Going Gray - 9780316166621

When 49-year-old Anne Kreamer saw a horrifying photo of her harshly dyed brown hair, she realized she wasn't kidding anyone. So she set out a plan: over the next few months she would give up her weekly visits to the salon and let her hair go its natural way. The result is Going Gray: an exploration of that experience and a frank, funny, and unflinchingly wise investigation of aging today. Through interviews, experiments, and surprising personal acounts, Kreamer probes the issues behind two of the biggest fears mature women face: Can I be sexually attractive as a gray-haired middle-aged woman? and Will I be discriminated against in the work world? In searching for the balance between attrectiveness and authenticity, Kreamer offers an entertaining and valuable look at the politics and personal costs of our definition of "aging gracefully."