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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWindsor chapter.

Grombre: The Instagram Movement

 

During one of my haircuts at the age of 12 my hairdresser exclaimed that she had found a grey hair. No one in the salon could believe it, and many rushed over to see for themselves. Within the year the greys multiplied, and I got more and more comments. None of them were directly negative, mostly just shock at how young I was to have grey hair. People constantly asked questions, mostly about my parents’ experience with greys, which was minimal, and they cracked the occasional joke about me being stressed out.

Within the year I started dying my hair to my natural brown colour. I continued dying it for years after. Sometimes the box dye was too dark, and I’d end up with almost black hair, but I didn’t get any more comments or questions, so it didn’t matter to me. At 12, I desperately wanted to blend in with the crowd, as all pre-teens do, so I did everything I could to get rid of my greys.

I didn’t know anyone who had grey hair as young as I did. Nowhere on TV or in magazines did I even see women in their 20’s with greys. Until the Instagram account @grombre came across my timeline. Every aspect down to their bio, “A radical celebration of the natural phenomenon of grey hair” was inspiring and comforting.

 

 

For the first time in my life I saw women who were my age, who looked like me, and shared my struggle.

 

@isabukowska    

@frostalexandra

 

In their photo captions, I read stories of women who started greying  early in life, even a couple in their pre-teens, and their challenges with confidence and accepting this change.

 

      

      

@nik_southard

 

Every time one of these beautiful women pop up on my home page, I’m reminded that women all around the world are experiencing or have experienced the same things as me. I’m not alone, and while they may not be conventional role models, these hundreds of women on this Instagram are kicking ass with grey hair. One woman’s experience kicked off an entire movement, inspiring women, including me, to stop dying their greys and embrace their natural selves.

 

Here are some more posts that have inspired me:

 

@young_and_grey29

 

@hayleysilver82

 

@dfinneyphoto

 

Emma Rock

UWindsor '20

Emma Rock is in her third year of university with a major in English Literature and a minor in Gender Studies at the University of Windsor. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, taking American Sign Language classes and spending time with her family. Reading is the only thing she has loved her entire life. She can not wait to turn it into a career by pursuing a job in the publishing and editing industry once she graduates.Â