Rapunzel´s Daughters: What Women's Hair

These days, there are many trends when it comes to physical appearance, and these trends are followed by the majority of the people in society and they sometimes extend outside of one’s own. From clothes to make-up, the fashion and physicality that is mostly looked upon is the way one’s hair is styled. The hair, the “crowning glory” as some may call it, is said to be the very first thing that is noticed and seen of an individual unconsciously or not. The hair on one’s head is one of the most public bodily commodities, visible and open to interpretation by others at a first or second’s glance. This is equally true for men and women in view of the fact that people are often evaluated based on their appearance. With this, people in society

These meanings change throughout time as communication evolves along with culture. An example of this would be the representation of blonde hair in the times of the Roman Empire; studies show that gold or straw-colored hair represented involvement in the act of prostitution. As history passed and cultures have changed, the perception of blonde hair changed along with it and into something that now symbolizes the idea of having “more fun” compared to non-yellow haired individuals. In the Philippine setting, different cultures affect the different semiotics being communicated. Realisms and encounters show that if an individual with dyed or bleached hair was of a lower-class culture in society, a stigma of it being “tacky” or “cheap” would be perceived. Although, if members of the upper-class culture in the Philippine society were to do so, there would be a different, possibly positive meaning interpreted and seen out of their colored hair. The culture that is present shapes the communication in society, and in return, society’s communication shapes the cultures as

Vivian Diller, Ph.D., a New York City-based psychologist says that the psychology behind hair dyeing could be because those who do so “tend to enjoy making a statement and standing out from the crowd”. Going out of the ordinary by dyeing one’s hair into an unnatural color sets that individual apart. For instance, in an Asian country such as the Philippines where most of society’s natural hair is colored black, having a head of bright blue hair would definitely catch attention. The appreciation of art, too, influences the logic in being distinct; art represents diversity, and diversity is something represented in altering one’s hair color. “Celebrating the colors of life”, as said by 18 year old Filipino art student Jasmine Pablo, who shares that dying the tips her hair color green was done out of her love for art and color. When asked of how she got the idea of coloring her hair, she explained that seeing western trends through the media and online channels “sparked” her want to do so, American social media trendsetter Kylie Jenner’s renowned style made an impact on her as well. The fact that she was aware of what influenced her into hair dyeing is also worth nothing. Effects on our country’s modernity and fads such as this display how western cultures take part in the cultural imperialism and homogenization present in the