iPerceptions of Hair Color: A Gray Area Anne Kreamer took at close look at a photograph of herself standing along-
side her teenaged daughter and suddenly came to a realization. She didn’t look, as she imagined, as her daughter’s “faintly hip older friend,” but rather
as a “a schlubby, middle-aged woman with her hair dyed too dark.” Inspired to authenticity, and with a bit of curiosity about what she really looked like,
Kreamer decided, once and for all, to ditch the dye. She documented the long, arduous process of growing out her natural gray hair for More Maga-
zinewas communicating to the world. It was simply what I had done for 25 years,. “I had never thought closely or critically about what the color of my hair
and what I assumed looked good and right” (Kreamer, 2006).Kreamer estimated that 75 percent of American women dye their hair—
and in our youth-obsessed culture, it’s likely that a good portion of those in their thirties and older do it to cover gray hair. Gray hair is fraught with cultural
meaning: for a woman, it might imply that she’s past her prime. Many women worry that going gray will harm their careers (and there is some evidence that
they’re correct) (Sixel, 2011). And although gray hair on men has long been considered “distinguished,” the number of men choosing to cover their gray
is rising (Daswani, 2012). Women typically begin dying their hair because they feel they’re too
young to be gray; but at some point, like Kreamer, they might feel that they’re ready to embrace their authentic color—and with it, their authentic age. And
that, too, can imply meaning. After Kreamer grew out her hair, she tried a little experiment. She went to an online dating site and created a profile that
included a photo of herself with her new silver locks. In three weeks, the silver-haired profile garnered three hundred looks and seven winks. After a
three-week hiatus, Kreamer posted again, using a different name but an iden-tical profile—except this time, her hair color in her photo was digitally altered
to look darker. The brown-haired version received a mere seventy looks and two winks in a three-week period. She tried the same experiment in different
cities, and although total numbers differed, the gray-haired image always drew more attention than the brown-haired one. Kreamer theorizes that her
natural look sent a specific message: “I was beginning to think that gray hair might actually be an advantage in a dating situation, a signal that says I’m not
hiding anything from the get-go” (Kreamer, 2007).PerceptPtifions ofHi CHair Color: AlAGAGray AreaCOMMUNICATIONACROSSCULTURES ABOUT THINK
THIS
❶the “appropriate” age for What do you think is
a woman (or a man) to go gray? What message does
it send if a younger person opts not to cover his or
her gray?❷ Do our perceptions
of gray hair change with age? Does gray hair carry
the same meaning at age 30 that it does at age 40?
At age 50? At age 60?➌ Why might more men
be opting to cover their gray? Have perceptions
of age and masculinity changed, or are men
simply more comfortable at a salon than they
used to be?Need for Cognition Scale
Individuals have different perceptions about the thinking process. Some really enjoy grappling with complex ideas and innovating new ways of thinking, whereas others
prefer to rely on familiar ways of handling people and situations. Consider the questions that follow and note how well they fit your experiences according to the following scale:
5 = extremely characteristic of you; 4 = somewhat characteristic; 3 = neither characteristic nor uncharacteristic; 2 = somewhat uncharacteristic; and 1 = extremely uncharacteristic.
Then add up your score and refer to the following analysis.
- I like to have the responsibility of handling a situation that requires a lot of thinking.I prefer complex problems to simple problems.
- Thinking is my idea of fun. 4. I would rather do something challenging than something that requires little thought.
- I look forward to situations in which I will have to think in depth about something. 6. I find satisfaction in deliberating hard and for long hours.
- I prefer to think about long-term projects rather than small, daily ones. 8. I dislike tasks that require little thought once I’ve learned them.
- The idea of relying on thought to make my way to the top appeals to me. 10. I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to a problem.
- Learning new ways of thinking excites me. 12. I prefer my life to be filled with puzzles that I must solve.
- The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me. 14. I would prefer a task that is intellectual, difficult, and important to one that is
- I feel satisfaction after completing a task that required a lot of mental effort.somewhat important but does not require much thought.
- I usually end up deliberating about issues even when they do not affect me personally.
what about you?New Scholarship that Makes Real Communication
the Authoritative Source
Substantial revisions in listening and group communication chapters
reflect dramatic changes in the field. Updated coverage of mediated
communication incorporates exciting new research and practical
advice on communicating via technology, including discussions of
social networking, privacy, cyberbullying, and trolling.“Understanding Mass and Mediated
Communication” Appendix in Every Book
Due to our increasingly virtual and plugged-in world, this
formerly optional chapter is now included in each new copy
of the book.A Spotlight on Thinking Critically About Ethics,
Culture, and Technology
Feature boxes throughout the text offer compelling stories of ethical
dilemmas, communication across cultures, and the impact of
technology. Questions after each feature help students consider
various communication strategies that could be applied to the
situation.Innovative Tools in Each Chapter Help Students Learn
and Apply Communication Concepts
c A self-assessment quiz (which can be answered in LaunchPad)
invites students to examine their own communication in light of
scholarly concepts discussed.
c And You? questions in the margins challenge students to think critically
about how they might respond to a situation discussed in the text.
c Real Reference guides help students grasp important ideas quickly,
make connections among the topics, and study for the test.0 00_OHA_45766_FM.indd i 0 OHA 45766 _FM.indd i 13/10/14 5:42 PM 13 / 10 / 14 5 : 42 PM