SBGradMag Stony Brook's Graduate Student Magazine

I wandered through the aisles of a popular convenience store the other day while waiting for my allergy prescription to be filled when I came upon a vast expanse of hair color treatments. I of course have no problem with people dying their hair, but why all these adds that promise to ‘cover-your-gray’? "What’s wrong with gray hair?" I thought to myself. But more to the point, why are so many 21st century American women so utterly obsessed with retaining youth?

In many cultures, elders are respected most. They are looked upon for wisdom and they provide guidance. They are waited on as they take their places as matriarchs or patriarchs. In societies like the ones I describe, gray hairs, even if they arrive prematurely, are a sign of great wisdom. Quite obviously, though, this kind of attitude towards aging differs greatly from our own.

Here, we are quick to cover up or color those stray gray hairs. But why is that? Maybe it’s because we're a bit backwards culturally. In America, we idolize the young instead of the old. I mean, really, what does some 17-year-old winkle-free teeny-bopper know about life? What sound advice will she provide? Has she lived through troubled times and seen her loved ones rise above hardship? Maybe yes, but probably not.

My question remains: Why go through all the trouble of covering gray hairs? To look younger, of course. But, wait: why do we want this retrograde motion? Isn’t the whole purpose of life to move forward somehow? Why are we so captivated by youth that we so desire to dwell in it perpetually, ignoring the value of journeys we’ve taken and lessons we’ve learned, ignoring the relationships that we’ve forged over our long (or relatively long) lifetimes?

My advice is this: Next time you see someone with a mop of gray hair or just some strands, don’t think they’re old without thinking about all the experiences and journeys they must have had to get to the place they are in life. Maybe then you’ll begin to appreciate those magnificent silver streaks that garnish your own hair as evidence wisdom as opposed to merely evidence of age.

By Eman Penn