Excerpts
from an upcoming textbook to be published by the Northern Massachusetts
University School of Industrial History.
From the Introductory
Section:
Male Blonding is a modern movement
that, however, has its basis in ancient times. Early Male blonds include
Jesus of Nazereth who stood out very effectively from the generally
dark Israeli crowds. Blonding was very popular in the highlands of
Ethiopia where legends of an Aryan tribe grew up around a city where
almost everyone blonded their hair. Leonardo da Vinci rediscovered
Male Blonding in the Renaissance. It was a huge breakthrough when
he announced that lemon juice was as effective if not more so than
pigs urine. (He also drew a plan for the first machine to extract
juice from lemons but was unable to construct a working model).
After da Vinci Male Blonding
spread...
From Chapter 1, Influential
Male blonds
Recent rehabilitation of Male
Blonding began after the fall of the 1980's big hair rock bands. Rock
bands such as Ratt, Cinderella, Motley Crue and so on were responsible
for a rise in male blonding as a whole but also an accompanying fall
in social status for many of those who blonded. As pop culture moved
away from big hair into rat-tails, skinheads and the solid cuts off
the 1950's the image of Blonding was quietly and successfully turned
around. In Southern California Natural Blonds were placed in counter-cultural
spaces of authority. Following them were Blonded infiltrators into
various sub-cultures and arenas of influence. While this is history
if for a moment the reader will look to Japan and the Far East we
can see the process occurring. Fashion leaders in all fields have
long been blond. Now almost any young Japanese who desires any social
status must go through the peroxide curtain and become blond. In the
USA and Europe where there have always been some natural blonds the
societal impact thus far has been light (no pun intended) but in Japan
the domestic government are watching very carefully while abroad many
foreign governments and private interests are poised to act should
this affect their trade relations...
From Chapter 3, Why?
The search for youth is deeply
imprinted in western society and only gets more deeply entwined each
year. In the USA in recent decades the quest for immortality has variously
been embodied in the blonde surfers of the 50's and 60's, the music
and film stars of the 70's and 80's and the soap (stated or not) stars
of the 1990's. Missing from this group on the whole are politicians.
Black and brown hair rule, with salt and pepper getting only limited
acceptance. Rumor has it that when the present President was considering
running for the office he wanted to break with tradition and keep
his Blond hair. he was quickly overruled by his wife and other advisors.
Thus his died gray hair...
From Chapter 8, The Male Blonding
Industry.
The Male Blonding industry as we
know it began slowly with Grecian 2000 and other hair-colorings for
men. These treatments started off as darkeners for hair that was graying.
Manufacturers - and these were primarily male - soon realized that there
was a huge untapped market here. Men were using Imperial Leather, Old
Spice or something rather odd supplied by their local barber. The multinationals
sensed a profit being missed and examined the possibilities. They soon
realized there was no way they could subvert the ancient authority of
the barbers: there were traditions here; relationships; and most importantly
a limited number of small vicious companies that held a straight razor
to the neck of the supplies market. A few companies bailed out at this
point and let their products slip into obscurity.(1) Some tried to set
up independent distribution channels (this is where Amway may have got
their start) but they faced the same small distributors that had stopped
them putting their goods into the barber shops. There were a number
of cases that made it to court, but the plaintiff rarely did and the
lawsuits were always settled out of court.
It came down to a small company
called Brutt in the 1970's to break open the market with a completely
new industry model. They called it Da Body Shop. Trading on
their early history as small parts dealers in the automotive industry
(well known to aficionados of such things as the calender that broke
more careers than any other) they closed all their outlets on January
10th, 1976; ostensibly for remodeling.(2) Fully half of their management
team quit that day and went on to form a respectable regional auto
parts supply company, Da Parts Shop. They probably still regret
that choice. For those that stayed this was the most exciting and
dangerous time in their company's history. They liquidated the inventory,
broke the leases on their storefronts and took up 15 new stores in
some of the most expensive retail arenas in the country.
No one knew what to expect on April
14th that year. Crowds flocked to the shops to see this cuckoo's egg
in their midst. It was stronger than all hopes and expectations. It
was a tremendous success. For the next ten years or so they ruled the
market in male cosmetics. Carl Sagan was hired as the official spokesmen
of the company(3), stores were opened at a then-phenomenal rate of 2
per month for five years running. The company moved their headquarters
to Manhattan. They made millionaires out of many of their staff with
their unprecedentedly liberal bonus packages and even stock options.
But the best was yet to come.
It hardly looked that way. Suddenly
the firm seemed stagnant. Product research and development was at
a dead end. Sales were flat. Wall Street traders were considering
a Hold rating on the stock, everywhere combs ran through hair nervously,
manicured nails were bitten, shampoos were changed. The world was
ready for the next big thing but it didn't know what it would be.
Everything changed when company
chairman Henry Diaz fore went his annual visit to family in Wyoming
and went to Hawaii instead(4). He filled up his travel case with the
usual assortment of emollients, creams, wipes, brushes, medallions
and chains. But once he arrived he found his high New York style completely
outclassed by bare-chested men without a chain to be seen. They had
long flowing golden hair like heroes from myths, or tv. He instantly
wanted to be a part of it and knew others would too. But how could
he with his irredeemably dark hair? He left his family on vacation,
flew back to headquarters that day and called an emergency management
meeting. This was it, he said, the next wave, the new era, the new
way.
Male blonding had arrived.
(1) Some of these products included
Bright Enchanter, Apollo and Serenity II.
(2) Business Week, Jan. 12, 1976, p36, Body Shop Remodeling Self.
(3) Life, p14, April 1979
(4) My Golden Years, Henry Diaz, Little, Brown, 1985
Taken from "A Concise History of
Male Blonding," A.C-----, Northern Massachusetts University,
School of Industrial History, 1999*.
*This is satire.
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