our mid thirties! Still, you don't want to look 'past it', so you don't want your hair to go too grey.

The flip side is attractiveness for women - youth and beauty lead the way on this one. Hence women's hair colour products will always cover all of the grey - because you're aiming to stay looking young.

The possibility of older, successful women being attractive exists, but not in the same way as it does for men. Older women with money and power are attractive, but also a little threatening - and often times they're praised if they're "40 but look 20".

spinandscribble

mmmmh grey hair on fellas. oooh silver streaks lovely

okay, gushing aside, i think it looks lovely when women have a similar look of salt and pepper. hopefully i'll go grey in great streaks like my dad and not skunk/rogue from xman chucks at random points in my head.

stovelid

nedtheshed wrote: »

Fagedabowdit.:D

You know, I never once thought of this.

The old boss used to wear leather loafers with no socks too. Not quite the Paulie white ones, but close.