A Mom Who Takes The Right Stuff Seriously
From LA Times Magazine, a piece by Leslie Gornstein on "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks:
You've said you started dying your blond hair red at age 10. How exactly did you sell that choice to your folks?They did it to me! I was obsessed with the Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables. I decided I was Anne of Green Gables. There was something that spoke to me about her, and I wanted to have her beautiful red hair. So my mother said, "Let's just go to the drugstore and get one of those cover-the-gray rinses!" My hair was very blond at the time, but it went carrot red. And I was over the moon. I went to school the next day and felt like myself. And then I went back [to that color] over and over again. What a cool mom, right?
Kudos to her mom! I remember when I was in sixth grade my mom allowed my my sister and I to both get green streaks in our hair - she dyed it for us. A year later, she bleached my whole head and dyed it purple at my request. Whenever people who ask her why she allowed us to dye our hair such crazy colors, her answer was always "Its only hair, it grows back!" However, I think the best response ever given to someone who felt the need to question mom's lax stance on hairstyle was given by my sister, who, when asked by one of her teachers what her mother thought about her dying her her (thinking my sister did it behind my mom's back, the way so many kids in our school were getting piercings) responded by saying "My mom dyed it for me. She's a pediatric oncology nurse and is just glad I have hair!"
Lauren at July 5, 2010 1:21 AM
That's awesome! And I agree, worry about the important things, not the small stuff. You can always change hair, but it's also a very important part of self expression. I wish my mom had been as permissive (or the school dress code for that matter).
BunnyGirl at July 5, 2010 1:37 AM
Christina did a fine job in Firefly. I thought at the time that we'd see a bunch more of her.
Radwaste at July 5, 2010 5:41 AM
Who was she in Firefly? I don't remember her.
kishke at July 5, 2010 7:25 AM
She played Saffron, her first episode was "Our Mrs. Reynolds"
Elle at July 5, 2010 8:17 AM
Hard to see much more of her than we did in Firefly, Rad! (*drum-hit*)
Melissa G at July 5, 2010 8:37 AM
That's cool. I was Sun-In-ing my hair by that age. What I HATE is the little kids with mohawks and such. Can't people express their individuality themselves, and not through their kids who are too young to have made that decision?
With my own kids I'm totally with her. Hair grows back and is a very easy non-permanent way to let kids go a little wild (when they can express that as their own desire!) Much better than, say, a kid sneaking off to get a tat or body piercing like I did at 16.
momof4 at July 5, 2010 8:53 AM
My youngest daughter, who is now 16, got a mohawk just before her 14th birthday, with my approval. The look on the (female) barber's face when I brought her in for it was priceless! My daughter had long, blond beautiful hair. Initially, I was emphatically against the mohawk, but decided I would "teach her a lesson" and let her figure out that it wouldn't be fun to grow her hair back. She stopped sporting the mohawk about a year ago and now shaves her head down to about a half an inch with bangs (a Chelsea), and that's been black, pink, purple, bleached with leopard spots, and every other conceivable color combo. I can't imagine her with the long blond hair anymore and I love how creative she has been with her style.
sara at July 5, 2010 9:19 AM
Wow! I wish I'd had a cool mom. My mom said that she was extra strict so that our rebellions would be doing the things that other kids normally did.
We could only were red, white or blue. We could not chew gum and eat several normal foods such as raisins, cheese, etc.
I remember begging to wear pink or purple when I was 8 and black at 15. I guess it did its job. I never thought about asking to color my hair (although my sister did have green hair a few times until we got her the green-out.)
Jen at July 5, 2010 9:52 AM
I had beautiful, (only thing remotely beautiful about me) naturally red hair into my mid 40's, then it started fading into an old- penny color.
My mother bristled when strangers would ask if it was dyed. (I could NOT be mistaken for a child actress!) Also, no one did cool things back then at -10 years old.
When friends started bleaching at around 16, my mom said. "Don't you dare! NO one has a beautiful red like yours! Don't you touch it!
She rarely praised us. We were expected to do our best, work hard, etc. and I was also a pleaser. Shit, was people -pleasing a time and self-esteem sucker!
Her reaction startled me, and for the first time, I was proud of my hair.
saiorse at July 5, 2010 10:07 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/07/05/cool_mom.html#comment-1729609">comment from JenMy dad wouldn't even let us wear purple. (He found it "low class.")
Amy Alkon at July 5, 2010 10:08 AM
I did not know the divine Ms. Hendricks was red out of a bottle. Not that it matters, redheads make me go all a-quiver.
*sigh*
I R A Darth Aggie at July 5, 2010 11:30 AM
What? purple, the color of kings?
I R A Darth Aggie at July 5, 2010 11:31 AM
I'm back to comment on
"I was obsessed with the Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables. I decided I was Anne of Green Gables. There was something that spoke to me about her, and I wanted to have her beautiful red hair."
I was an adult when I took her on as a role model.
Anne had red hair which resulted in a lot of teasing (Gilbert), and was skinny and awkward at first, which prompted busybodies to comment on her looks. Why do they think they have that right? When Anne had to apologize to Mrs some body for reacting in fury to the woman's critical remarks, I was in her corner. It was such a good book, and I loved Matthew.
Ok , I'm done- sorry, ahem, back to red hair and dying, chopping, etc.
saiorse at July 5, 2010 11:39 AM
My daughter will be 13 soon and asked to put some highlights in her hair. I said yes and suddenly all her friends thought I was the coolest mom ever. I didn't do it for that reason. It was such a silly thing to care about and looked very nice on her hair. I was actually relieved she didn't want to go pink, lol. If that happens to make me the "coolest mom ever," I'll take it!
Kristen at July 5, 2010 12:49 PM
I, along with my brothers, was a child actor and colored hair rinse was a normal tool that my parents would use on us depending on the acting job. My blond hair was the perfect base for altering for work, while my oldest brother's hair was brown and more limited in modifying (via colored rinsing) to suit a role.
The three of us in various Twilight Zone episodes:
Me (in the white helmet next to Burgess) . . .
http://www.jaypix.com/tz/tj2.jpg
Older bro Pat firing slingshot . . .
http://www.jaypix.com/tz/tp2.jpg
Little bro Kim fighting Mary Badham . . .
http://www.jaypix.com/tz/tk3.jpg
Jay J. Hector at July 5, 2010 1:47 PM
Her parents sound like mine. Their attitude was not to sweat anything that wasn't permanent. So when I came home at 16 looking like Debbie Harry, they just laughed. When I dressed like Cyndi Lauper, they laughed harder. But they insisted on good manners, good grades, and NO TATOOS. Hair grows out....rooms can get cleaned...most people learn to dress appropriately for their station in life. I think if more parents focused on work ethic and being kind to others, and less on purple lip gloss, we'd all be better off.
UW Girl at July 5, 2010 4:20 PM
Haha, Kristen, all of my and my sister's friends said the same thing when she let us dye ours. :) It's so funny what kids think makes their friends' parents cool.
Lauren at July 5, 2010 4:23 PM
Taking this in a completely different direction ... I don't know if any of you are aware but Anne of Green Gables is BEYOND POPULAR with Japanese girls. The following may leave you stunned but I think you'll find it amusing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmehtAf8UC8
Robert W. at July 5, 2010 6:56 PM
I love it! I agree, it's hair, it grows back. Parents really need to pick their battles. If you let a kid have green hair, they're probably less likely to want to put holes all over their faces and tattoos everywhere.
Ann at July 6, 2010 9:23 AM
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