Alexandra Ocasio-Cortezhas hit the headlines because she has had a haircut. Apparently in the festering bin fire that is 2019, that's worth making a fuss about. The Washington Times dubbed the story an exclusive and wrote 'Self-declared socialist AOC splurges on high-dollar hairdo'.
They then go on to explain that AOC spent 'around' $300. Explaining how the cost of having her hair done breaks down, the Washington Times writes: 'The New York Democrat ventured into Last Tangle Salon on 19th Street Northwest last month and shelled out $80 for a haircut and $180 for lowlights, according to sources familiar with the salon. A 20% tip would have added $52 to the bill.'
So the actual haircut would have cost $248, which is £198. Or, as anyone who regularly has their hair dyed, cut and blow dried will attest, a perfectly normal amount of money to spend on having your hair done. Plus, she allegedly gave a generous tip which surely she should be praised for?
The outrage at the amount of money one of the most photographed US politicians spends on her personal grooming is a testament to how out of touch people (let's face it, mostly men) are about how much it costs to be a woman.
I'm a fake blonde with long hair, so four times a year I spend £220 having a half head of highlights, trim and blowdry. By contrast, a man's haircut in central London costs around £20.
Furthering the discussion about the cost of being a woman, a recent exchange on Twitter saw a woman asking a man how much he anticipated a bra would cost. He answered 'between 10 and 20 dollars.' Cue maniacal laughter from every woman in the room who has spent £40 on a plain t-shirt bra.
How much does your hair cost?
We took a straw poll of team Grazia's hair cost.
Georgia has long straight hair which she colours. She has it done in Widnes, Cheshire and it costs £120, she has it done twice a year, annual cost £240.
Toni has long curly hair which she does at home due to the cost of salons. It would cost her around £45 per visit and she would have it done once a month, giving an annual cost of £540.
Rebecca has long dyed blonde hair which she has done in Sussex four times a year for £200, giving a total of £800.
Chloe has mid length curly hair. She has it done every 4-6 months in London and it costs her £200 giving an annual cost of £400.
Bonnie has short peroxide blonde hair. She gets it cut once a week at a cost of £10, and bleaches it every six weeks for £60 giving a total of £1026.
We also looked at average costs in other parts of the UK. In a chain hairdresser in Cardiff a full head of highlights, cut and blow dry will cost you £178.
At a chain hairdresser in Glasgow, the same service will cost you £190.
So most of us spend on average the same or more than AOC does on her hair. Because, newsflash, being a woman - especially a highly photographed woman who comes under constant scrutiny for her appearance - is expensive.
We live in a world where a women like AOC are expected to be perfectly polished and stunningly attractive, but apparently aren't allowed to pay people a reasonable wage to achieve that. Seems fair.
We tried out all the best silver hair dyes so you don't have to (below).
silver hair dye
1 of 4Review: Crazy Color: Silver, £4.74
Rating: 3/5I'll be honest, despite the fact they're arguably the brand leaders in the non-conventional hair dye market, I'm not a massive fan of Crazy Color. I don't think their dyes have much-staying power - which is a great if you're experimenting with something wacky, but not so great if you know what you want, and want it to stick. Having previously tried, and been rather disappointed by, their Platinum dye – which I chose after watching a YouTube tutorial which compared it favourably to their Silver one - this time I tried the Silver. Although this dye was definitely better than their Platinum, it was far from great. As you can see from the pics, there was a definite silver-tinge to the mid-section, however, the top and bottom of my hair remained resolutely yellow-ish. And then a couple of washes later, it had gone altogether. This dye definitely isn't for me – it just isn't strong enough for my hair. But, if you're naturally fairer and your bleached hair has less yellow in it, and you just wanna be silver for a few washes, this could be the dye for you.
2 of 4Review: Jerome Russell BBlonde: Steel, £14.53
Rating: 1/5Well, this was not only a complete waste of time and money, but also a right faff. Despite the picture on the packet showing a model with rich, shiny purple-grey locks, this dye did nothing to my hair - even though it had been freshly bleached just days before. But what really drove me mad about this dye wasn't the fact that it didn't deliver on colour, but that you had to heat treat it. I've used half a dozen different home dyes now, and this is the only one that's required me to wave my hairdryer over my head for five minutes like a complete loon. Look, I don't want to say this is completely rubbish, because maybe it has, or would, work for you (if it has, feel free to give me a shout on Twitter and tell me I've got this completely wrong), but it didn't work for me, I wouldn't buy it again, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to a friend.
3 of 4Review: Schwarzkopf LIVE Ultra Brights: Steel Silver 098, £8
Rating: 4.5/5I liked this dye from the minute I opened the box. In life, it's often the little things that count, and inside the box - along with the tube of dye and an instruction booklet explaining how to achieve three different colouring effects - were a couple of sachets of special conditioner and a pair of plastic gloves. 'This,' I thought, 'is a quality product.' And it was! Unlike every other home-dye I've ever used, Schwarzkopf LIVE Ultra Brights was a thick paste rather than a slimy liquid, and as such, I found it far easier and less messy to apply. And what's more, I was really impressed with the colour. Whereas the Crazy Color had only taken to the mid-section, this dye was strong enough to cover the unsightly yellowy hair near my roots. Yes, there was a definite lilac note to some sections, but I don't mind that, and definitely prefer it to dyes which leave my hair half grey/ half yellow. Also, as with all the dyes, I left this on for the maximum time, so if your hair's lighter than mine, reduce the time, and you'll be less likely to end up with shades of lilac rinse! Personally, this is a new firm favourite, and I'd definitely buy it again.
4 of 4Review: Adore: Platinum, £5.70
Rating: 4/5I am a huge fan of Adore dyes, and I promise you I'm not being paid to say that. For me, Adore tick all the colour hair dye boxes; they're cheap and have real staying power (which was actually a bit of a nightmare when I dyed my hair pink for my birthday party and five days later it had hardly faded at all, so I had to go to work with pink hair). Their platinum dye is the first one I used to home-dye my hair grey, and I was flabbergasted with the results - in a good way. It turned my hair a really cool, metallic silver, and lasted for weeks. Job done.