Something strange has been happening to me lately: Women in the street have been telling me I'm brave.
My act of courage isn't much—I just stopped coloring my hair. I had brown hair that started going gray when I was 30. So, like a lot of women, I started dyeing it. It was expensive and time-consuming. And my hair grew fast, so I needed to go back to the hair salon every 5 weeks.
Many people seem to enjoy holding onto their youth for as long as possible, giving the impression that they don't have much wisdom or many accomplishments. But our hair starts to turn gray and suddenly we start spending $ 500 or more a year to cover something our male colleagues don't need to cover.
Of course, people should do what they want with their own body—my mother is 91 and still has "blond" hair, and why not? I just wish more of us would feel that it was OK to be ourselves, because going gray has done more for me than saving me time and money.
I like my natural hair, just as it is. I like how it has got curly and full again. It is recovering after years of being damaged by chemicals. I also like that it has given me some needed attitude in a society that makes youth seem so important, while being against maturity. It reminds me that I'm not a kid anymore—and this isn't a bad thing. Not being a kid anymore means I read the books I want, and not the books I feel I should read. It means not wasting my time at events I don't need to attend when I'd rather be with my family and friends.
When I see my hair in the mirror, it's a reminder that my time is limited, and I should spend it doing what matters. There's nothing shameful about growing older. And pretending it's not happening is a way of giving up our right.
I see my gray hair as a small act of rebellion against the idea that people lose value as they age, instead of gaining it. I see gray hair as my "flag" and I'm letting it fly proudly.