Black Hair and Korean Politics
According to a JoongAng Daily writer, hair dye is widely used in South Korea.
Why? Because the elderly regard white hair as a sign of helplessness.
How did Choi Jie-ho know it? Well, because his 76-year old grandmother said so.
"Having white hair on my head makes me feel out of my mind, I have to dye my hair in order to think straight," the grandmother reportedly said.
Indeed, even (or especially?!) politicians dyed their hair regularly. These include former presidents Kim Young Sam and Kim Dae Jung, as well as Lee Hoi Chang, the former presidential candidate who narrowly lost out to Roh Moo Hyun (pictured*) during the last presidential elections.
Speaking of Roh, he too, reportedly darkens his hair "whenever the mood strikes."
As Choi pointed out in his 2003 article, "perhaps image is everything." Or maybe it's because people are sick of the "nursing home look" that dominated Korean politics in the last 25 years.
Choi added: "Perhaps voters are tired of grumpy old salt-and-pepper-haired men. Black hair - and the blacker the better - means youth, vitality and maybe even some distance from a scandal or three."
As a 75-year old housewife who had been dying her hair for over 30 years noted: "If you hair is all white, it's like you've given up on life."
Note to the next Korean president - don't say you haven't been warned.
* Mr. ECP. Flintstone, sorry to include a photo of your favourite g**d**. And speaking of grumpy, hmm, doesn't that sound, er, vaguely familiar?
Why? Because the elderly regard white hair as a sign of helplessness.
How did Choi Jie-ho know it? Well, because his 76-year old grandmother said so.
"Having white hair on my head makes me feel out of my mind, I have to dye my hair in order to think straight," the grandmother reportedly said.
Indeed, even (or especially?!) politicians dyed their hair regularly. These include former presidents Kim Young Sam and Kim Dae Jung, as well as Lee Hoi Chang, the former presidential candidate who narrowly lost out to Roh Moo Hyun (pictured*) during the last presidential elections.
Speaking of Roh, he too, reportedly darkens his hair "whenever the mood strikes."
As Choi pointed out in his 2003 article, "perhaps image is everything." Or maybe it's because people are sick of the "nursing home look" that dominated Korean politics in the last 25 years.
Choi added: "Perhaps voters are tired of grumpy old salt-and-pepper-haired men. Black hair - and the blacker the better - means youth, vitality and maybe even some distance from a scandal or three."
As a 75-year old housewife who had been dying her hair for over 30 years noted: "If you hair is all white, it's like you've given up on life."
Note to the next Korean president - don't say you haven't been warned.
* Mr. ECP. Flintstone, sorry to include a photo of your favourite g**d**. And speaking of grumpy, hmm, doesn't that sound, er, vaguely familiar?
posted by Maria Siow @ 12:59 AM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home