The SALT-N-PEPPER appeal

I still drool over Richard Gere's poster in his 'salt-n-pepper' do from AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN... the military hunk with the face of a 14-year old and the hair of a 50-year old. This fantasy often embarrasses as well as makes me smile. And quite honestly, I was more than surprised when Shilpa Shetty pretended she had no clue of what was coming when Richard swung her not very long ago, into a clinch which is the stuff female fantasies are made of.

I had always had a strong liking for men with 'distinguished' hair. Most men don't get it, but the 'salt-n-pepper' on guys drives a lot of women wild. Well, call it the 'salt-and-pepper' or the newfound 'gravitas', but losing color doesn't make you an old man... if you don't wear it like Phil Donahue, that is. And if you'd keep it short, please. Thank you!

Most men refuse to admit they're 'gray'. 'Salt-and-pepper' is about all they'll cop to. Of course, they may be just about out of pepper, is another matter. But we all cling to delusions, don't we? Some men may not like the way their gra... I mean, salt-and-pepper looks, and with the Grecian Formula in vogue, they want to go in for a jet-black shade than a cool gray. But if you ask me, they should not colour their hair for a lark, 'coz very soon, they'd have to do it as a monthly chore. And isn't there something sad about habitually locking oneself in the bathroom and doling out dye into your aching hands, adjusting the mirror or your head angles (or both) like some aging junkie? Or worse still, roam around the house with a head-full of mehndi-paste for hours?

Today, in just about any line of work being 'prematurely gray' is an advantage. In fact, in any business, gray equals gravitas. And then again, there are millions of follicle-fetishists out there, and at the first hint of tint they find you and ogle your albino tresses like a hot pair of buns....( the same way I check out and secretly drool over men with short 'salt-n-pepper' hair). This is because, gray hair on a guy says he's mature, stable and sexy, but at the same time he can be relied on.
Think Big B as 'Sexy Sam'... he's swarmed with all those hot babes. Think Tom Cruise in 'the Collateral'.. He might have been the bad guy, but if you talk about his looks, ah! simply irresistible. Think Sean Penn. His fan base doesn't seem to mind his salt-n-pepper one bit. Think George Clooney in Ocean's Thirteen. He seems to be getting more and more drool-able with every passing year... I can't help falling in love with him over and over again..

My advice to all those guys with 'distinguished' hair? Give in to the salt-n-pepper look and make the most of it while you're still young. Better to be 'happily gray' than to be a 'serial dyer'. Remember, there will come a time in the not too distant future when you'd no longer be 'prematurely' gray. People will stop using the word 'distinguished'. By then, you'll have a paunch, a wattle, baggy eyes and sagging skin, and pretty young things won't even take notice of your hair. Only other guys will... the bald ones...

So, if you still think you cannot carry off the 'salt-n-pepper' on your crown, because your name is not George Clooney, just give it a second thought. Trust me, it looks damn hot....