Faith Hill , WTHWST Hairdos, and Female Anchors

Anyone seen a photo of Ms. Hill lately? Her hack job last spring started me thinking about "WTHWST" (What the hell was she thinking?) hairdos in general.

After I read the Flea`s review of Ms. Hill`s hairdo, I was going to suggest that he see his optometrist. It did take me a while to figure out the confusion. I saw her on the People`s Choice Awards about the same time as I caught his last column and tried to figure out why he was raving about her gorgeous below shoulder length hair sans extensions, when what I was seeing was a very choppy, more or less chin length bob of completely fried hair. (There obviously were no extensions, it`s true.) After reading the posts on the board, I figured out that she had fallen into the clutches of a sadistic hairdresser the day after the column came out. I found it interesting that Ms. Hill allegedly "loves" her new look, though I can certainly believe that she said that she had never seen herself like that!

By now, the posters to the board have pretty well said it all about Ms. Hill`s new hairdo and the later, even shorter version. I don`t think any hairdo since Keri Russell has aroused the comment that Faith Hill`s Flowbee (tm.)--Weed-Eater (tm)--styled in the limo in 5 minutes on the way over to the event with the windows down-- pick your metaphor-- hack job has done. Actually, I think "hack job" is charitable. My 5 year old granddaughter did a better job on her bangs with her paper scissors. ("But, Pa, I didn`t use the sharp scissors.") Fortunately, in later outings, the "fried" look was toned down and evened up a bit--Ms. Hill`s, not my granddaughter`s. I`m not a fan of the platinum blonde color, either; I think she looks better with a sort of honey-colored blonde.

Now, in fairness to Ms. Hill, she sort of reminds me about a comment I once heard about Jane
Seymour. Ms. Seymour was a presenter on some awards show or other. As she came on stage, one
of the TV hosts commented that her evening gown looked terrific on her. The other host (female)
shot back, "C`mon, gimme a break. The woman would look fabulous if she were wearing a sheet." I rather think Ms. Hill falls in that category. For my money, she is one of the 10 most gorgeous representatives of the feminine gender on the planet, and I don`t think there is a hairdo, or lack thereof, that would make her otherwise.

But this, coupled with Jennifer Aniston`s bob (of which more anon) led to some musings on WTHWST hairdos in general. Periodically, everyone wonders, in print, why on earth the woman did it, and I think that there are several explanations (I won`t arouse the wrath of the fairer sex by questioning whether there is a logical reason for any of this, though I probably just did.)

In less politically correct times, we would have undoubtedly blamed such disasters on hair stylists of, shall
we say, ambiguous sexual persuasion bent upon taking revenge on the entire female sex. Given that there may be a few of these out there, I think the explanation is usually simpler. (Although I will observe, that, based upon my admittedly quite limited sample, male stylists seem to perpetrate the majority of these horrors.)

1. Certainly, anyone can have an off day. Hasn`t your wife, significant other, sister, or daughter ever come home from her usual stylist, who usually does a great job, with less than happy results?

Speaking of which, would you have the nerve to tell Ms. Hill face to face that the hairdo sucks? I can`t even tell my wife when she has a less than successful hairdo It`s sort of like Jeff Foxworthy`s comment about the better half insisting that you be honest and tell her if she`s gaining weight in the fanny. Not a chance in hell, even if she is knocking bric-a-brac off the end tables and needs a wide load sign. But I digress.

2. In their zeal to be noticed or to be trendy, stylists inflict these disasters on their clients while
convincing both themselves and the client that it is the "in" thing. This is sort of the "Emperor`s
New Clothes" psychology. Everyone is gushing over how wonderful the hairdo is while secretly trying to convince themselves that it has to be wonderful because it`s the latest thing.

Best example of this I ever saw was 2 years ago in LA. We went to a boat show at the Staples Center. In another hall, some sort of comestology expo was having its opening night, and enroute to our car we passed through crowds of models waiting to go on stage with some of the most outlandish hairdos I ever saw. Actually, "outlandish" is polite. "Hideous" is more accurate as to style, cut and color.

I sure hope those poor girls got paid, and paid well, for what they had let these "artistes" do to their hair.

3. Sometimes the woman herself is to blame. How many times have you known a woman who has
found a hairstyle that is absolutely perfect for her but eventually tires of it and has her hair butchered to
try something new? Keri Russell leaps immediately to mind.

4. Ms. Aniston was a victim of the "now that I`ve got it really looking great, it`s time to get it cut off" syndrome. There must be something in the female psyche that makes them run to the hairdresser just about the time it really starts to look good.

I rather think that Ms. Hill fell victim to #s 2 and 4 combined, but I vote with those who think Mr.Savic should turn in his shears and pink beret. If he thinks that is "style," I want to take my granddaughter to Hollywood pronto. She`ll make a mint!

And if anyone really thinks the new style looked good, just watch Ms. Hill in her "If My Heart Had Wings" video. Extensions, probably, but style, cut and color are 100% better than the choppy platinum bob.

One final remark on a totally different subject (and you thought my wife was famed for her non sequiturs). Katie Couric is another gal whose hairstyle always gets a lot of comment. "Today" observed her tenth anniversary by showing a number of clips of her during her years on the show. After watching them, she commented that it was fun, except for having to see some of those "heinous" hairdos. (Her words.) One hopes that she was talking about the super-short pixies, not her current longish bob, which I happen to think looks pretty good, though I can`t say much for the color. Interestingly, from what Jane Pauley and other female broadcasters have said, it sort of ticks them off that nothing they do on air arouses as much comment as a change in hairstyle.

I have to disagree on Martina. She (IMO) looked best with the shorter `do. The one before she got her bangs cut to the top of her forehead (even a short bang lover like myself thought that was way to short)

Martina is a hottie with any kind of hairstyle