Dyed hair is making a comeback. L'Oréal, the world's no.1 hair dye manufacturer, saw the sales of its hair color products surge some 30 percent in September compared to a year earlier. The sales of unusual dye including red, copper and metallic colors soared 47 percent. Experts make connections between the trend and the recession. A beauty specialist said people seek to escape reality in a recession, and dyed hair offers a kind of fantasy image. During the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, dyed hair was also fashionable. More middle-aged people also dye their hair in an effort, experts say, to look younger and stand a better chance in the depressed job market.
It is a global phenomenon. The U.K. Telegraph called the phenomenon a "gold rush" and quoted celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton as saying that many people are dyeing their hair blond to find an antidote to the depression. In the U.S., the term "hair dye index" was newly coined to show the link between the economy and dyeing hair. People's hair color becomes lighter as economy worsens. Hair dye is a counter-cyclical economic indicator which is roughly synonymous with an inferior good.
Period 6
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised that hair color product sales have surged during these economics times. When people are faced with difficulties, like a recession, they seek to find methods of escape and partake in activities which provide anything but stress. Coloring hair, for some people, is an affordable stress reliever. It brings something new into their life which is interesting, different, and positive; something which takes their mind away from constantly focusing the troubling aspects of life.
This article did not suprise me at all. I understand completely why people are now starting to dye their hair more and more. It seems to me that it is not only a way for them to express themselves, but it is also a stress reliever. Instead of doing something, like drinking which can cause all sorts of other problems, they can dye their hair wacky colors. This is a way for people to let loose and try to forget about things momentarily during these hard economic times. It can help people stop focusing on the hardships in the real life.
ReplyDeleteSabina Flores
Period 6
This article did surprise me. I feel that in times of need, people would try to save money on necessary things like food or house payments. I feel that buying things that are not necessary are not going to escape help people in their hard times. I do not think hair dye is a way of during this recession.
ReplyDelete-Isabelle Boutros