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chen bao jun
September 16th, 2013, 06:41 PM
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doonan/2012/05/hair_extensions_why_are_they_so_insanely_popular_. html

Quote: "What was formerly perceived as elegantly tressy is now seen as verging on balding. No gal feels she has currency unless she has ramparts of fakery adorning her scalp."
I think this is pretty much true. do you?

Firefox7275
September 16th, 2013, 06:58 PM
Verbosity rules. Want to disagree but find myself unable without offending some demographic.

chen bao jun
September 16th, 2013, 07:25 PM
Verbosity rules. Want to disagree but find myself unable without offending some demographic.

well, your opinion is your opinion. I think its a shame when you can't say what you think, when you don't mean to be offensive, without worrying.
Pesonally, I agree with the person who wrote the article that people have started to think that 'normal' is way thicker than it really is, owing to so many people (and not just on tv) sporting fake hair.

Firefox7275
September 16th, 2013, 07:39 PM
well, your opinion is your opinion. I think its a shame when you can't say what you think, when you don't mean to be offensive, without worrying.
Pesonally, I agree with the person who wrote the article that people have started to think that 'normal' is way thicker than it really is, owing to so many people (and not just on tv) sporting fake hair.

"No gal" is setting up adversarial positions. Maybe whatever demographic it is that is overly exposed to western media images of 'beauty', we don't all read/ watch that stuff and some are too mature (mentally or chronologically) to be swayed or cowed anyway. Arguably flat irons are partly responsible for the 'need' for extensions, both due to breakage and that unnaturally bone straight style making hair look thinner than it is. In real life fake hair often looks like fake hair, just as plastic window frames looks like plastic window frames (is that a UK thing?).

And that was the edited version, I can be way more offensive with less effort (chronic foot-in-mouth).

jacqueline101
September 17th, 2013, 02:12 AM
The article was interesting I agree fake hair looks fake.

Stray_mind
September 17th, 2013, 04:25 AM
I agree too. I know my hair isn't that thin, but sometimes these kind of thoughts get to me. It's hard to not compare yourself with others.

furnival
September 17th, 2013, 05:52 AM
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doonan/2012/05/hair_extensions_why_are_they_so_insanely_popular_. html

Quote: "What was formerly perceived as elegantly tressy is now seen as verging on balding. No gal feels she has currency unless she has ramparts of fakery adorning her scalp."
I think this is pretty much true. do you?
(Bolding mine) No, I don't. Maybe the percentage of women in the world who try to ape Western celebrity styles may feel like this, but it's wrong for this article to imply that we're all influenced by hairstyles like these.

I think it's easy to forget, for those who are immersed in it, that the gaudy distractions of celebrity culture don't permeate through to every corner of society. A lot of people pay no attention to trends and fashions at all, and even less to the hairstyles of famous people.

kitschy
September 17th, 2013, 07:07 AM
Even I, with my giant head of fluff, have the temptation to plump my hair (though I never have). I can only imagine what it does to those who truly have fine, thin hair. Fashion - I hate it. I hate what it does to the self-esteem of those who do not fit the unrealistic mold.

Stand up people! Just be the real you. Not that it isn't fun to play on occasion and dress to the hilt whether it is fashion or fantasy - but we need to be able to reflect and discern reality too, and live within reality in those times when we aren't playing.

Mainesongbird
September 17th, 2013, 07:11 AM
Agreed. Sometimes I look at the people on TV and thing, Gosh they have such thick hair, then I try to think to myself-that is only because they have someone else's hair to boost it!

clioariane
September 17th, 2013, 07:40 AM
I can definitely relate to this article. I actually caught myself thinking the other day that Katy Perry had such thin hair in an interview I was watching, then I had to remind myself that she just wasn't wearing extensions! We are so used to seeing celebrities in movies, commercials and on magazine covers with super long and voluminous hair that we (well, most of us) start to think that that's 'normal'. I drank the Kool-Aid when I was younger and got extensions for a while but it wasn't 'me'. I know plenty of ladies who look good with extensions and it works for them, but who wants helmet hair like Cheryl Cole in real life?!

lapushka
September 17th, 2013, 07:45 AM
I think it's easy to forget, for those who are immersed in it, that the gaudy distractions of celebrity culture don't permeate through to every corner of society. A lot of people pay no attention to trends and fashions at all, and even less to the hairstyles of famous people.

This. ^^ So much so. I often have to ask myself, "Who?" when there's another so called well-known celebrity in the news. It all doesn't worry me. And in the end, their thick hair is just that: extensions.

Nae
September 17th, 2013, 07:47 AM
I too wish more guys were rocking a highly coiffed look. That would be fun.

I liked the comparisons to historical hairstyles, I hadn't really thought about that before. I am not sure that it changes the thought process about my own hair. I think that celebrities are almost a different species. I can't expect to stay up with someone who's job it is to look a certain way.

chen bao jun
September 17th, 2013, 07:50 AM
I too wish more guys were rocking a highly coiffed look. That would be fun.

I liked the comparisons to historical hairstyles, I hadn't really thought about that before. I am not sure that it changes the thought process about my own hair. I think that celebrities are almost a different species. I can't expect to stay up with someone who's job it is to look a certain way.
Yes, I thought the comparisons to the historical hairstyles were really hilarious, the best part of the article.
I remember when men were really into their hair. The sixties hairstyles for men were amazing, some of them did look Louis XIV but it was their real hair! and the huge afros were something. they used to carry around picks in their pockets to fluff their hair with constantly. I wonder why that died.

chen bao jun
September 17th, 2013, 07:53 AM
"No gal" is setting up adversarial positions. Maybe whatever demographic it is that is overly exposed to western media images of 'beauty', we don't all read/ watch that stuff and some are too mature (mentally or chronologically) to be swayed or cowed anyway. Arguably flat irons are partly responsible for the 'need' for extensions, both due to breakage and that unnaturally bone straight style making hair look thinner than it is. In real life fake hair often looks like fake hair, just as plastic window frames looks like plastic window frames (is that a UK thing?).

And that was the edited version, I can be way more offensive with less effort (chronic foot-in-mouth).
You really are not in the least offensive. I hate the self censorship. Hearing an opposing opinion from an intelligent person expressed in thought-provoking way is exhilarating, not offensive.

Your point is taken. Saying that there is 'no one' who hasn't fallen victim to celebrity culture is of course not true. This forum is a testimony to that. I am thinking about the rest of what you have said here, about deeper reasons why people are taken in. Interesting.

Lady Mary
September 17th, 2013, 07:57 AM
The article was interesting I agree fake hair looks fake.

Agreed, and well said. Fake hair does usually look fake. I'd rather have my thin hair and be happy I have what I have.

chen bao jun
September 17th, 2013, 08:01 AM
Yes, the article was interesting to me. I have super thick hair in real life and a decent amount of thickness even as this forum considers it, 4.5-5 circumference without bangs included (though I do have a bunch of taper at the bottom from damage). Yet not only do the celebrities and pop culture people walking around make my hair look like a normal amount, they also look, I don't know quite know how to say it--incredibly and unrealistically groomed? When you actually have thick hair, it tends to be all over the place. 'Out of control' is what I used to feel about my hair all the time before LHC and I used to have envy of my sister who has thin hair because it was so easy for her to be stylish--her hair stays put, normal hair toys contain it--she looks groomed. The women in the photographs he showed have massive amounts of hair AND its stylishly done up. I'm expressing myself poorly. But that's part of the 'fake' look that they have--the two things don't normally go together (like big boobs don't normally go with a super thin small boned body; like light blond hair doesn't normally go with a deep bronzed tan...)

Flor
September 17th, 2013, 08:55 AM
When you actually have thick hair, it tends to be all over the place. 'Out of control' is what I used to feel about my hair all the time before LHC and I used to have envy of my sister who has thin hair because it was so easy for her to be stylish--her hair stays put, normal hair toys contain it--she looks groomed.

This was a huge revelation to me recently when my MIL (who has thick coarse hair) said that she envies mine (relatively fine and thin), because I can easily put it up or wear it down, while she feels obliged to go to salon every weak to blowdry it straight to tame it. I thought she was making one of those "sounds nice, but actually mean" compliments, but she looked so frustrated with how her hair behaves when it's allowed to simply air-dry, I had to believe her. Until then I was certain that thick hair couldn't make someone unhappy, by definition.

alexis917
September 17th, 2013, 01:07 PM
I wouldn't say celebrities are similar to "real women" when it comes to extensions.
They probably feel they "need" extensions.
If you're a pop star, your hair has probably thinned from all the dyeing, styling, styling, and more styling for music videos, concerts, TV appearances....
I didn't know some of those celebrities listed wore extensions, though! This is new to me!

ETA: Personally, I have thick hair, and I love it until I have to French braid it or dye it...just like I love eyeliner until I have to remove it!

chen bao jun
September 17th, 2013, 01:10 PM
This was a huge revelation to me recently when my MIL (who has thick coarse hair) said that she envies mine (relatively fine and thin), because I can easily put it up or wear it down, while she feels obliged to go to salon every weak to blowdry it straight to tame it. I thought she was making one of those "sounds nice, but actually mean" compliments, but she looked so frustrated with how her hair behaves when it's allowed to simply air-dry, I had to believe her. Until then I was certain that thick hair couldn't make someone unhappy, by definition.
It can frustrate the heck out of you.
And if you complain, all people ever have to say, consider yourself lucky, you could be bald. Which is like, if someone said, I have frustrations because I am 7 feet tall, I cannot buy clothes or shoes and I can't fit in airplanes, yet I can't play basketball, and kept getting the reply, "consider yourself lucky, you could be a dwarf." Or vice versa, telling the very petite person that they are lucky not to be a giant.
I'm exagerrating somewhat, but everything has its good and bad sides, basically.
And although I am not complaining about my hair (LHC has really helped me to get more control, you might suggest this site to your MIL), it's amazing to me how many people with great looking normal hair (especially on this site) are complaining about 'thinness'.
and a lot of the people that I see who actually DO have thin hair still have beautiful hair, your thickness is not what makes your hair beautiful or not.

HintOfMint
September 17th, 2013, 01:41 PM
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doonan/2012/05/hair_extensions_why_are_they_so_insanely_popular_. html

Quote: "What was formerly perceived as elegantly tressy is now seen as verging on balding. No gal feels she has currency unless she has ramparts of fakery adorning her scalp."
I think this is pretty much true. do you?

I can see the broader picture of a sort of "beauty treadmill." When we're exposed to more and more images that are increasingly artificial and exaggerated in many ways, normal or average becomes deficient. We see it in the food industry with everything sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and balanced with similar levels of salt. Prepared food becomes hyper-palatable and so normal healthy food becomes deficient somehow.

On the other hand, I often balk at women being easily brainwashed into slavishly following beauty trends and whipsawed into despair by micromanaging each and every aspect of their looks. Plump those lips! Suck in that stomach! Mascara those eyelashes! Curl that hair but not so it's actually curly! Nononono, you're doing it all WRONG!
It just doesn't seem fathomable that women are truly living in such a brow-beaten condition by the beauty industry to the point where she feels as though she has "no currency" (as what, pray tell? A human being, or just a pretty one?) if she doesn't have Texas beauty pageant hair. I realize that it's just hyperbole and perhaps I'm setting up a strawman, but I'm just not digging the handwringing over a woman's delicate psyche if she's exposed to too many artificially beautiful women.

I have, however, noticed something less exaggerated, but sucky (forgive my casual language) nonetheless. Many or most women will have a handful of small but nagging concerns over real or perceived "deficiencies" that are mostly pronounced or even caused by the commercial beauty standard. They tend to be chronic annoyances, always in the process of being corrected, but never actually solved. They're brought up and hashed out in all-female gatherings. "You have such thick hair!" "You have such a tiny waist, god I wish I had that!" "Your legs!" And it goes on and on. The exaggerated, artificial, commercial beauty standard often creates problems that didn't exist before. They're small annoyances, but they're ultimately a waste of time and that is the real damage against women.

Side note/me being a contrarian little turd: I didn't feel as though I had deficient thickness of hair until I came to LHC :p

neko_kawaii
September 17th, 2013, 03:09 PM
My mother is an artist and growing up we would occasionally splurge on a thick issue of Vogue and enjoy flipping through the pages looking mostly at the advertisements because they contain some amazing art. We also enjoy watching the Oscars together so we can look at the art walking on the red carpet. I don't expect real people to look like the advertisements in Vogue because it would be impractical at the least and frequently impossible. I don't expect every day people to look like they are ready to walk down a red carpet, so it would never occur to me to compare myself to what I see in photos or on the TV because I know that those environments are tightly controlled - the touch ups, the lighting, the camera angles - everything to have the best possible outcome and that frequently involves artificial substitutions just like in food adverts.

Perhaps the solution is better media education.

Deekers
September 17th, 2013, 03:27 PM
I think that generally, most people know that a lot of celebs use extensions or wigs for performances or appearances, and that it isn't necessarily realistic to have hair like that. That is unfortunate for the celebs who don't wear them and then people just assume that they do. I don't know why celebs aren't bothered with the fact that their hair is obviously fake looking, why wouldn't they want it to appear more natural looking?

I hope that younger people are not too badly influenced by the media portrayals of hair to the point that they feel bad that their hair doesn't look that way. I think as we get older with more life experience we learn what is real and what isn't, and are more accepting of ourselves.

PamelaViktoria
September 17th, 2013, 03:54 PM
I think it's true. Barbie had way more hair than I ever could haha
Ever since I was a kid, hairdressers would tell my I had too much hair on the back of my head, and not enough on top. But that's because they are comparing it to super thick. My hair on top is just average.

Night_Kitten
September 17th, 2013, 04:07 PM
From the article - "I, for one, look back nostalgically at the era when men made more of an effort."
I totally agree with him on this one - it's such a shame that for men now days it's the "buzz it off and forget" style, it would make it much more interesting if longer hair was more acceptable and more men felt comfortable doing stuff with their hair other than buzzing it every once in a while...

As for wanting thicker hair - I'm guilty of that, but not for the reasons stated in the article... Logic tells me that more individual hairs on scalp = more individual hairs at the hemline = less see-through-ness at the longer lengths... And I also like the look of a thick braid :o

stachelbeere
September 17th, 2013, 05:01 PM
My mother is an artist and growing up we would occasionally splurge on a thick issue of Vogue and enjoy flipping through the pages looking mostly at the advertisements because they contain some amazing art. We also enjoy watching the Oscars together so we can look at the art walking on the red carpet. I don't expect real people to look like the advertisements in Vogue because it would be impractical at the least and frequently impossible. I don't expect every day people to look like they are ready to walk down a red carpet, so it would never occur to me to compare myself to what I see in photos or on the TV because I know that those environments are tightly controlled - the touch ups, the lighting, the camera angles - everything to have the best possible outcome and that frequently involves artificial substitutions just like in food adverts.

Perhaps the solution is better media education.

absolutely agree. I know exactly how much you can change a person with the right camera lens, the angle you photograph someone at and of course photoshop. I recommend http://www.psdisasters.com/ for media education :D there are some hilariously disastrous real-life examples of bad photoshop in media.


From the article - "I, for one, look back nostalgically at the era when men made more of an effort."
I totally agree with him on this one - it's such a shame that for men now days it's the "buzz it off and forget" style, it would make it much more interesting if longer hair was more acceptable and more men felt comfortable doing stuff with their hair other than buzzing it every once in a while...

As for wanting thicker hair - I'm guilty of that, but not for the reasons stated in the article... Logic tells me that more individual hairs on scalp = more individual hairs at the hemline = less see-through-ness at the longer lengths... And I also like the look of a thick braid :o

yes. That applies for me as well (wanting thicker hair for the same reason) :/

and as far as men and hair... there is a footballer, Chistiano Ronaldo, who changes his hair style at half time ;) hope is not lost!
picture here (http://i.imgur.com/6KEiw.jpg)

Syaoransbear
September 17th, 2013, 05:05 PM
It's not just people believing that what they see in the media is real. There are tonnes of girls walking down the street sporting hair extensions. The media has leaked into real life.

shutterpillar
September 17th, 2013, 05:15 PM
It's not just people believing that what they see in the media is real. There are tonnes of girls walking down the street sporting hair extensions. The media has leaked into real life.

Agreed. I find myself constantly wondering about extensions on people I see in the streets. It has definitely trickled down to "real life" and become the norm.

That said, I think it's also a good idea for the public to be made aware of the falseness of the media in ALL aspects. Particularly younger girls... I remember being around the age of 12 and wishing my skin was as smooth as those in the magazines, or that my eyelashes were as long, my hair as frizz-free, or my stomach and legs as flawless. I had ZERO idea that those images were heavily photoshopped. I had no concept of CGI in movies or commercials, though back then it was not as advanced as it is now, which is probably more reason for this generation to be educated about it.

sumidha
September 17th, 2013, 05:18 PM
Honestly, I think it's just another trend. In the eighties women had giant poofy perms, in the nineties thin, straight Jennifer Aniston hair was a huge thing, now women are into getting extensions... In ten years it will be something else. I would much rather focus on loving the hair I have than constantly trying to make it match whatever is in fashion. :)

furnival
September 17th, 2013, 05:35 PM
It has definitely trickled down to "real life" and become the norm.
'The norm'? Really? It is more usual to see people with extensions than without?

I reckon the number of people in the world without extensions is thousands upon thousands of times higher than those who have them. Or are we just talking about the 'norm' within a very narrow section of 'fashionable' society? And if so, can that really be termed the norm?

GrowingGlory
September 17th, 2013, 05:37 PM
I remember being mystified when I was younger because I did not understand the practice of comparing hair, eye color, etc. in order to find one sort "best" looking. I am still fundamentally mystified by that practice.

"Thin" hair is thin relative to what? A person who is petite and has small features might have hair that appears thick enough on their head, but would appear thin on a person who is tall and has large features. So what are the criteria for thin hair anyway?

If your hair has some wave or curl (but is not kinky) it may seem much thicker than it is because it takes up more space. Is that better?

If you look at avatars and siggys on LHC, you will see that so many of them feature huge, billowing hair. It connotes good health, fertility and power. It used to connote advanced age in a positive way.

If you like thick hair, you are free to try to make your own hair look and feel as thick as possible, but I think that it is important to love and accept your hair exactly as it is right now.

shutterpillar
September 17th, 2013, 06:01 PM
'The norm'? Really? It is more usual to see people with extensions than without?

I reckon the number of people in the world without extensions is thousands upon thousands of times higher than those who have them. Or are we just talking about the 'norm' within a very narrow section of 'fashionable' society? And if so, can that really be termed the norm?

Perhaps I should have worded myself better (It's probably not a good idea for me to post opinions at the end of the day when I am mentally drained, yes? ;) ) I meant it to mean that it's so common now that, at least for me, I am constantly wondering who has them and who doesn't. It's more common (which is probably the word I should have used instead of "norm") for people to have extensions now than it ever has been. I personally have quite a few friends with extensions or weaves of some variety, ranging from just a streak of color to a full blown head of them. So in my little corner of the planet, yes, it's pretty common to have them. It could just be my own naivety though, because I've never really thought to look for them until the past five years or so when all my friends began getting them.

neko_kawaii
September 17th, 2013, 06:17 PM
Honestly, I think it's just another trend. In the eighties women had giant poofy perms, in the nineties thin, straight Jennifer Aniston hair was a huge thing, now women are into getting extensions... In ten years it will be something else. I would much rather focus on loving the hair I have than constantly trying to make it match whatever is in fashion. :)

Yep.

On the topic of trends, whenever people mention flat ironing hair I get a visual from the movie Forest Gump where the girl is ironing her hair with an iron and ironing board. Trends come and go.

which.chick
September 17th, 2013, 07:36 PM
I'm with the "learn to take the best care you can of the hair you have" group. No matter how much I might wish for it, I am never going to have a 4" ponytail. No matter how much I hope, my hair is not going to go from medium brown to traffic-stopping red or sun-kissed honey blonde. It is not going to curl, ever. But, it's the hair that I have. It is soft as silk and shiny/slippery/straight. I can improve my care routine and make the most of what I have, but I cannot fundamentally change the sort of hair that I have... and I'm kind of ok with that.

CurlyMopTop
September 17th, 2013, 08:20 PM
Lol. I got a kick out of reading that! To be honest, I don't pay any attention to how celebs wear their hair. I don't even have cable! I can't say that I don't pay attention to my hair's thickness though. Battling thin ends or what I perceive as thin ends is my biggest obstacle. That comes from hairdressers telling me that I don't have the right hairtype for long hair and family members (also hair dressers) talk about how much they hate thin scraggly ends.

inanna
September 18th, 2013, 12:35 AM
Even if you don't personally pay any attention to the celebrities, they do change what we consider normal. Things trickle down from the celebs down to fashion-conscious people, and ultimately in some form down to nearly everyone. In the past few years I've started seeing more and more artificial nails and eyelash extensions, to the point where some people consider getting them a part of "basic maintenance". The reason I haven't spotted fake hair that much might be that it needs to be really wiggy before I realise it's fake!

And as with Hollywood curls, Hollywood thick hair has nothing to do with its real-world counterpart. It doesn't get heavy or frizzy or difficult to manage, because it's not their natural hair. I'm so happy I went through my teenage years during a time where things were still decidedly more natural and celebrities could still eat carbs. The difference between what was acceptable on the red carpet then and now is astounding.

Compare, if you will, Julia Roberts in the '90s and nowadays:
http://www.whale.to/b/julia-roberts-then-and-now-pics-rex-splash-news-96478900.jpg

Sure, her hair is heavily styled in the first picture as well. But the look is a lot closer to what curly hair looks on a super good day.

Teufelchen
September 18th, 2013, 12:47 AM
I guess that pictures like this are the reason, why most people think I have thin hair, even though I know I don't.
I have stick straight hair which doesn't even know how volume is spelled and it alwys looks straightend. Some have already asked what straightening iron I use, but all I do is wash and air dry to get this look.
But firefox words caught me somehow.

...and that unnaturally bone straight style making hair look thinner than it is.
I never thought of these comments about my straight hair this way. I have naturally bone straight hair, it has no body wave or whatsoever. Yes of course, this total lack of volume makes it look thinner than it yould look like with waves.

I always hear from the people surounding me, that I have thin hair, even the hairdressers I went to called it thin, obviously not because I am lacking hair but because I am lacking volume. So I feel with everyone else with similar hair.
As much as I love my shiny, striaght hair, some volume would be nice, but I guess I can't have both.

Panth
September 18th, 2013, 01:41 AM
Even if you don't personally pay any attention to the celebrities, they do change what we consider normal. Things trickle down from the celebs down to fashion-conscious people, and ultimately in some form down to nearly everyone. In the past few years I've started seeing more and more artificial nails and eyelash extensions, to the point where some people consider getting them a part of "basic maintenance". The reason I haven't spotted fake hair that much might be that it needs to be really wiggy before I realise it's fake!

And as with Hollywood curls, Hollywood thick hair has nothing to do with its real-world counterpart. It doesn't get heavy or frizzy or difficult to manage, because it's not their natural hair. I'm so happy I went through my teenage years during a time where things were still decidedly more natural and celebrities could still eat carbs. The difference between what was acceptable on the red carpet then and now is astounding.

I agree with the first, but not the second.

Honestly - there are plenty of people walking around who have purposely opted out of that tripe. The "trickle down" thing doesn't actually happen on us (or at least only because the choice at any one time is diluted out by the current fashion - but even then, this is avoided by a) not buying new clothes ALL THE TIME and b) buying non-mainstream clothing that is less fashion-influenced and also is higher quality and lasts longer).

inanna
September 18th, 2013, 02:40 AM
I didn't mean to imply that everyone everywhere is obligated to follow whatever trend is now making its way into becoming a norm. Opting out is always an option. :)

My point was, even if you don't follow this kind of stuff, a lot of people do and your environment will most probably change accordingly. As an added bonus, if you're as oblivious to these things as I am, it takes you longer to figure out it's all done with smoke and mirrors!

chen bao jun
September 18th, 2013, 06:47 AM
The fact that there are exceptions don't change the fact that some things are true for MOST people.
Of course there are people who opt out of popular culture for one reason or another.
But they are a minority. They are also a minority that has to work very hard at NOT being influenced. the fact that groups of these people exist, whether they are counter-culture types or religious home-schoolers, does not disprove the fact that popular culture is powerful.
You cannot assume that the norms in your in-group being different means that certain things are not true for the majority.
I guess I am getting a little tired of people replying to others' posts with semantic nit-picking, and getting them to say that they are wrong because what they said only applies to 99% of the public, not 100%.
I am not targeting any one person with this post. It is a general trend I have noticed in the argument.
It just seems to me that it's like, if someone said, life expectancy is 80 years old and someone contradicted them with, "but my grandmother lived until she was 121." That could very well be true, and would not change the fact that the first statement is true.

Andeee
September 18th, 2013, 06:55 AM
I agree with your post chen bao jun. I like to think of myself as a counter-culture type, don't watch much TV, hate celebrity gossip, couldn't care less, etc etc, but I still can 't help but notice the trends. Where I live hair extensions, straight ironed hair, fake orange tans, fake nails, and for many enormous fake eyelashes are the norm. I work in the public (retail) and I see it everyday. Not on everyone, of course, but on many.

MsBubbles
September 18th, 2013, 07:29 AM
But hair was gigantic in the 80s! Or at least, those with hair willing to comply with a ton of back combing, hair spray and perms. So to me the whole big-hair thing now is just a normal progression of fashion and styles. Flat, straight hair has had a good run - now people are going to want impossibly fluffy hair for a decade or so. This would be bad for me if I gave a rat's arse.

Also...the irony of all of this is that whenever I've seen people with hair extensions out and about in real life, the ends are still 'thin'! Or at least thin by our LHC standards. Many non-LHCers are happy with a 1" wide section of hair down their back. It's just that here many people are not satisfied without a thick cape of TB hair all one length.

furnival
September 18th, 2013, 07:34 AM
You cannot assume that the norms in your in-group being different means that certain things are not true for the majority.
But this is exactly the point we are trying to make.
Do you really believe that the majority of people in society feel their hair is too thin due to exposure to celebrity extensions? That's what the article claims, and I dispute that wholeheartedly.
If it's 'the majority' within a group within society, then your above point applies.
Society is not one cohesive whole, it is made out of loads of sub-groups, all with their differing trends and their norms. Just because mainstream trends get the most exposure does not mean there are only a few people who don't follow them. It's not a 99% / 1% split as you claim.

MsBubbles
September 18th, 2013, 07:54 AM
Another thought (that also probably doesn't matter) is that in the 80s when I was desperately trying to get my slippery, flat, thin hair to be the exact opposite, and couldn't figure out simply why it didn't look like this (http://coolaggregator.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/morgan_fairchild.jpg), my teenage self was devastated.

From age about 28 upwards I have given less and less of a damn. As people mature, they can (hopefully) see the beauty of what they have naturally, can learn to play up their good points and not lose any sleep at all over their 'weak points'. Weak points being those that don't match up to whoever is the hottest celeb at the time.

So those people thinking they don't measure up are probably in a limited group, who probably will at some point outgrow worrying about it.

kitschy
September 18th, 2013, 08:29 AM
I guess that pictures like this are the reason, why most people think I have thin hair, even though I know I don't.
I have stick straight hair which doesn't even know how volume is spelled and it alwys looks straightend. Some have already asked what straightening iron I use, but all I do is wash and air dry to get this look.
But firefox words caught me somehow.

I never thought of these comments about my straight hair this way. I have naturally bone straight hair, it has no body wave or whatsoever. Yes of course, this total lack of volume makes it look thinner than it yould look like with waves.

I always hear from the people surounding me, that I have thin hair, even the hairdressers I went to called it thin, obviously not because I am lacking hair but because I am lacking volume. So I feel with everyone else with similar hair.
As much as I love my shiny, striaght hair, some volume would be nice, but I guess I can't have both.


But hair was gigantic in the 80s! Or at least, those with hair willing to comply with a ton of back combing, hair spray and perms. So to me the whole big-hair thing now is just a normal progression of fashion and styles. Flat, straight hair has had a good run - now people are going to want impossibly fluffy hair for a decade or so. This would be bad for me if I gave a rat's arse.

Also...the irony of all of this is that whenever I've seen people with hair extensions out and about in real life, the ends are still 'thin'! Or at least thin by our LHC standards. Many non-LHCers are happy with a 1" wide section of hair down their back. It's just that here many people are not satisfied without a thick cape of TB hair all one length.


These two quotes got me thinking....

We really shouldn't judge someone for their natural hair either. In Teufelchen's case her hair is naturally pin straight and silky - not IRONED, it is just her natural texture.

And in my case, my 80's hair was naturally HUGE. I didn't spray it or backcomb it. My texture is just naturally full and huge. Now I work pretty hard to try to get it to clump and hang, but naturally I have cotton candy hair and it was great to be part of the 80's for me.

http://images46.fotki.com/v147/photos/0/1803120/9931107/Photo2-th.jpg

Angelica
September 18th, 2013, 09:23 AM
I don't think there is anything wrong with someone faking it myself. There is a girl in work with real hair extensions and I didn't realise her hair wasn't her own until someone told me. So it isn't true that fake hair looks fake all the time. There are some very good hairpieces and extensions out there. Celebrities and actors have to change their hairstyles for certain roles and so faking it with wigs, that look perfectly natural, is a kinder way to do it rather than abusing their hair constantly from heavy styling. I used to think Julie Roberts looked great with big curls and her hair was so bouncy and healthy. Whether or not she had extensions, I don't know, only her stylist and herself would know that unless she chose to broadcast it. But I did prefer her big hair, now it is flat and lank and straight, not even as shiny as it once was. Perhaps she had been ill I don't know, but I would never choose to have hair like mine which is what she has done now. Nicole Kidman is another actress who had wonderful hair, or at least appeared to have wonderful hair, now that too is straight and looks not much thicker than mine. Nicole Kidman has gone very thin as well and her hair is bound to suffer because of that.

I have worn hairpieces in the past just to have the joy of thick hair for once in my life and even sported a super long ponytail hairpiece. I even had people thinking that it was my real hair which boosted my confidence no end.

As long as there isn't too much stress put on your natural hair, I think faking it is fine. Not all of us have the long, flowing tresses that many have on LHC and so I think it is okay to cheat once in a while.

Sometimes though people are being accused of wearing extensions when they don't wear them. Even Kate Middleton was blamed for wearing them although it was pointed out that she has a scar on her scalp from surgery in her childhood, and if she wore extensions surely her hairdresser would've been skilled enough to hide that scar.

I never assume people wear extensions just because they are on tv. You can tell when Cheryl wears them because sometimes she has gorgeous hair, then all of a sudden it is normal and it has been stated that she wears more extensions than anyone else. But it's up to her and she is a very beautiful girl who advertises hairspray, so there's also an hairdresser in the background there to help out.

We all want perfect hair, but some of us, no matter what we do will never get that perfection.

MsBubbles
September 18th, 2013, 09:35 AM
Double post stupid messed up technology. Yes I am blaming technology.

MsBubbles
September 18th, 2013, 09:36 AM
We really shouldn't judge someone for their natural hair either. In Teufelchen's case her hair is naturally pin straight and silky - not IRONED, it is just her natural texture.

And in my case, my 80's hair was naturally HUGE. I didn't spray it or backcomb it. My texture is just naturally full and huge. Now I work pretty hard to try to get it to clump and hang, but naturally I have cotton candy hair and it was great to be part of the 80's for me.

http://images46.fotki.com/v147/photos/0/1803120/9931107/Photo2-th.jpg

Of course there were a few lucky people in the 80s with hair that happened to fall naturally like the craze at the time for big hair. Where I grew up, most people had hair like me, flat, straight and thin. So my experience was that everybody I knew had to get perms, hairspray and back comb like crazy. I never meant to imply for one second that you had to tease the life out of your naturally curly, big hair in the 80s. I wasn't judging you or your hair at all.

kitschy
September 18th, 2013, 09:43 AM
Of course there were a few lucky people in the 80s with hair that happened to fall naturally like the craze at the time for big hair. Where I grew up, most people had hair like me, flat, straight and thin. So my experience was that everybody I knew had to get perms, hairspray and back comb like crazy. I never meant to imply for one second that you had to tease the life out of your naturally curly, big hair in the 80s. I wasn't judging you or your hair at all.

Oh, I didn't mean to accuse you! I'm sorry it came off that way....

I guess what I meant is that almost every hair style resembles something that someone has naturally, including the extra full styles of today that generally take extensions or additions to pull off - of course that doesn't mean that anyone with full, long hair has fake hair...

chen bao jun
September 18th, 2013, 11:31 AM
And in my case, my 80's hair was naturally HUGE. I didn't spray it or backcomb it. My texture is just naturally full and huge. Now I work pretty hard to try to get it to clump and hang, but naturally I have cotton candy hair and it was great to be part of the 80's for me.

http://images46.fotki.com/v147/photos/0/1803120/9931107/Photo2-th.jpg
This was me, too. My hairdresser cut it in those 80's layers just before my wedding (you know, that almost mullet) and there we were--poof city. Which was the style. So nobody understood why I was so upset about the haircut (I like my hair to be one length).
My hair clumps now without any problem or manipulation--I jsut wash it without sulphates and leave a conditioner in it, not even a specially for curlies conditioner or hair gel or anything. Just conditioner. I guess it also hangs--it doesn't stick up in the air or anything (when the afro was in style and I had to make it do that, it was a lot of trouble and never lasted long). It does go OUT however and is the sort of hair that keeps looking thicker and thicker, and doesn't ever particularly look LONGER. At least, I haven't gotten it to do that yet. Its like a 4.5 -5 circumference, but because it has grown in the last year and doesn't grow DOWN, it looks like it is 7 or 8 diameter probably at this point. And that's not even on a rainy or humidity filled day! And it always looks out of control. Or jsut barely in control. The best way I can describe it is that my husband always says he loves my hair loose because no matter what I do (other than making a crown braid or a bun), I look like I just got out of bed without combing my hair, which he says makes him think that he would just like to take me back there. He says it looks wild and touchable. While its fine for my husband to think that, you can see why its not an image I would prefer to go around projecting to all and sundry!
I personally probably don't conform to the style because I CAN'T, I can fight my hair all I want but I never get that thick but groomed and styled and contained look that the models and tv stars have. So I gave up. There's other things about me also that just are never going to be 'the norm'. Some of us are like that. Some of us, on the other hand, are just natural rebels (i'm not one).
I believe there are people who don't give in to the 'hype' or the 'norm' or whatever and I also know that this forum is a good place to find MANY such. However I still think popular culture affects a whole lot of people--they wouldn't go the the trouble of having commercials, promoting certain things in tv and movies and magazines, getting consultants and psychiatrists to do image consulting, if it didn't work on enough people for them to make money. I think the 'packagers' affect the majority of people and that it takes effort NOT to be affected and sometimes its relatively harmless and sometimes its not.
You know, Goebbels, an early master of advertising and packaging (the Third Reich was way ahead of its time with this) once said to Hitler that every single German had Jewish friends and thought favorably of Jews. And in fact, Germany was famous for that. the German Jews were assimilated and fit into the culture well and weren't at all societal pariahs, like the Jews in Russia and Poland and other places. Goebbels said he could 'fix' that. He had access not only to the media, but to the kids in schools--we all know how VERY successful he was and it took less than ten years. Though there were some stubborn holdouts (taken care of in due time), there really weren't a lot. and the Germans were sophisticated, modern, highly educated and intelligent.

RileyJane
September 18th, 2013, 11:39 AM
This happens to me a lot, mainly bc my hair is a little thinner than what it used to be. When I bleached it back in 2010 it did burn my scalp and made me shed horribly (shudders at thought) but ik in due time it'll be back to "me" thickness, which may not be as thick as the fake extensions, but deff makes up for it in volume. So, patiently waiting for that again :) also, whenever I feel hair envy at a celebs new long hair ( mind you just MBL ) if you look close enough you can see their actual hair thru the layers and see how badly damaged it is. Which in turn makes me feel bad for their poor hair

earthnut
September 18th, 2013, 12:05 PM
I think it's true that the fashion is to have lift. I feel no compulsion to use extensions or tease my hair. But I do plop in order to lift the hair off my scalp.

Though I also think it's true that there is more tolerance for variation than at any other time in history.

littlemonster
September 18th, 2013, 04:50 PM
I must admit, at times I've thought a celebrity has got such thick hair, then remembered most use extensions. Even those who don't have extensions often had a stylist spending hours backcombing their hair and hairspraying and god knows what to make it look bigger. I'm guessing there's a lot of sponge fillers and stuff too. Most magazine covers etc, the hair is edited as heavily as the rest of them to make it look bigger, smoother, shinier, removes the frizz or stray hairs.

That said, a lot of celebs if you see their everyday photos don't look like it, the ones we constantly see photos of the hair of are the attention seekers where everything has to be big and perfect and are in the news at least 6 days a week, plenty just go about the business like ordinary people, with fairly ordinary hair.

Salmonberry
September 18th, 2013, 05:03 PM
I've never felt pressure to get extensions. If people want to get them, that's great for them. I wrote them off for myself years ago as soon as I realized that you can't run your fingers through your hair without running into the extensions. It must be super uncomfortable. I love the feeling of being able to run my fingers across my scalp and through my hair smoothly. How do people tolerate it?

Crumpet
September 18th, 2013, 06:39 PM
I must confess that I'm a bit creeped out about attaching someone else's hair to my hair. I'm not judging those who do it. It just gives me the shivers.

There's something wonderful about growing out your own hair in a healthy way that I find really appealing, which I would miss with the instant gratification of extensions.

Whatever makes people happy though!

Ambystoma
September 18th, 2013, 09:20 PM
I can see the broader picture of a sort of "beauty treadmill." When we're exposed to more and more images that are increasingly artificial and exaggerated in many ways, normal or average becomes deficient. We see it in the food industry with everything sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and balanced with similar levels of salt. Prepared food becomes hyper-palatable and so normal healthy food becomes deficient somehow.

The exaggerated, artificial, commercial beauty standard often creates problems that didn't exist before. They're small annoyances, but they're ultimately a waste of time and that is the real damage against women.



This exactly - I wore clip in extensions all the way from shoulder length to MBL because I hated the growing out process and missed my old length, and when my real hair finally "outgrew" them I have to admit, it took a while to get used to not having perma celeb hair on demand anymore, even though my own hair was healthy and completely average in terms of thickness, it just seemed thin and not as glamourous, so I completely understand that "media trap" feeling of natural not being good enough.

MaryO
September 19th, 2013, 05:00 AM
I have to say that I didn't read the whole article but did have a bit of a laugh at the writer saying "gals" the whole time! :-P I like natural looking hair and fake looks fake but if you're into it...

furnival
September 19th, 2013, 05:57 AM
I believe there are people who don't give in to the 'hype' or the 'norm' or whatever and I also know that this forum is a good place to find MANY such. However I still think popular culture affects a whole lot of people--they wouldn't go the the trouble of having commercials, promoting certain things in tv and movies and magazines, getting consultants and psychiatrists to do image consulting, if it didn't work on enough people for them to make money. I think the 'packagers' affect the majority of people and that it takes effort NOT to be affected and sometimes its relatively harmless and sometimes its not.
You know, Goebbels, an early master of advertising and packaging (the Third Reich was way ahead of its time with this) once said to Hitler that every single German had Jewish friends and thought favorably of Jews. And in fact, Germany was famous for that. the German Jews were assimilated and fit into the culture well and weren't at all societal pariahs, like the Jews in Russia and Poland and other places. Goebbels said he could 'fix' that. He had access not only to the media, but to the kids in schools--we all know how VERY successful he was and it took less than ten years. Though there were some stubborn holdouts (taken care of in due time), there really weren't a lot. and the Germans were sophisticated, modern, highly educated and intelligent.
I agree completely that the media is an incredibly powerful tool. Heck, the government in our country is currently using it to try to turn whole sections of society against each other in order to dismantle the welfare state and other things. It's frightening how many people lap it up. :(

But about the subject of this thread I still have to disagree. I don't believe that the majority of people feel bad about their hair due to celebrity extensions. I'll try to explain why without sounding like a twerp (but I'll probably fail :p):

For a start, I'll assume we are talking only about Western society. Within this society, I believe we can discount most men, as they don't appear to sport long flowing heads of extensions very often, so that's nearly 50% of the population discounted. I reckon we can discount a significant proportion of the over 50s, as popular fashion seems to dictate that older women keep their hair short. That's another hefty percentage of the population. We can discount all the children that haven't yet succumbed to the dictates of the fashion industry and all the adults who aren't interested in/ have opted out of mainstream fashion. What we are left with is a section of society that is predominantly young, female and fashion-conscious, a sub-group. Within this sub-group the majority may well feel that their hair is too thin compared to celebrities' fakeness, but not a majority of society as a whole.

Coolcombination
September 19th, 2013, 06:42 AM
Some days my hair feels thick
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss21/coolcombination/image-8.jpg (http://s558.photobucket.com/user/coolcombination/media/image-8.jpg.html)

Other times it gets straggly and super thin!
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss21/coolcombination/image-44.jpg (http://s558.photobucket.com/user/coolcombination/media/image-44.jpg.html)