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Japan's blondes vanish as women turn to dark side
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-25 10:07
It's a case of the vanishing blondes.
Ten years ago, a stroll through central Tokyo could leave travelers wondering
what country they were in as they watched a parade of tanned, fair-haired women
walking tall in precarious platform shoes.
Now fashion has moved on and hairdressers say bleached blonde tresses are
going the way of fake tans, although a dark brown tint still seems more popular
than natural black.
The only fair-haired women to be seen on the covers of Japanese fashion
magazines nowadays are foreign models.
Even Ayumi Hamasaki, the Japanese pop world's answer to Madonna, has dyed her
trademark platinum locks sleek black to stay ahead of the curve.
"What's seen as attractive now is to look well groomed and cute," said
hairdresser Yuko Shimizu of the afloat-f salon in Tokyo's trendy Aoyama
district. "People want natural-looking shiny hair, whereas dyeing it blonde
tends to damage it."
Neighboring countries are providing inspiration, with popular actresses Zhang
Ziyi of China and Choi Ji-woo of South Korea often seen showing off their glossy
dark hair in TV commercials that emphasize their Asian identity.
Japanese women of a certain age have long tinted their tresses to cover the
grey.
Light-colored hair was popular because it was believed to make the face
appear brighter and to be easier to coordinate with Western-style fashions,
hairdressers say.
Admiration for European hair made even mousy brown tones a more desirable
option than black, while younger Japanese of both sexes sought to express
individuality with a palette of colors.
While brassy blonde is out, hairdressers say few fashion-conscious Japanese
women are prepared to go completely natural, since many feel poker-straight
black hair is unflattering.
"Black hair simply doesn't suit Japanese women any more, because their
complexions are fairer than they used to be," said Kenichi Uehara, a veteran
stylist at the Double salon in Harajuku, an area popular with young people.
"Magazines put forward the idea of black hair, but women aren't actually
taking it up," he added. "The idea is to find a color that's not too light but
not too dark."
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