PRESS | Not a hair out of place

Press: MONOCLE MAGAZINE
Monocle (Issue 99) Soft Power Survey
Published on: December 2016/January 2017

Original Content:

From China’s black shocks to Sweden’s blonde locks, hair colour can be as important to a nation’s brand as its food, its flag or its football team. We comb through the details to find out why.

There are many ways in which a nation can brand itself: national dress, national flag, national anthem. Then there’s the national hair colour. From auburn to blonde, black to brunette, it can be one of the most prominent emblems of national identity.

Ask anyone what first comes to mind when thinking of Sweden and chances are it’s blonde hair. And while there is more to the nation than the hue of its inhabitants’ locks, many Swedes go to great lengths to maintain that identity.

“It’s a myth that all Swedes are blonde,” says Swedish hair stylist Nadia Jonning. “Many women need to highlight their hair to achieve the stereotypical Swedish blonde.” Jonning should know. As the co-owner of London salon Jonning & Riashi, she has a steady roster of expat clients who are keen to keep the signature shade.

The Chinese are also adept at using hair dye to project a national image. Thanks to regular trips to the salon the country’s politicians are all sans silver strands no matter how many years they spend in office. “Ten out of ten politicians want black hair — and not just because they want to look younger,” says Marvin Lin, creative director of Shhh Group in Hong Kong, who has been colouring the hair of China’s politicians and corporate leaders for 20 years. “More importantly they represent the country and so believe that the ideal condition is to have black hair.”

The politicians are not alone. According to market research firm Mintel, 73 per cent of Chinese adults aged 40 to 49 use hair dye.

That uniform look creates a visual shorthand for how the world views the Chinese. And while a shock of black hair or a swish of blonde may not say much about a country’s place in the world, it is the quickest way to embody a nation’s identity. Even if it does come from a bottle.