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While the office may have indeed added some years, it has been eight years; who among us doesn't look a bit older than we did eight years ago? While certainly much grayer, Obama says he has no plans to start covering it up. He told a group of students last week at Taylor's University in Kuala Lumpur, "When I came into office [in January 2009], I had no gray hair and now I have a lot . . . I don’t dye my hair and a lot of my fellow leaders do. I won’t say who. But their barbers know, their hairdressers.”
He did make a request of the students though: “The first thing I want from young people is to stop calling me old. Come on, you hurt my feelings,” he joked.
And as for those "fellow leaders" who Obama won't name, it was widely speculated that former President Ronald Reagan dyed his jet-black hair. Former President Bill Clinton entered office with a salt-and-pepper mane and exited as an all-silver fox.
So is it the stress of the office causing our presidents to turn gray? Studies have been on the fence about the connection between stress and hair losing its color, but in general it is believed that prolonged stress lasting for several years can do it.
Readers, do you think Obama has aged much in office?
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Jon Stewart, 52
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Stewart, now known for being comedy's hottest silver fox, wasn't always gray. He actually used to have a head chock full of thick brown hair -- though some reports suggest he had a sprinkling of grays as early as 1994. Clearly confident with his graying look, Stewart has even embraced a full white beard. Lookin' good.
George Clooney, 54
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The A-list star has always oozed old-school charm, sporting his trademark salt-and-pepper for at least two decades, including during his legendary turn on hit show "ER" as Dr. Doug Ross. And luckily for us, the star has sworn he won't be turning to the dye bottle anytime soon. In an interview earlier this year, Clooney said "You have to come to terms with getting older and not try to fight it. I'm a big believer in the idea that you can't try to look younger. You just have to try to look the best you can at the age you are."
Hugh Grant, 55
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He's known for his floppy hair and charming smile -- and now Grant has let his trademark 'do go gray. The British actor has embraced mother nature since turning 50. Before his milestone birthday, the actor said he was "dreading" turning the big 5-0, but we think it might just be one of the best things to happen to him (and us).
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Helen Mirren, 70
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At 70, Mirren has been gray for a while. She's also open to having fun with her hair color. At 67, rather than reaching for a box of dye to go back to her natural blonde color, she decided to go for a temporary pink wash and debuted it on the red carpet, stunning everyone.
Richard Gere, 66
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The actor embraced his silver fox status decades ago, when he started to go gray quite early in his career. In a recent interview, Gere admitted he's got no problem with a little silver saying "I have never dyed my hair in my life - and I am not going to start now." Phew.
Glenn Close, 68
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She may have played Cruella de Vil in "101 Dalmatians," but in real life, Close's hair is much more glamorous than her character's. We're loving Close's hair color and apparently she is, too. The actress is said to prefer to wear wigs for roles that require a different hair color -- rather than dye her luminous locks. Who can blame her?
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Antonio Banderas, 55
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We love the actor's approach to aging. In a 2011 interview, Banderas swore he'd never get plastic surgery, saying: "I am starting to like gray hair and wrinkles and find them interesting...I accept myself and the way that I am growing older," he told The Telegraph.
Jamie Lee Curtis, 56
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The actress reportedly said she would give up the dye once she hit 50 and it seems she's stayed true to her promise. We applaud her for an edgier gray hair look -- Curtis has kept her trademark pixie cut.
Daniel Day-Lewis, 58
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Day-Lewis is at the top of his game in his 50s and we're thinking it's got something to do with the gray. He won an Oscar for his turn in "Lincoln" -- in which he wore aging makeup to make himself look like the older president. Guess the gray hair came in handy.
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