This is perhaps my all-time favorite guest essay on SMT. It represents everything wonderful about this newsletter: phenomenal writing, thoughtful analysis, and a clear-eyed recognition of the complicated role that fashion and beauty play in all of our lives (fun, creative, expressive, burdensome, expensive, patriarchal) - heightened of course times a million for figures like Kate and Meghan. Miranda, thank you for sharing your story with us!
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful piece, Miranda! (Also - imo, there is no imprudent amount of money for the Eras tour. I hope you both enjoyed it as much as I did!)
Your beautiful words mean so much to me. I have not been diagnosed with cancer, but my 45 year old daughter is a 4 year survivor of class 3b, triple negative breast cancer. She shares your trials and tribulations with her “new” hair. And her hairdresser is also a Meghan who is helping her figure out what color her hair should eventually be. Whatever she ultimately decides will be beautiful to me. I am one of those blonde older women you spoke of who is partially making it easier to hide my gray and partially trying to get back to my youth when my hair was naturally golden blonde. As long as I can afford my appointments (every 4th Tuesday at 2), I will forever be blonde. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story.
Miranda's writing was beautiful, I devoured every word.
As to Kate, when I saw her blondish hair, I thought, "Why not?" She's had long dark hair forever, and she's got the best hair stylists and colorists, (I'm sure), why not try something different? We all feel like a change sometime. I also had long dark hair my whole life and about 15 years ago I started highlighting it. I felt like it "brightened" everything up, including me. My mother says it returned the stripes I had in my hair as a child. Now, in my 60s, I am getting gray around the front edges, and am grateful to hide it a while longer with the blonde highlights. But I also thought about Kate: That she might be going gray, too, and this might be the start of a transformation. So be it, the blondes covering their gray look great!
PS, does anybody know what Kate uses to get those gigantic waves in her hair? They are different from the curls she used to have. I want whatever it is.
What a beautiful and thoughtful piece! Thank you Elizabeth for creating this platform that women can share their thoughts and experiences! What a beautiful account.
I know someone going through breast cancer. She is awaiting reconstruction and has had a very difficult time with one of her expanders causing an infection so it had to be removed. Worse, her reconstruction has been delayed due to another cancer in her abdomen that also required surgery. I know that as she moves through her next steps I’ll think of this article. A very moving read.
This is perhaps my all-time favorite guest essay on SMT. It represents everything wonderful about this newsletter: phenomenal writing, thoughtful analysis, and a clear-eyed recognition of the complicated role that fashion and beauty play in all of our lives (fun, creative, expressive, burdensome, expensive, patriarchal) - heightened of course times a million for figures like Kate and Meghan. Miranda, thank you for sharing your story with us!
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful piece, Miranda! (Also - imo, there is no imprudent amount of money for the Eras tour. I hope you both enjoyed it as much as I did!)
Your beautiful words mean so much to me. I have not been diagnosed with cancer, but my 45 year old daughter is a 4 year survivor of class 3b, triple negative breast cancer. She shares your trials and tribulations with her “new” hair. And her hairdresser is also a Meghan who is helping her figure out what color her hair should eventually be. Whatever she ultimately decides will be beautiful to me. I am one of those blonde older women you spoke of who is partially making it easier to hide my gray and partially trying to get back to my youth when my hair was naturally golden blonde. As long as I can afford my appointments (every 4th Tuesday at 2), I will forever be blonde. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story.
I hung on every word. Thank you for this, Miranda - and for bringing this to us, EHolmes
Wow. As always, Miranda, simply stunning. Thank you for writing 🩷
What a beautiful piece, thank you for your insights.
This is incredibly beautiful and moving. Thank you for sharing, Miranda and Elizabeth!
Breathtaking writing. Thank you for sharing.
Aging is a gift, but not an unalloyed one. Thank you for sharing this with us, Miranda. What a powerful, thought-provoking piece of writing.
Miranda's writing was beautiful, I devoured every word.
As to Kate, when I saw her blondish hair, I thought, "Why not?" She's had long dark hair forever, and she's got the best hair stylists and colorists, (I'm sure), why not try something different? We all feel like a change sometime. I also had long dark hair my whole life and about 15 years ago I started highlighting it. I felt like it "brightened" everything up, including me. My mother says it returned the stripes I had in my hair as a child. Now, in my 60s, I am getting gray around the front edges, and am grateful to hide it a while longer with the blonde highlights. But I also thought about Kate: That she might be going gray, too, and this might be the start of a transformation. So be it, the blondes covering their gray look great!
PS, does anybody know what Kate uses to get those gigantic waves in her hair? They are different from the curls she used to have. I want whatever it is.
What a beautiful and thoughtful piece! Thank you Elizabeth for creating this platform that women can share their thoughts and experiences! What a beautiful account.
I know someone going through breast cancer. She is awaiting reconstruction and has had a very difficult time with one of her expanders causing an infection so it had to be removed. Worse, her reconstruction has been delayed due to another cancer in her abdomen that also required surgery. I know that as she moves through her next steps I’ll think of this article. A very moving read.