There's an article in the latest edition of Elle magazine about "how to get long, beautiful hair fast." Out of curiosity I read it, and it started out sensible, about how the author (Ruth Shalit) longed to have long luscious hair for her wedding. She talked about all the "thickening creams, volume mists, protectants, humectants...and vitamins" she tried, but how "after a full year of trying to grow out my hair" she was still at shoulder-length. When her stylist suggested perhaps she'd reached her  terminal length, I just had to shake my head. Terminal length at the shoulders?? Well, no wonder she's having problems, with all the chemical junk she'd loaded on it! And after just one year, what do you expect anyway?

Her solution was hair extensions, which in her case with limited time before her wedding makes fine sense (though it did cost her $3K!). What bothers me is how the article reinforces the lies and misconceptions concerning hair in fashion today. Like thinking you can grow healthy thick hair from above the shoulders to below BSL in a year, while attacking it with every sort of chemical product. One would think in today's health-conscious society people would be more aware of the effect of such treatment on hair.
The author also described how she deceived her fiance about getting the extensions (he wanted her to be herself and be real for their wedding, so she got real hair extensions & told him the miraculous growth was "vitamins"). That's not just deceitful, that's selfish. Besides, being authentic is much more beautiful & inspiring no matter what length your hair's at.

Extensions are fine for a quick fix, but if you want long hair you can really enjoy, it takes time, patience and effort - not high ideals and expensive products. Live with what you have now, but save the money and wait an extra couple years to earn (not buy!) something beautiful and natural.

Anyway, that's my opinion and advice to the author. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Before, women had beautiful hair and wrinkled face. Nowadays they have smooth face and their hair is frizzed. Things change, but do they develop?  ::)

I absolutely agree with you, Cairn. Growing hair is a project- I've started to think it as hobby. It involves gathering knowledge, changing one's attitude towards hair, acquisition of new habits and much more. The long term goal- long, beautiful hair takes long time to achieve, but even before that the hair rewards its caretaker by being healthy and shiny. I wish my hair was longer, but even now I'm proud of it. Compared to what it was when I changed my habits, the development has been huge- in just a few months.

About lying...I think Cosmopolitan type of magazines encourage that sort of behavior, that it's ok and even fun to lie to your close people about "minor" things.
As a philosopher, I must say that lying is always bad, and it is primarily bad for the person who does it. In my view it makes her character worse, and if one's character isn't in good shape, she is also unable to be happy. In some, very rare situations lying might be least bad of two bad choices, but that doesn't make it good even in that case. If lying is so harmful, isn't it extra stupid to lie in a situation where it is not absolutely necessary? For me, lying and its concequences aren't a source of amusement. In this case, I think that that lady has just managed to reveal her inner ugliness to everyone who reads this article with a thought.

Her fiance must be neither observant nor a hair lover. That someone who saw her daily wouldn't notice the sudden appearance of length is unlikely. But he would notice when he ran his hands through her hair, you can feel the extensions.

But maybe she has him trained to keep his hands out of her hair, so as not to mess up her hard work.

How long do you think THAT marriage will last?  How stupid does she think her husband is?  

I would have thought that someone intelligent enough to be writing articles for Elle, and doing research to get the longest hair possible in the shortest time, would have found that the average hair grows 1/2 inch per month.  Adding topical concoctions will not cause hair to grow at miracle levels.

Of course, the stylist should also be blamed for allowing her to think she might even achieve extreme growth in a short period of time.  But then, the stylist probably had the motive of encouraging her, then telling her she was at her terminal length so that she would make the money for putting in the extensions (or at least a referral fee).

I guess that article is just one more reason why I don't read those magazines.

I skimmed through the article  whilst waiting in line at
the checkout stand.  i lost interest when I saw she got
extensions and lied about it.  I agree 100% with Galadriel about the lying issue, even if it is a "minor"thing.

some people have really no idea how quickly hair can grow lol.

i agree long beautiful hair is something you patiently grow and earn!  :P

wrote on Jan 20^th, 2005 at 10:37am:

How long do you think THAT marriage will last?  How stupid does she think her husband is?

It strikes me that he's pretty stupid, and they're made for each other. It's a match made in heaven.

wrote on Jan 20^th, 2005 at 8:04pm:

It strikes me that he's pretty stupid, and they're made for each other. It's a match made in heaven.

Hehehe...I agree.  ;D

Well if the marriage doesn't break up from lying about her hair, or complete oblivian to each other, it most certainly will if they can't talk about finances, and I'm thinking almost everyone should be discussing purchases of 3K w/ their SO's.  

wrote on Jan 20^th, 2005 at 5:08am:

About lying...I think Cosmopolitan type of magazines encourage that sort of behavior, that it's ok and even fun to lie to your close people about "minor" things. As a philosopher, I must say that lying is always bad, and it is primarily bad for the person who does it. In my view it makes her character worse, and if one's character isn't in good shape, she is also unable to be happy. [...] In this case, I think that that lady has just managed to reveal her inner ugliness to everyone who reads this article with a thought.

I googled the writer, Ruth Shalit; apparently she's also gained a good bit of disrespect over some shady journalism concerning affirmative action. Whatever happened to objective journalism?

On a similar note, the magazine also features an article about a wife coming to accept and allow - and even join in on - her husband's porn addiction. Good Lord, what is the world coming to.

I think that speaks for itself. This is why I don't read these magazines.


Quote:

Her fiance must be neither observant nor a hair lover. That someone who saw her daily wouldn't notice the sudden appearance of length is unlikely. But he would notice when he ran his hands through her hair, you can feel the extensions.

He did notice, actually, but didn't say anything until she brought it up on the day she went to get the extensions removed.

No wonder 50% of today's marriages end in divorce.

just 50%?   ???

Isn't 50% bad enough, Styg?

All I can say is the woman who wrote the article must be ignorant.. journalism my tush, she didn't do her research!  

I'd use the term "writer" around her lightly.

i was expecting worse with the easy chain marriage in Las Vegas   ;D  (or can one really not marry when being too drunk?)

I actually don't know about the divorce rate; I just said 50% because I seem to remember hearing that somewhere recently, but I could be way off.  ::)

My brother got married in Las Vegas about 15 years ago, and he's still married. When Britney got married in Las Vegas and had it annulled the same week, rumors were flying about the pharmaceuticals that may have induced such foolishness.

wrote on Jan 20^th, 2005 at 2:32am:

She talked about all the "thickening creams, volume mists, protectants, humectants...and vitamins" she tried, but how "after a full year of trying to grow out my hair" she was still at shoulder-length.

How long was her hair in the beginning, and exactly what are these topical agents?  These terms are vague.  Jojoba can be a protectant and humectant, one that I occasionally use, myself.  Protein treatments can add volume and protection to damaged hair, and vitamins can be a very good thing.

She didn't say...probably somewhere just above the shoulders. She didn't elaborate on what type of products she used either. It's certainly true that a lot of products can do good things for your hair, but using them to excess or incorrectly will only cause your hair more damage. And I'd guess that if she was expecting huge difference after one year, she was probably going crazy with the products hoping to get maximum results.