>>> we are back this morning kicking off a special series “it’s all about the hair.” this is our makeup room where our hair is styled each and every morning, it could be long or short, sleek or bold, curly or straight. but no matter how you cut it, for women , hair is always a hot topic. mary tyler moore ‘s flip. dorothy hamill ‘s wedge. farrah fawcett ‘s feathered wings. jennifer aniston ‘s rachel look andee ons ebeyonce’s weave.
>> i think it is only natural we want to steal their style and i think hair is one of the easier ways to get their look.
>> in a recent “people style watch” magazine poll, jennifer aniston ‘s highlights, gwyneth paltrow ‘s bob, and katie holmes ‘s haircut topped the list.
>> a hair style is very important. that’s the first thing people say. we’re very connected to our hair.
>> we have a tendency to look at people’s hair and say, gosh, their hair is gorgeous, i wish my hair would do that. the truth is their hair probably doesn’t even do that. they probably spend a lot of time and money to get their hair like that.
>> here in the u.s. we sent $7.5 billion a year on hair products alone. a poll out shows women get their haircut on average five times a year. half the women in the survey say they color their hair.
>> vy it colored every month and a half or so.
>> i’m in the salon probably once every three months to do my highlights.
>> reporter: all this time on our hair adds up. according to a british survey, women spend a total of 2 1/2 years of their life working on their hair.
>> nothing says more about a woman than the way she wears her hair. you can tell if she’s happy or if she’s depressed.
>> reporter: that “consumer reports” poll also found 44% of women say their mood was affected by a bad hair day . and 26% say they have cried after getting a bad haircut.
>> thinking about your hair is one of the places you can decide, do i feel confident about myself? am i telling other people that i feel confident about myself.
>> reporter: why are we so obsessed with good hair?
>> clothes, you can take off. makeup you can take off, but hair you can’t take off. women are obsessed with hair because it is kind of the crowning glory of who they are.
>> so here to tease out the drama of women and their hair, “today’s” women ‘s lifestyle contributor and editor in chief of “glamour” magazine, cindy levy. laura barron, and tamika ray. cindy, start us off. why this obsession? i know it is the first thing you notice about somebody.
>> as a matter of fact, historically it’s always been true. you look at fertility statues, these ladies had dos. we’ve always been obsessed. i think it is because your hair is the shorthand way of telling the world what kind of woman you are. are you a sort of no-nonsense, wash-and-go kind of girl? are you an individual and you’re going to put pink streaks in? are you super feminine and conventional? what is it about you?
>> is there something unhealthy about it when you think about spending at least two years of your life taking care of your hair?
>> that means there is two years of your life that people aren’t looking at your thighs. you know? it’s also — let’s be honest, every woman wants to feel beautiful and the hair is the easiest thing to do. you take a blow dryer or go to the salon, you get it done, you look good. you know it.
>> when you a bad hair day is basically a bad day .
>> sure. all together, please. but you have to claim it. this is my thing. you’re always going to have a bad hair day . but if you give it the power, you’re screwed for the rest of the day. you have to just take it over and be like, whatever it is — i have curly hair naturally. really i don’t know what it is going to be when i get out the shower. you have to just claim it, embrace it and say i’m still powerful, i’m still beautiful and rock it, girl.
>> but you say your hair defines your personality.
>> it absolutely does. that’s the first thing you see. a new york block away is the silhouette of someone’s hair. you’re right, if it is perfect and not one hair is out of place, that woman is in power, she knows what she’s talking about. but i’ve been known to rock a very asymmetrical wild afro because i’m spontaneous, and i’m a little unpredictable. that’s who i am as a person. that does sort of describe the person that you are. as women we have so much control over what people see about us.
>> but also hair styles change. they come and they go.
>> yes, they do. we all have those moments we all look back and say, oh, my gosh, what was i thinking?
>> i think we have some pictures.
>> oh, no!
>> there you go.
>> but that’s my late ’80s virginia mullet. i think there was a lot of product going on there. science was not on my side.
>> women obsess. what about men?
>> i think men are getting in on this, too. we’re seeing a rise of male vanity.
>> you mention it used to be on the cover of your magazine, the woman always had to have long hair. but that has changed.
>> completely. this is the gospel of women ‘s magazines, not just mine. you needed the long, flowing, feminine waves to sell a magazine. that’s not true. you can have close, cropped hair, dyed hair . we’re seeing more openness to extreme hair now among women . women want to make a statement.
>> it is also the emotional attributes we put to hair. you see long hair and you think, that woman is getting hers pulled.
>> look at your hair.
>> oh, that’s great.
>> that was the look.
>> what a perfect segment. yeah. that was actually the tamed version. i used to like to show that single curl and just throw it over my ear. yes, it was horrible.
>> we showed some pictures in the piece of celebrities that have influenced hair styles like jennifer aniston and others. is it still the case?
>> i think it is. i think women just look to celebrities to get ideas about what to do with their hair. i think what’s different now is that there is a wider range. you might want the long gossip girl wave but you also might want the lady gaga look. i think there is a lot to choose from now.
>> a little more high-maintenance, the lady gaga look.
>> again we also go back to the emotional attributes that we put to the hair. we see a lady gaga and we think she must be creative, she must be happy. she is expressing herself. we tant to express ourselves. we give so much credibility to what a woman’s hair looks like.
>> also the hair is not just defining you. very often it is making a political statement as well.
>> yeah.
>> certainly back in the ’60s, women with the afros, it was a statement about being proud of who you are and –
>> absolutely.
>> i kind of adopted that a little bit. i really wanted to feel powerful. i got to tell you, with the afro i got stopped on the street at least 20 times a day. look, this is the worst hair i ever had. look at that hair! i thought it was cute. i wanted a spiky little hair style so i permed it and it was wrong.
>> i’ve always found when my hair is changed, i think it is good in the moment. maybe if we’re sitting here five years from now — look at mine.
>> you look adorable!
>> oh meredith, i love that.
>> if that’s your worst look –
>> but i guess my point is, we think we look good now, in five years will we look at these pictures –
>> all that matters is in the moment, right now. you are strutting and in the moment you are feeling like a full, powerful woman. beautiful.
>> in five years we will destroy the digital images .
>> there you go.
>> if only we could.
>> i think you all look great.
>> thank you!
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