Log In

Subscribe for $0.25/week

A Fashion Twist:Asians See Hair to Dye For

By Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune

May 26, 2001

KUALA LUMPUR— Years ago, when black was black, East Asians viewed
light-colored hair as a mark of poverty, a sign of malnutrition or too much
exposure to the sun.

But try to tell that to East Asians today.

The region is going blond — and burgundy and auburn and chestnut.

Makers of hair dye report double-digit sales increases in Asia's wealthier

countries. Today, about 60 percent of the women in Japan and South Korea
color their hair, according to Vianney Pivet, marketing manager for Asia at
L'Oreal, the world's leader in hair-coloring products. That is roughly the
same level as in Europe and the United States and includes people who
dye their hair black to cover up the gray.

Trendsetting Japanese women and some men began coloring their hair
about five years ago. Last year more than 30 million kilograms of hair dye
were sold in Japan, according to Ritsuko Tsunoda, an analyst with Merrill
Lynch in Tokyo. That's about 500 grams — more than a pound — of hair
dye for every Japanese woman older than 15.

ADVERTISEMENT

CHEMISTRY THAT MATTERSTM

THE ANSWER TO
FEEDING A GROWING
GLOBAL POPULATION?
COLLABORATION.

DISCOVER MORE

CTA

Japanese fashion gurus describe the trend as liberating, adding a new

variety and flair to notions of beauty and fashion where there was once
only black.

But as hair coloring becomes more common in Asia, the trend is creating
some expressions of concern. Across a continent where everyone's hair, in
its natural state, looks similar, some have voiced concern about what will
happen when everyone has the choice to look different.

Schools that value cohesion and order are weighing in on whether

students may color their hair — and to what degree. Companies face
similar decisions, especially those in service industries. Often rules are left
unspoken, but sometimes they are not.

Singapore Airlines, which has worked hard to burnish its reputation as the
very symbol of Asian hospitality, says light-colored hair is banned for its
female flight attendants, the much-advertised "Singapore Girls."

ADVERTISEMENT

Let there be change

"Stewardesses are able to color their hair as long as the hair coloring is a
natural color such as black or dark brown," said Innes Willox, manager for
the company's international public affairs. "The rule of thumb is that the
coloring should be subtle, so streaking the hair in different colors is not
acceptable."

A flight attendant on a recent flight from Singapore to Manila said the

light-hair ban was a question of cultural identity. "We need to keep the
Asian look," she said.

Fashion experts say colored hair works well in some professions but not in
others.

"It's very acceptable in creative fields: advertising, design and

publishing," said Susanah Cheok, the chief editor of Female Magazine in
Singapore. "But of course if you're a lawyer and you're going to streak
your hair blond and go to court it might not go over very well."

EDITORS’ PICKS

Best Movies of 2021 A Cookie as Big as the Ri

Dec. 6, 2021 Dec. 1, 2021

From 30 percent to 40 percent of the women in Singapore color their hair,

according to Mr. Pivet at L'Oreal. The same proportions apply to Hong
Kong and Taiwan.

ADVERTISEMENT

Change from
Every Angle

In less-developed countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Vietnam,

less than 20 percent of women color their hair.

Hair issues are social lightning rods in most societies around the world,
whether among military recruits, high school students or police officers.

But the politics of hair is perhaps more meaningful in East Asia. The fact,
for example, that Asian children in a school yard can appear almost
identical from the standpoint of hair can foster homogeneity.

Coloring one's hair is sometimes associated with decadence or a lack of

discipline, especially to members of the older generations. Malaysia's 75-
year-old prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, traveled to Japan earlier
in the year and heaped scorn on the country's young people for daring to
look different.

ADVERTISEMENT

See Value in Every Direction

Experience 360° Value

"Japanese youths want to be blonds, work less and play more," he said.
"The traditional Japanese and Eastern culture is being discarded and
replaced with Western culture with disregard for filial piety and
discipline."

In Malaysia, children attending public schools must adhere to strict

guidelines about their hair. Schools often send booklets to parents
informing them of what is acceptable: For boys, hair must not touch the
collar. Girls with long hair must tie it with a ribbon that is either blue or
black.

Coloring one's hair is explicitly banned and the rules also prohibit students
from "styling their hair in a fashionable way that reflects current trends,"
according to the national rules.

Malaysian school administrators say these rules keep students from being
too distracted by fashion.

A school principal in Singapore, who in January sent home students with

colored hair, was more explicit.

ADVERTISEMENT

What Does It Mean to Be a

Forerunner?
Built for Change: A podcast for business leaders.

LISTEN NOW

"We want them to be proud of the hair color they were born with," Marcel
Lee, head of the Assumption English School, told the Straits Times. "We
also want to stress discipline and conformity."

Farther north in Asia the emphasis is on a lighter side to the hair-coloring

trend.

In Japan, colored hair has changed the way people think about fashion,
industry experts say.

"The Japanese had a complex," said Yoshiko Ikoma, deputy editor of the
Japanese edition of Vogue. "We couldn't change the color of our hair. We're
short and we all have the same color eyes."

"Now we can change the color of our hair, change the color of our eyes and
wear platform shoes!"

From a business standpoint, hair-coloring products have been one of the

brightest spots of the Japanese economy during the past decade of slump,
impressively beating depressed consumer trends.

ADVERTISEMENT

In terms of volume, the amount of hair dye sold in the 12 months to March
increased 20 percent, according to Ms. Tsunoda of Merrill Lynch.

"The biggest change in Japan in the past 10 years has been the diffusion of
mobile phones and the coloring of Japanese hair," she said.

As the market has grown, Western companies such as L'Oreal have

introduced more sophisticated — and more appropriate — products.

Although many bottles of hair dye sold in East Asia today portray Western
women on the labels, the formulas are usually different from the European
or American products.

ADVERTISEMENT

What Does It Mean to Be a

Forerunner?
Built for Change: A podcast for business leaders.

LISTEN NOW

When stripped of its natural pigment, Asian hair has reddish undertones,
according to Mr. Pivet of L'Oreal. Caucasians' hair, by contrast, has yellow
or orange undertones.

To compensate for this, chemists use green in Asian formulas to cancel out
the red, while violet is added to Western hair dyes to cancel the yellow-
orange undertones. The result is a more pleasing color.

There are, of course, holdouts in the trend toward colored hair. The dark-
suited men and women who ride the subways to work every day in Tokyo
are among the last vestiges of strictly black-haired culture.

But among the hip and trendy in East Asia, there is a notion, perhaps
exaggerated, that the holdouts will soon become the standouts.

"Nowadays, if you don't color your hair you're the one who's different,"
said Ms. Cheok of Female Magazine.

You’re almost out of free articles.

Get unlimited article access

for $0.25 a week.
Subscribe now

Limited time offer. Cancel anytime.

Trending

Oliver Contreras for The New York Rana Young for The New York Times Tom Brenner for The New York Times
Times
Birds Aren’t Real, or Are Supreme Court Allows
Rift Between Senator and
They? Inside a Gen Z Challenge to Texas
Son Shows the Challenge
Conspiracy Theory. Abortion Law but Leaves
of Taxing the Ultrarich Dec. 9 It in Effect
8h ago
Dec. 10

ADVERTISEMENT

© 2021 The New York Times Company

NYTCo Contact Us Accessibility Work with us Advertise T Brand Studio Your Ad Choices Privacy Policy

Terms of Service Terms of Sale Site Map Canada International Help Subscriptions