Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Randomissimo - Do Italian men not color their hair?

Mr. Berlusconi might but since I’ve moved here I've seen so many men with salt and pepper hair or all salt.

I haven’t seen any commercials for Just For Men type products. American men must be coloring their hair more often.

I also don’t see many comb-overs. Men here who are going bald cut it super short. I think that is a much better look than plugs, toupees, or a comb-over.

Everywhere I look I see sexy men confidently wearing the grey.

Okay this commercial bothers me on several levels.


First of all if the dad got a decent haircut he would look fine. At my age it would never occur to me not to date a man because he has grey hair. On the other hand a man with hair that is clearly not his natural color looks freaking weird. Who are you trying to fool? Second, he sends a photo to his daughters from the date? Creepy. Anyway I don’t think grey hair alone ages men (or women). A nice hair cut and a wardrobe that fits your body will help you look your best. Third, that tagline "Stay in the Game?", sad. So getting older takes you out of the game? What the heck is "the game"? Shouldn't we be playing less games as we get older? This is just trying to men feel insecure. Now if you are 45 and your 23 year old assistant doesn't want to date you because you have some grey, that's a different story. To her your ass is old and you need to get a grip. (plus she is your assistant).

I know America is driven by youth and 40 here is not the same as 40 in the States (esp. not in L.A.). It that why Italian men don’t seem to have hangs up about turning grey? I have met men here in their late 20s/early 30s who are almost gray and don’t care. My male friends in the States were not happy about it. Except for one guy and he was British.

Perhaps George Clooney will help American Men just say no to Just For Men.

Here are some well know Italian men rocking the salt and pepper:
Recent fired coach of the Italian National Team Roberto Donadoni


Singer Eros Ramazzotti


Politician Pier Ferdinando Casini

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post. How I wish more women would rock the silver hair too.
I didn't know about Roberto getting fired. I had such a big kindergarden crush on that man.

Anonymous said...

ewww, how creepy was that?? What kind of weird drugs to those ad execs smoke anyway? Next they'll be advocating sending everyone over forty adrift on an ice flow!

erin said...

You're right...this IS "randomissimo" :) but funny all the same. This commercial looked like it was done in the mid 90s, but then those girls whipped out a pink cell phone. What year is this? "You'd be a great CATCH!?"

HAHA!

Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy said...

OMG where did you find that commercial? I am definitely disturbed on many levels, like you! ahhaha

I am not going to rock the gray hair just yet....who knows when I'll let it grow out! I think I'll be all white by 40. Ack!

Rosa said...

I think that Italian men continue to feel (and act) young inside. The hair colouring, if they do it, is much more subtle.

glamah16 said...

I love salt and pepper. Even prematurely. It looks hot to me.

Tracie P. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tracie P. said...

gennaro loved casini, i just thought he was hot. to be honest, i think gennaro had a crush on him too.

Anonymous said...

Whaaa!!! I don't get that ad! And I agree, his haircut just plain sucked.
As you know, I am SO with you on the Donadoni crush. He looks so much better now than when he was younger and rocking a 'fro. Ah, what are we going to do without him?
Ramazotti looks good too. Casini is handsome but there's something about him that just gives me the creeps.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

ms. violetta - thank you. Yes Roberto was fired a few days after Italy lost during Euro 2008. He really didn't have that much coaching experience. Maybe in a few years he'll be stronger.

joanne - You see those commercials all the time in the States. There's another one for the same product where a man tries to pick a woman at a bar and she rejects him. The "commentators" suggest he try Just for Men. He "scores" after using it. ugh.

erin - I have not idea when this commercial was shot. That's another weird thing about this ad.

sara - I was looking for the one with Keith Hernandez but found this one instead. Sara I know you will look beautiful whatever you decide to do. If you go silver make sure you use the right shampoo/conditioner and that you make up works
with your new color.

scintilla - I agree attitude has a lot to do with it.

glamah16 - Seriously, I need help. Since I've moved here I've almost broken my neck on several occasions doing double takes. haha. I don't know why but I find salt and pepper hair very hot as well. Don't let the man with the salt and pepper be rocking a nice suit too, forget it.

tracie b - that is hilarious. I was watching the news when I first arrived and I asked my friend G "who is this Casini person?" I used to get excited when he was going to be on Porta a Porta (not sure of the title of that show).

milanese - I saw a picture of Roberto when he was younger. He looks completely different! The grey is really working for him. I will miss seeing him on the sidelines during World Cup 2010.

Jen said...

Also, why do those relatively young girls have a cell phone anyway? Ugh. I agree on the ad.

I wish we were cool with aging in general here in the states. I feel each person should wear their gray hair proudly - after all - we EARNED it.

fail_safe said...

that commercial, wtf? i've never seen it here in the U.S., that's really weird. if a man is good-looking and confident, the salt-and-pepper hair doesn't matter. and why would those little girls care anyway? very strange. it doesn't matter to me if a guy is graying and/or balding. i think some guys look better that way. i've always wanted to rock a silver streak along the side of my head. i suspect i don't have the genetic predisposition for that though.

Nancy - Girl in Giro said...

oooo. casini is hot. too hot to be a politician for sure. i remember the firt time i saw him on the italian news. of course, all of these men have a full head of hair and get to be italian, which both help on the sexy scale.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

jen - good point why the heck do they have a phone and where is the babysitter? :) I thought with the boomer generation attitudes would change, will see.

ninety9 - I agree. Roberto is an example of someone who looks much better with the grey. I'm starting to get some grey on one side of my head. Not sure what's going on. It's hasn't spread to the rest of my head. When that happens I'm might cut it even shorter. I'm not going to dye my hair. I don't think it can take the chemicals, it's very sensitive.

girl in giro - si Casini is very italian. I like his accent too. He annunciates every single word. I think he's from Bologna.

Kataroma said...

Wow - who are these people you were hanging out with in the US? I don't think I know any men who colour their hair and lots of them are bald/grey in their 30s. I guess Ronald REagan dyed his hair - but then so does Silvio! How about Steve Martin?

One of my best Aussie female friends, who went completely grey in her 20s, just stopped colouring her hair and cut it really short. She looks amazing but people react strangely to it. I think it's the double standard- men can go grey but women have to keep dying it.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

kataroma - ha. I swear I hardly saw any grey in L.A. and those Just for Men commercials were on all the time. I had conversations with men who were freaking out about going grey in their 30s. Personally I though they needed to get over it. It's not like they were ill or something. please.

I agree with you that there is a double standard. I think Helen Mirren and Judy Dench look incredible with their silver. Of course they are both British. Jamie Lee Curtis stopped dying her hair.

Supposedly Reagan didn't die his hair. Not sure if I believe that.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous, and thank you for the eye candy.

Felicia
www.nearandfar.wordpress.com

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

felicia you are welcome. ha

Anonymous said...

After writing and photographing my book in Korea, I am seriously thinking of moving to Italy for three or four months (perhaps longer?) to study Italian and of course, take lots of photographs.

I'll start researching the ins and outs of the residency permit, work permit, etc. I know how tedious it can be. I lived five years in Paris and that was a trip and a journey!

Felicia
www.nearandfar.wordpress.com

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

felicia - I think it helps that you have already gone through a similar process when you lived in Paris. You know that patience and a sense of humor will make the process less painful. Only a little less. ha

Bella Italia said...

Love you postings. I am coming to Rome in June for one month and returning in September with 60 beautiful Black women on the Bella Italia tour. You can find details at about us at www.BlackGirlTravel.com/italy. I would love to meet up with you while I'm in Italy in June.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

bella italia - good luck with the tour in September. Not sure if I will be in Rome in June...might be in L.A.