Hundreds of thousands of women can’t be wrong. Because if you culled together all of the users in online support groups, beauty chat rooms, and inspiration platforms, you’d see that’s a strong estimate of the number of women who have “upgraded” to gray hair and have not looked back.

We intentionally say “upgraded” because you would only need to hear them speak for five minutes to assess what a positive change these women feel going gray is for them.

But wait—wasn’t gray the very last thing we wanted anyone to see when it came to our “look?” While the popularity of this option appears to have taken off recently, certainly in the last half decade or so, the movement for embracing the natural beauty in going gray has some pretty formidable trailblazers.

On the pop culture level, one could trace bucking the gray hair norm back to supermodel Kristen McMenamy’s gutsy call to do so in 2010. Known for her air of edgy irreverence in the modeling world, McMenamy not only rocked the runway after ditching hair dye, she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue, and it became an enduring signature look for her. When interviewed, McMenamy shared that it wasn’t as much about being rebellious, as it was about the fact that at 45, her gray hair was just starting to come in and she had a choice to make. If she happened to shake up the status quo a bit while doing so, so be it.

Other icons in fashion and culture such as model Carmen Dell’Orefice and businesswoman Iris Apfel are proud silver sisters of the hair. In Hollywood, Diane Keaton, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Helen Mirren are evidentiary examples that going gray can be the powerful statement that beauty has been waiting for.

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In the Thick of Things

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After all, it always seemed permissible for men to sport their grays and have that seen as something positive, something character-enhancing. Who made this “silver-fox” thinking permissible for men but not for women anyway? Apparently, women who have gotten tired of waiting around for someone or thing to sanction this untenable way of thinking are taking action. Or perhaps it is better to say they are not taking any action at all, by allowing the gray to grow out and flow freely.

Thought leaders in the thick of the gray hair movement online, like This Organic Girl's Lisa Fennessy and Katie Goes Platinum's Katie Emery,  are numerous, outspoken, and inspiring. It is clear that when the time comes, this is one narrative that offers a variety of options. Choices can include not just when to go gray, but how, either naturally or finessed with the help of a talented colorist. And once you’ve chosen a colorist, you will be presented with a few more options based on the natural color base you were born with and the balance of gray you wish to have in your hair.

Of special note, we would be remiss if we did not mention that this decision isn’t just about how much or how little of a color change it is. The decision to go gray naturally does not come easily for most women. In fact, many women on the platforms speak to the emotional journey they went on to make this decision. Many feelings can be associated with this major change, everything from fear, to anxiety, to shame, so it is important that time is taken to work through these feelings and resolve them. This is a highly individualized decision with no one right answer, and thus respect must be given to the process.