Humans have long focused on hair as a means of self expression, cutting it and coloring it to attain a look that they feel best represents them. The history of hair dying spans as far back as the Paleolithic Period, in which early humans used iron oxide to color their hair with a reddish hue. Today, hair dying remains a popular way to achieve self-expression, enabling people to either blend in or stand out.
CJ Alexander ‘24 is one student who follows the latter model. Their hair is dyed a vibrant green and cut short, with the sides shaved. “I’m a really big fan of the green. I think it suits me pretty well,” says Alexander. Their current hairstyle has not come out of the blue; they have been dying their hair since they were in elementary school. “I started in third or fourth grade, and I don’t think my hair has been a natural color ever since,” says Alexander. Fun is a main motivation for hair dying, and this is one of the leading reasons that Alexander has been dying their hair since elementary school. It is also, according to Alexander, therapeutic, and a good way to dedicate time to oneself. Their parting sentiment was one of encouragement for others to consider self expression in this format. They say, “I think everyone should dye their hair at least once… it’s just a fun experience that everyone should try.”
Another student who is no stranger to unnatural hair colors is Ellie Werner ‘24. She is currently sporting a multi-colored cut with blues, pinks, greens, and an underlying blond tone. Werner says that her thought process consisted of, “What colors do I like normally?” and then, “Let me put them on my head.” Another inspiration for Werner was the media. She says that the movie Descendants was a driving factor for when she originally dyed her hair, having taken the plunge around when the movie was released. She also says that having multiple hair colors was hard to get bored of. “I think that… people at Blake… fought to make it so there could be more self-expression,” Werner comments. She goes on to express her gratitude to past Blake students who paved the way to freedom of expression, and her desire for a continuation of that advocacy into the present. In reasoning, she says, “I think… celebrating self-expression is worth it.”
