Jet Black Hair: A Fashion Statement for Your Local Despot.

Watching the television as the 25 year war in Sri Lanka was announced as having finally -- if you can believe it -- reached its dénouement, I was struck again by one of the truly great horrors of life in Asia. The very bad male jet black hair dye job.

Impressive as it was that both Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa and the (now deceased) leader of the Tamil Tigers, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, had managed to feel some manly pride and touch up their roots during wartime, really it's not a good look.

But in Asia, it's everywhere. Leaders are particularly fond of it; the Chinese politburo alone could keep L'Oreal stocks from being affected by the recession. In South Asia and through the Oriental arc (and it's not just limited to those geographical regions ) black dyed hair seems de rigueur for any man poncing about in public office.

A few years ago, I lived in Rangoon. The hideous, loathsome Generals all sported jaunty jet black hair under their military hats. Down on the street, many ordinary souls pump for the black look as well. I shared a dusty partitioned cubicle with a impressively old and lovely chap who hadn't done a decent day's work since 1967. He snored at his desk after lunch, had shocking flatulence which would often have me fleeing the office and was permanently attached to an oxygen tank (yes, that last part really is true). He also had the blackest hair (though not much of it) and was obviously hanging on for dear life to that facade of youth when everything else about him yelled "codger!"

In more recent times I worked with a middle level manager who dyes his hair jet black. His bushy overgrown eyebrows are grey and white and it is quite an alarming combination. Spooky almost. He kind of looked, well, deranged.

I am not sure where this need for the jet black come from. It looks a bit like Asia goes Children of the Corn. I suppose like most cosmetic procedures, the only person fooled is the one doing the dying. Call me old-fashioned, but a gray-haired gentleman is rather pleasing to my eye. We seem to have lost the art of the debonair.

A very good friend of mine, who is Vietnamese, has seen enough jet black haired communist appartchiks to last for eternity. She says that often women are the driving force behind the hair dye. No matter how high up into political despotism you can reach, if you go home at night and your missus tells you it's time for a touch up, there is no argument.

Which brings us back to civil war in Sri Lanka. As the requisite death shots of Mr. Prabhakaran were shown on state TV (his resume includes forced recruitment of child soldiers, suicide bombings, terrorism against civilians, untold misery and hardship for thousands) it was indeed heartening to see that he -- or his wife -- never let personal grooming fall off his agenda.

Comments

[Oxonian2001]

Yes, it looks plain ludicrous--but perhaps no more so than the Western woman who feels the urge to bleach her hair, wear bright pink lipstick AND a short sundress, thinking she's 80 going on 20. (Yes, I have seen it and I didn't know whether to laugh at or pity her. Ever heard of aging gracefully???) Or obvious dark eyed and dark skinned brunettes who try to do "honey blond." But I guess every culture has its share of idiots.

Having said that, I am glad that these men are not dying their hair any other color: not brown, not auburn-- and not blond! Speaking as someone of Asian descent, what I find most disturbing are non-Westerners coloring their hair to approach Anglo standards of beauty. Truly sad.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

I was considering this comparison as I wrote - and yes I think western women and men (from many different countries) dress with their sleeping blinders on ........

[rajeev123]

India may be an exception to this. All of the last 12 Prime MInisters including the present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were comfortable doing their job and winning elections with grey hair.
Even the youthful Rajeev Gandhi who died at 46 had no problem canvassing with a streak of grey hair.
The current opposition leader L.K. Advani also sports grey hair.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

It's a really good observation. When I was writing the story and going through my head of hair-dyed leaders and populations, India seemed to be pretty much dye free. I have seen the ocassional black helmet headed chap there....... but you are right, the politicians embrace the grey. Even Indira Gandhi proudly carried off her hair which greyed dramtically during her time in office. Thanks so much for commenting.

[PHartman81]

if i see a woman walk down the street in a frilly pink dress and i wrote she was showing some womanly pride, wouldn't that be sexist?

i think so. many women would say that does not demonstrate gender pride.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

A hyes, but the distinctio is that I was talking about life during war time. And of course what we do is about our feeling about ourselves ....as women, or as men.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

[wasim ali]

its about standards of taste i suppose. it is definitely as asian thing but western people dye their hair too and it doesn't always look good, you have to agree with that. it might be more obsessive in asia, is this your point? or that odious despots like black hair. i note that my late President Mushy from Paksitan was also dying his hair. There is a funny joke about it but I cannot repeat it here. Maybe because the joke was gunny I thouht more about hair dye.

[mcshaggy]

Yes, in asia jet black hair is considered debonair. What's wrong with that? Or do you believe that asian men are not sophisticated enough when it comes to style? Do you know how expensive non-jet black hair color is in these poor, impoverished asian countries?

Your western, sanitized and prejudiced views on style are pathetic and not befitting a site like the Huffington Post.

[LuZou]

Oh lighten up!

[Oxonian2001]

Pun intended?

[LuZou]

That's so funny! I am ABC (American born Chinese) and we think it's funny too. My girl friends and I always threaten our boyfriends that if they dye their hair balck, they are outta here. I have an uncle who has been dying his hair himself since he was about 30.

[Virginia M. Moncrieff - Huffpost Blogger]

I have heard this quite a lot from friends of different Asian backgrounds ---- maybe this new sense means it's a generational thing. Good luck with your quest to keep your boyfriends dye free.

[Very Berry]

Jackie Chan has that black hair sye thing going as well. It's like someone just threw a bucket of dye over his head - no subtletly, just black black black and even of Asian men, it's very aging. Perhaps you're right - it makes them feel better but no one else?