No, not necessarily. I think it's all about how the hair and the cut is groomed. I do think that someone with gray hair who doesn't have a well-maintained cut - lots of frizz and split ends - can slip too easily into frumpy territory, though - but to be fair, I also feel that's true for women with non-gray hair! I also think that gray hair *can* be aging depending on the coloring of the person, but again, that can sometimes be counterbalanced by the right cut (and making sure to wear flattering colors of clothing, since gray/silver hair is colorless.)

I have seen so many examples of women who I have seen make this look incredibly well! For example, a coworker lost her hair entirely due to cancer after dying it for years. When it grew back, her stylist told her not to dye it until the chemo-damaged hair had grown out. It grew back silvery gray and in the CUTEST spunky, choppy pixie - her stylist truly only had to do the bare minimum of shaping to keep it looking chic! (It is so similar to Jamie Lee Curtis' cut and looks amazing on my coworker.) I hope that she won't change it because the gray looks textured, clean, and BEAUTIFUL on her.

And we have many gray - and - silver ladies rocking it on the forum that I think have very carefully cultivated looks, and I love their locks as is. (Shannon and Joy were the first who spring to my mind, too!)

My dad went VERY prematurely gray, but his hair is now a pure, clean, snowy white with just a little bit of gray that adds texture. My paternal grandmother's hair was the same way before she passed away. So I have hope that when I gray, it will be a very pretty, clean color by the time I'm ready to bare my roots. (But I also hope that's a LONG way off!)

I also wonder if it becomes more challenging to wear certain metals (gold, for example) when baring gray hair. For example, this post shows a gold tiara gracing the head of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The blogger points out that the yellow-gold tiara kind of clashes against Margrethe's beautiful silver hair - and in my opinion it also artificially makes her teeth look yellow in a way that's not flattering.

http://orderofsplendor.blogspo.....tiara.html

Compare to a photo where she is wearing a silver tiara.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqI3.....rt2011.jpg

(Yes, I totally read about tiaras as a guilty pleasure. And I once claimed that I lack the magpie gene? Psssht, not sure what I was thinking! I guess I admire sparkly things, I just don't usually wear them.)

I think all grey or a grey streak looks great especially when combined with a stylish cut. What I'm having trouble with as I near 40 is the scraggly grey pubic hairs sprouting up randomly on my head. So far I've been plucking them but they are getting too numerous to keep up with. I think I may have to break down and start coloring in the next year or two!

IK: One caveat, coming back to you specifically. What *we* on this forum (which is, overall, stupendously non-judgemental) think may be a quite different matter from what potential employers think --- I'm recalling your other thread here.

As has been said already, the connotations of 'grey=older' very much exist in the larger social framework. Does that affect how you are seen as an employee or potential employee? Does youth matter in the business? That, you know best about your industry and environment!

IK, do you live in an area that is conducive to people watching? Keep your eyes open for women with similar hair color and texture to yours, who are going gray. Or look around on the web for the same. How do these women look to your eye? If they are dressed well or have a lot of style, does that make a difference? Which hairstyles have they chosen, do they look good, and do you think you would feel good in something similar?

If you are lucky enough to find your style doppelganger with a few gray hairs, and she looks great, then you can be pretty sure that you will, too.

Personally, I get a little thrill when I see a women in a great outfit, well groomed, having a good time with her friends, and letting her gray hair show. Not that I have anything against covering it. But allowing it to show when one is obviously very attuned to the clothing styles and colors they choose...or their makeup choices, or nail art, or cool shoes, or whatever...tells me they are not just showing the gray. They are showing it off.

In the end, whatever you choose to do is the right thing to do. And there is nothing wrong with changing your mind later, either.

I colored my hair for years, well before it was turning gray. At a certain point, I had no idea what was underneath.
My hair is thick and grows very fast and I was always in need of a touch up it seemed and it was not in great condition because of the processing.
Finally, about 4 years ago, I bit the bullet. had some streaks put in to ease the process and it turned out that I was completely silver.
I have green/hazel eyes and a pink Irish mug and people tell me it looks great. I even picked up a new beau when I had been single for years. I feel like I stand out a bit from all of the other 50 something women with reddish brown hair.
I try to keep it well tended and groomed and even invested in a flat iron to give it a sleek and polished look.
If it looks like you care, you won't look like you don't care.