Women who have coloured their hair talk about the way they are perceived

Does the colour of a womans hair affect not just how the world perceives her but also how she feels about herself When a journalist underwent a fiveweeksfivecolours experiment for UK tabloid The Sun she encountered creepy stares for her platinum blonde locks and complete disapproval from her cat when she dyed herself pink Her own perception changed from younger to vixen to sophisticated as the hair became darker But how does it play out in Mumbai We asked five women whove been there dyed thatPooja Bhat filmmakerColour code Sexy magentaTwo years ago on Christmas day filmmaker Pooja Bhatt decided to do something drastic She dyed her hair a deep turquoise After the dye job when Bhat caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror she let out a gasp I resembled a spunky smurf she jokes What it also did was made her feel 19 at the age of 44 By then Bhat had also pulled the plug on her alcohol addiction and promised to be the best version of herself Sometimes its important to throw the old you out of a window and reclaim your life she says On the 24th of this month she turns 46 and has come a long way from her turquoise mane She now sports a shade of sexy magenta Its my current state of being she says with flair In fact Bhat admits her father director Mahesh Bhat was initially mortified with the pink but has now made peace with it Actor Sanjay Dutt hated my turquoise hair back then she adds The criticism however hasnt dampened her spirit We live in a cold dreary world so lets add some colour to itAarya Thackeray law studentColour code Lilac with peacock huesAarya Thackeray has changed her hair colour four times in the last three years She started with magenta moved to fuschia pink then fiery red and now its a shade of lilac Each colour made me feel different While I felt sassy with pink red made me feel more mature Lilac has a sophisticated vibe to it she says While all colours felt liberating in their own way Thackeray admits it has been restricting when it came to outfits I had to ensure that shades dont clash with my hair I would mostly stick to blacks and whites she says Being a law student also meant making rounds of law firms where she was expected to look a certain way If Im going to a formal space I normally tie it up in a net so that people dont get distracted Its also not considered appropriate The colour that invited most judgment was blue While women love it Ive had a few boys tell me why I didnt choose red I tell them hey that shouldnt be a concernKanika Khetan jewellery designerColour code Blonde with red tipsAmong her peers Kanikaacircu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Khetan is identified as the girl with tattoos piercings and outlandish hair The hair complements my identity Each time Im low and my hair colour is fading I go get it dyed and I feel renewed again she says Its been five years since Khetan last saw her original black hair Since then she has dyed the entire length with colours You need to really take care of your hair because chemicals tend to damage it So I go for a hair spa every two months she says Khetan often has random strangers walking up to her to compliment her Sometimes they take my stylists number too They mostly opt for safer colours I think it takes a certain madness to opt for crazy huesTanisha Serrao singersongwriterColour code Electric blueNineteenyearold Tanisha Serrao often has girls come to her in college and say We thought you were a bamp but youre nice I find it funny because they have jumped to this conclusion based on my tresses Your hair speaks for you even when you dont say a thing she says Serrao has electric blue locks Its a decision that her close ones were fully supportive of But the first time she coloured it she felt disgusted I had just graduated from school and in my excitement I chose a shade of brown that didnt reflect my personality Your hair should be fun and look true to your style she says After four years Serrao chose blue Its creative daring and individualistic Its meRitika Varshney artistColour code Silver greyArtist Ritika Varshney is used to the stares The 26yearold sports silvergrey panels making her look like the Indian counterpart of Rogue the mutant from Marvel Comics XMen series Everybody has a certain indulgence For me its hair colour says Varshney who gifted herself a dye job on her birthday last November While the hair unfailingly evokes reactions from everyone the most baffling ones come from middleaged women she says They want to know why on earth I opted for grey when they spend thousands dying it black she laughs The first time she coloured her hair was a flaming red at the edges when she was 17 years old It was a safe choice but the morning after I went grey I got a start when I caught a glimpse of my reflection That was the only moment I thought my goodness I need to live with this colour for a while Now I love it when I stand out in a crowd she saysCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on 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