Highlight Society

There is a little boy on Gothamist's block who has the most striking head of platinum curls. Recently, during a brief stop and chat, Gothamist couldn't help but remark on this to his mother. She responded, "Where we're from in the midwest, no one would even notice his blonde hair. But, here people are crazy for it. I have had women ask for pictures of him to bring to their salon!" Striving for the perfect 'natural' blonde is nothing new, but who knew it was such an incredible status symbol that tow-headed children are perfect salon specimens?

Sunday's NY Times did a feature on the price of being a New York Blonde, literally upwards of $500 a month. Apparently being a NY Blonde is also its own subculture. They have their own stomping grounds (Upper East side), their own hair icon (Carolyn Bessette Kennedy) and their own vernacular (naive Gothamist thought Champagne and Chardonnay were for drinking). Sadly, researchers say natural blondes will become extinct by the year 2202. Who will we look to then when picking out highlights?

Socialites come in other shades as well, which makes us wonder if the raven-haired counterparts have discovered that bleaching your hair can make you stupid? Or are they just rebels? And what's up with Nicky Hilton, is she currently blonde or brown? Hopefully, she's her dark-haired, un-Paris-like self, Gothamist would hate to be the last staunch brunette on the block.

Photo from msneato's flickr stream.

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By M Harper in Arts & Entertainment on April 3, 2006 4:04 PM

Comments [rss]

King Kong

Is this a new branch of Hitler's Youth? Like, Hitler's Fashionistas or something? Utterly ridiculous. This is a nice story by the Times, considering a subsequent story about Blacks leaving the city in record numbers.

Brett

This is the second time I've read widely debunked urban myths on Gothamist. I realize it's just a blog, but come on, is there ANY editing and fact checking going on here?

twinpeaks

I prefer dark hair and dark eyes. that kid looks like every other kid in Sweden

Samantha T

Why do I read this shit that really only pisses me off? Do I really live in a city where this is newsworthy? I'm so happy that I work in a field where women tend to be frumpy and serious (law), if a little insane at times.

MT

*Sigh* I was one of those children. But I lost the color as I grew older. Thank God Anderson Copper came around just as I went gray!

Natural blond

But seriously, attaching the idea of some larger (class-based?) significance to a certain hair color, and then devoting large amounts of time and money to trying to reproduce it (usually not convincingly) doesn't speak terribly well to that person's character or intelligence. Don't they have anything better to do with their time? Apparently not.

nisey79

I had a mass of curly platinum blonde ringlets as a child (alas, my curls have gone dark with age). My mother told me that people often asked her if my hair was real or if they could touch it.