花白頭發曾被認為是年邁的象征。但現在，“奶奶灰”色頭發非常流行，人們不再只把這種顏色和衰老聯系起來。許多女性選擇去展示并欣然接受她們天然變白的頭發。究竟是什么推動了這一時尚趨勢的反轉？跟隨本集《隨身英語》了解這一強勢來襲的美發潮流。

Vocabulary: appearance 詞匯: 外表

Grey hair can be the beginning of the end. A silver signal that youth and beauty are fading and only old age remains. And while grey at 60 may not be surprising, many start to turn prematurely as young as 20. If we want to hide it, modern haircare products allow us to easily cover up our natural grey and preserve our youth a little longer. But these days, many people – and women in particular, are ditching the dye to show their natural colours. Why?

"Research has shown that our hair follicle production can be influenced by factors such as hormones and stress, but some people have a genetic predisposition to lose pigment or go bald more than others," says a report on the BBC website. In addition, Prof Desmond Tobin, a hair and skin pigmentation specialist at the University of Bradford in the UK, says that it is normal for people with a European background to start greying in their early 20s. Research which he participated in found that different races have different average ageing rates - with African and East-Asian backgrounds tending to whiten later.

For many men, going grey may not be a big deal. It's now seen as a sign of sophistication, says UK newspaper Metro. It uses adjectives such as rugged, unique and fashionable. But for many women, these qualities don't seem to apply. Kate Dinota, a New Yorker who started turning grey when she was seven, states that the everyday woman feels a pressure not to age. At 28 and after 14 years, she decided to stop dying her hair and let her grey hair show. And she's not alone.

Since 2008, worldwide search interest in 'grey hair' has increased dramatically, Google Trends shows. This may have been driven by celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, who have both had silver locks. "People are torturing their hair to get the look," says renowned hair colourist Rita Hazan, who has worked with celebrities such as Beyoncé and Mariah Carey. Indeed, this trend was what persuaded 30-year-old Stephanie Tunchez from Texas to stop dying her natural hair two-and-a-half years ago. People were paying money to achieve a look she had already.

But to many women, the transition is not an easy one. Indeed, Kate experienced doubt from others with her initial decision. "People were like, 'Are you sure? What about your career? You're so young?' Like that seems silly," she reports. She believes there needs to be better representation of grey-haired women of all ages. In this way it is hoped that, like many men, women will feel more confident about letting it show and will feel more comfortable going grey gracefully.

詞匯表

youth 青春
fade 逐漸消失
old age 老年
prematurely 過早地
cover up 遮蓋、掩蓋
preserve 留住
pigment （頭發的）色素
ageing 變老的，衰老的
whiten 使變白
sophistication （處事）成熟老練
rugged 堅毅粗獷的
unique 獨特的
fashionable 時尚的
dye 染色
locks （頭發）縷
get the look 以獲得想要的造型
hair colourist 染發師

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Which three things influence hair follicle production?
 
2. True or false: All ethnicities tend to age at the same rate.
 
3. What pressure does the everyday woman feel, according to Kate Dinota?
 
4. What possible explanation is offered for the increase in interest in grey hair?
 
5. Which word in the text means 'in a smooth and attractive way'?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. He didn't even wait for nine months. My son was born ______ - two months early!

fade       young       unique      prematurely

2. The museum keeps the paintings in windowless rooms to ______ them as long as possible.

preserve       pigment       whiten       dye

3. I'm happy to go grey. I think it looks nice. You'll never see me ______ my hair.

die       painting       dye       dead

4. Have you ever thought about ______ your teeth? It would make your smile beautiful!

dying       fading       whitening        covering up

5. I like that tough, unshaven look on a man. I want him to be ______.

fashionable        sophisticated       unique       rugged

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Which three things influence hair follicle production?
The three things that may influence hair follicle production are hormones, stress and genetic predispositions.
 
2. True or false: All ethnicities tend to age at the same rate.
False. Research found that different races have different average ageing rates - with African and East-Asian backgrounds tending to whiten later.
 
3. What pressure does the everyday woman feel, according to Kate Dinota?
According to Kate, the everyday woman feels a pressure not to age.
 
4. What possible explanation is offered for the increase in interest in grey hair?
The interest may have been driven by celebrities such as Ariana Grande and lady Gaga.
 
5. Which word in the text means 'in a smooth and attractive way'?
Gracefully. In this way it is hoped that, like many men, women will feel more confident about letting it show and will feel more comfortable going grey gracefully.

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. He didn't even wait for nine months. My son was born prematurely - two months early.
 
2. The museum keeps the paintings in windowless rooms to preserve them as long as possible.
 
3. I'm happy to go grey. I think it looks nice. You'll never see me dye my hair.
 
4. Have you ever thought about whitening your teeth? It would make your smile beautiful!
 
5. I like that tough unshaven look on a man. I want him to be rugged.