Even though everyone around them seemed to be embracing the trend, singer Cher and TV anchor Kelly Ripa are determined they will never expose their gray hair amid the ongoing discussion about whether or not to embrace it. Fans’ sentiments were split, with some firmly supporting Ripa and Cher and others categorically rejecting them.
Cher, real name Cherilyn Sarkisian, is a well-known singer, actress, and TV personality with a more than five-decade-long career. She has been dubbed the “Goddess of Pop” and is well-known for representing female autonomy in a male-dominated field.
She gained notoriety after she and well-known musician Sonny Bono sang the duet “I Got You Babe” for each other in 1965, becoming one of the most renowned couples of the 20th century.
Following their breakup, Cher made her acting debut in the independent drama “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” which was followed by a string of noteworthy pictures.
She is successful in every area of her life, including her profession and love life, but she has never really accepted aging. She admitted that she detested getting older in a Guardian interview. She revealed:
I’m going to state that I enjoy [aging? Not at all. Sincere women will always admit that it’s not as much fun.
She admitted, at the age of 76, that becoming older was preventing her from maintaining her prior way of life. She added that while she used to work two concerts a night and then go out dancing all night, this is no longer feasible.
She acknowledged that while she doesn’t mind experimenting with daring cosmetic and fashion choices, she will never let her hair turn gray.
Cher asserts that her distinctive jet-black locks would remain in style despite the fact that several stars experimented with the natural gray hair look during the pandemic. She says to People: “Other girls don’t mind when you go gray. I just won’t do it!”
Kelly Ripa, the star of “The Stand In,” was one actress who first accepted the gray hair in its natural state throughout the pandemic. The ensuing closure of all non-essential enterprises made going to the salon for touch-ups all but impossible when the pandemic struck and individuals were forced to maintain social distance.
Ripa, who co-hosts the program “Live with Kelly and Ryan” with Ryan Seacrest, started a weekly series called #rootwatch, which is typically posted to her Instagram Stories, to chronicle her hair progress and problems. She frequently made fun of her graying hair while displaying closeups of her contrasting blonde strands.
In a subsequent episode of her show with her husband of 23 years, Mark Consuelos, as a guest host, she poked fun of the gray hair situation. As it turned out, Consuelos liked the natural appearance of his wife’s gray hair. He gushed about his wife and said:
“I must admit that when I see you in the morning, I think it looks lovely. I enjoy it. I’m eager for the time when it will only be entirely gray.”
At the same time, Ripa talked about how the graying had changed the texture of her hair. She admitted in her conversation with Seacrest that gray hair was more wired and tended to stick up. She would use hair clips to assist smooth out the unruly gray strands to counteract that.
She admitted to spray-painting her grays brown to match her hair, to which a perplexed Seacrest responded that he could not tell the difference because her hair was all blonde. That’s great. That’s really great. All of this is a part of my evil scheme to deceive you. Ripa replied back.
Cher first gave the impression that she was comfortable telling her followers about her journey back to her hair roots, but after she revealed this, things changed. Later, Ripa acknowledged that she had never intended to let her gray hair grow out to the point where it would be obvious.
In a recent episode of their popular morning program, she admitted to always using hair spray to cover up her roots, telling Seacrest: “During the early days of the pandemic, I had embraced my gray hair privately,” adding:
While using brown eyeshadow to give my roots a color that wasn’t Santa Clause white in public.
She acknowledged that she agreed with Cher’s opinions regarding gray hair, claiming that she needed her hair coloured and did not fit the new trend of ladies exhibiting their gray.
However, she urged other women to embrace their natural hair color if they so desired, noting that she believed other women looked fantastic with it and that it all relied on the choice and preference of the person.
After Ripa endorsed Cher’s stance on never letting her hair gray by declaring that she was #TeamCher and #TeamAntiGray, supporters flocked to the scene in droves. Many others, though, disagreed.
Kimberly Harris Martell stated in a comment in support of the motion that she went natural two years ago and still loves it. She said that doing so allowed her to get rid of pollutants from her life and saved her a ton of money on salon expenses.
Mary Lynn Best, who argued that gray hair is attractive and who let her own do its own thing, was another proponent of going gray. Many others favored going natural, while some joined Cher and Ripa in declaring they preferred to hide their gray hair.
Jackie Gess defended Ripa and Cher, stating that she would never let her gray hair grow out due to the textural difference in particular. She admitted that she enjoyed getting her hair tinted because it improved her self-esteem.
Sherrie Swilley-Stroup, another admirer, declared that she detested having gray hair on her and was in the no-gray camp. She penned:
“It makes me sad. I won’t ever allow it to spread out.”
The best part about it is that it is a personal preference, and one could do whatever they desired with their hair, natural or dyed, despite the differences in opinion on whether or not to grow the grays.
