Saturday, February 23, 2008

Why I decided to go grey...a pictorial of my journey to becoming a tousled silver streak

Good GOD it is time for some smut. Time to laugh. Time to shake that intense, mind sucking numbing brain of meself and take a little stroll through photo memory lane. Join me, won't you?

It all started out so well. She was born in the 60's. A time of excitement...

...and apparently aliens. She shared her birthday with the first grey alien sighting. How thrilling!

She perfected the clasped hands pose early on.
And had her first bad haircut.

Later, her hair was the envy of all, most especially her "bowl-cut" bangs. She spent time on the Mediterranean.

And although a bit bucky in teeth, had a warm smile set off by excess hair oil.

There was a golden period. A time when she actually had an ass.

Alas, the golden period was short lived. Braces were donned at 16. Nothing else need be said...

Several years passed and then began the period of hair experimentation...

She vacationed in Mexico as a blonde. The hat was an accessory to die for. Especially worn with sweats. Tres chic.

Otherwise known as the Flashdance period. OOOHHHH...what a feeling to swing around BIG hair.

Learning to apply lipstick in a moving vehicle wearing these earrings was an accomplishment that filled her with pride.

There was that unfortunate Halloween. Or was this part of the Flashdance period? Please, notice the heels. No matter. Men scattered to the high hills.


She had her very own Like a Virgin limo tour. She was into the groove.

She wouldn't be caught dead without her lace. Or her dresses.

Finally she said...why am I not getting paid for this? And she got a job singing telegrams. Sometimes as a nurse. She took meticulous care of her men's blood pressure and could do a good leg thrust.

Then there was that unfortunate, doughy, sun splotched period in St. Maarten where she met a Mr. T lookalike. His bathing suit seemed...showy.

She ditched the island life after a week and a few months later was able to be in her brother's wedding. [Probably better that he wasn't clued into her island escapades.] Between the 1st fitting and the final, she gained 20lbs. But look at that young, rounded skin glistening on a spring day.

As an actress she had some very minor success. There was the mysterious Greta Garbo look. It lasted as long as this photo shoot and was never recaptured.
A few years later she met E while shooting the incredibly glamorous film genre known as the industrial film. They were relatively young and both liked shorts.
Although they each thought it fortunate that he had not experienced JCK's previous highbrow...yet...stylish... yet... oh so trendy periods, he was continually intrigued by her auditioning attire. [Here she is off to Covington, Georgia for In the Heat of the Night.] What a bad ass.
JCK had SO many talents she wanted to share with E. Among them coloring her hair to match the inside of an elevator. Purple gloves go SO well with black leather, don'tcha think?
After retiring from acting at least on stage and screen, she went on to massage school and became a massage therapist, leaving the elevator hair behind her.
Filled with endorphins they married.
A perm for the wedding, then brunette just for kicks. E had whiplash, but was never bored.
And then a golden, perky flip.

JCK moved to California with E and lived a full life. They did everything and more to have a baby. Their path to become parents led them to open adoption and on an evening in November 2003, BOY entered their lives.

This is moments after BOY has been born.
2 months later... GOOD GOD, she's pregnant! She gains 45 delicious pounds. She doesn't care.

GIRL is born. She is 10 months younger than BOY. This is enough to turn JCK's hair platinum.
And then BOY starts walking. At 10 months old. Keeping up with two babies who are 10 months apart is a challenge. And the silver roots, which she has had for many years...covered up by a variety of hues, begin to creep in. The hell with it. She's going au naturale.
JCK is just too...tired to think about her hair. Uh Oh...She lost the 45lbs a little too fast. Henceforth known as the Old Ma Kettle period.
But, THEN ...it really feels liberating this going silver thing. There is a freedom in it. A relief. And the part of her that loves to be different is satisfied. Because this is different. Are you kidding me? It's radical, man. This is L.A. Nothing is au naturale here. Well, maybe the nudists...at our house.

Let the good times roll...


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42 comments:

  1. Wow, you have had a lot of looks! Going gray is definately the bravest, but you are beautiful no matter which look you choose.

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  2. so you do or don't think it's shallow of me at age 30 to resist the gray that is clearly chasing me?

    AND it would appear that we might or might not have been on the same tv show...

    i particularly like the "olan mills proof not for sale"---don't worry, i wasn't going to buy it! :)

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  3. You're gorgeous through every hair phase! I had that first hair cut, too. And the Flashdance hair. Well, most of these.

    I loved this post. Oh, and Mr. E is dreamy.

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  4. That was so fun. What a cutie and I think you are making better hair choices through the years...ha.

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  5. Great pictures...thanks for posting them. You are so lovely.

    And you wear your color so well. It's stunning!

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  6. I love the hair retrospectives!

    You look great, and you definitely have a hawt shade of grey!

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  7. i'm starting to get the grays and am trying to decide what i'll do about it. i've made it almost to 41 without it being to terrible.

    oh, this is about you. i forgot. really, you are beautiful . loved the old photos. how did they ever let us out of the 80s alive?

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  9. I have to say you truly have had a more dramatic life in hair than me. I would have looked up to your hair in high school

    What a fun post. You are so pretty.

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  10. sooo funny. I really do love the hair that matches the elevator!

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  11. you, friend, are beautiful, whatever the look.

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  12. JCK. You are beautiful.

    From birth to now each picture radiates one strong, happy chic.

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  13. Oh, good lord woman, you are too funny. And gorgeous! LOVE it!

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  14. I love this! You are a looker, indeed.

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  15. I may have to dig through my pictures, because I think I can match you shot for shot, except replacing the braces with glasses. My flashdance hair was purple. I can think my grandparents for the fact that my hair didn't start turning grey until I was 40. I'm with you, I can't be bothered now, not with two toddlers. And you look gorgeous au naturel. LA could take some lessons. A friend of mine did a couple of guest spots on "In the Heat of the Night." What are the chances?

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  16. Gorgeous and vibrant. I love a woman who is radical and beautiful. Mine is well on it's way to silver highlights and I only hope I look as vibrant as you do in that last photo.

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  17. The other janet sent me over here...

    I wrote an eerily similar post this weekend. Except with fewer pictures and not as funny. Nicely done.

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  18. Love that wedding dress! So elegant, and definitely not slutty (I see so many that definitely do not scream purity, you know?)

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  19. This is the best post today! Great photos and wow, it's funny how I feel like I got to really know your story--through HAIR! You love mahvelous, dahling. I love finding other moms who will be soon mistaken for grandmothers. I had Merrick right after turning 40. I have my father's hair and he barely had any gray, well into his fifties, so I have yet to pluck a single strand. But my wrinkles will qualify me, and soon!!

    Glad to see you had so much fun at the Oscars, too!

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  20. This was such a fun post to read. And you are gorgeous, especially now!

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  21. the gray is lovely. my gray has started with a vengence and i'm not sure what to do about it.

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  22. What a sweet look into your life...and the whole adoption then pregnant story is CRAZY!

    I have finally given up plucking my grey hairs...I'll be 36 this year. Both my parents are heavy salt-n-pepper and both my grandmas have lovely all-white poofs about their heads. That's what I'm going for!

    I love the spirit in your eyes and smile. Thanks for sharing!

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  23. this was great, funny and fun and very informative. ;)

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  24. I came by via Rima, and this was just a fabulous post! You look wonderful, especially now. Motherhood definitely suits you, you're gorgeous!

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  25. you are hysterical. And gorgeous, that smile shines through all the hair mishaps and glories.

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  26. How in the world did I miss this whole freakin' post?!? And I thought I'd had a lot of different looks! Holy cow! And you rocked them all! Even "doughy". I also lost the weight from Girl-Child a little too quickly and had that "you need to eat a sandwich or something" look.

    This is awesome!

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  27. I think I'm going to treat myself to one of your "fancies" every night.

    Random thought flashes:

    (1) How did she lose all that weight so fast?

    (2) Hair matching the inside of an elevator, hahahahaaaaa!

    (3) OMG, she could play Diane Keaton's double!

    (4) Gorgeous smile...the braces at 16 were definitely worth it.

    (5) Does the gray-pride correspond to the chocolate orgasm phase?

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  28. Vive la gray! It looks great on you, dare I say better than ever? I'm watching mine come in and not at all horrified. No covering gray for me. I earned each and every one of 'em.

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  29. holy makeral, you and your husband should be in magazine ads or fashion shoots or good housekeeping or something promoting right living. Unbelievably goregeous......sheesh.

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  30. Oh my Lord, I love this post. Adore it.

    For one, on a really self-absorbed level, I feel like we could be related. Which is awesome for me, because you only grew more gorgeous as you grew older. Good news for me.

    I have a ton of gray hairs and I have never done a damn thing about them. Never dyed my hair, doubt I ever will. It seems like a trap.

    Full on gray by 35? Bring it on, sister.

    BTW, before I end this post-within-comments, I envy your site design. You are a woman after my own heart. The ink? The script? Le sigh.

    Don't be scared if I follow you around at BlogHer and take notes.

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  31. yr pretty awesome! This is my first time here- love it! xo

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  32. This is awesome!! I love the one where you match the elevator! Too funny.

    You just get prettier and prettier!!!!!!

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  33. The final photos are by far the best. Great hair. And LOL: Old Ma Kettle period.

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  34. Alas, I was always jealous of chicks like you. I was over at the frizzy/curly hair table. Check out your awesomeness.

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  35. Yer HAWT woman!!

    And kind, and smart. And HAWT!!

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  36. As another too young to be silver but am .. I love your hair story ..

    Found my way here via Jennifer's guest post ... hope you are having a lovely vacation ..

    :-Daryl

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  37. Six months and one day after leaving my original comment on this post...it's still one of my favorite posts of the Blogosphere. You're so beautiful, all the different hair does is highlight a different aspect. xxoxox

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  38. As a woman who had her final baby at 40, I could not love this post more! You're beautiful in silver and love!

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  39. You were always beautiful (okay, the big hair 80's were a little much, but still awesome) and you're even more lovely in person. Your hair is fab. :-)

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  40. Wow, I'm a little late to this post but congrats to such a good history of you and your hair. At least I can say that I witnessed many of those your hair periods. Some were good, some were fun some were really fun. Some of the ones I missed though seem to be some of your best!

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