Olivia Colman has become the latest high-profile figure to embrace grey hair, appearing at the Zurich film festival this week with a grey, curly mane after trading her dark pixie cut. She joins other celebrities including Lisa Bonet in ditching hair dye.
The shift reflects a broader cultural conversation around ageing and appearance. Yet for many women outside the spotlight, going grey carries real professional risk. Workplace ageism remains a barrier for those considering ditching the dye, according to the Guardian's reporting.
The tension is stark: celebrities face no employment consequences for greying hair and often gain media attention for the choice. Ordinary women, by contrast, may fear age-based discrimination if they stop colouring their hair. The decision to dye or not becomes less about personal preference and more about job security and economic survival.
The source material does not detail specific cases of workplace discrimination, named women's experiences, or data on how common such fears are. It flags the issue without quantifying its reach. What remains clear from the reporting is that celebrity visibility around grey hair has not yet erased the structural concerns that keep many women reaching for the dye bottle.