Shades of Gray

I admit that I don't watch much television or keep up on the latest reality craze. Sure, I'd heard of American Idol, but haven't ever watched, nor did I have any idea who had won last season. So when I came across 29-year-old Taylor Hicks and his trademark prematurely gray hair, it was a shock to me that he had managed to capture young America's votes. Don't men and women much older than 28 constantly dye their hair any color BUT gray? Don't young people see graying hair as a sign that they are getting "OLD"? Aren't young people attracted to other young-looking people, not those who look middle-aged? Maybe I've been wrong about how youth views the natural changes of aging. Maybe Taylor Hicks is a sign of a new societal paradigm where we embrace gray hair, rather than cover it up. Maybe we are approaching the time when hairstylists will be asked to actually dye hair gray? I'm excited to find out.