Hair coloring: High hopes Indonesia will be to dye for
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
There was no clash of sharpened scissors and no fur flew as some of the country's top hairstylists were brought together to show their stuff.
Alas, those rubbing their hands in anticipation of a bout of camp histrionics along the lines of 1999's hilarious The Big Tease -- the story of a flamboyant Glaswegian hairdresser battling for the title of the best in his field -- were to be sorely disappointed.
Instead, in the sleek and slick show for the L'Oreal Color Trophy held at the end of September, models came down the runway to the ear-splitting beat of rock music, showing their crowning glory in shades of saffron, rose and khaki.
There were no bruised egos, either; each of the stylists got his moment in the spotlight to explain his creation in an artistically done video message, before the crowning of the winner at the end of the night.
Another highlight was a look at the artistic interpretation of the color collection by eight top hairstylists from Jakarta and Surabaya.
As L'Oreal tells it, the event was not just about seeking out creative talent, nor a splashy means to debut the Autumn/Winter color range from the hair-care manufacturer.
It was also a forum to increase acceptance of coloring in Indonesia, still the lowest country in the region for per capita market penetration.
The Japanese have taken to coloring in a big way, and their counterparts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and even Malaysia have followed the trend. Still, unless you are a starlet in the making, coloring is still not quite the done thing for Indonesians outside of major urban centers.
Dyeing one's hair means breaking away from the crowd, being an individual and dealing with both the negative and positive perceptions of others that come with changing one's look.
In a communal society like here, it may be great to get your hairdresser's exalted praise for crossing the color line, but stepping out of the salon and passing by a chorus of catcalls and comments equivalent to "Freak show" from local ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers might be hard to take.
L'Oreal Indonesia's general manager Philip Giles noted the huge potential in the country with its population of 220 million, and added that gaining greater acceptance would mean changing some entrenched attitudes.
As well as accepting the change in how one looks and enduring the (unsolicited) opinions of others, Giles said first-time hair dyers also needed to overcome the myth that the process would inevitably destroy the quality and texture of their hair.
Making the decision to dye one's locks must be accompanied by a "commitment" to maintaining the look through conditioning and other treatments, he said.
It also means education within the industry, so that customers will not have to worry that the "professional" working on them is some weekend warrior hoping to get things right on an unsuspecting head of hair.
"We're interested in technical expertise, and investing in people to build them as professionals," Giles said.
"We're serious about education."
The company provides diploma courses for hairstylists to ensure that anyone visiting one of its affiliated salons will get the same treatment, regardless of whether it is in Paris, Pattaya or Palembang.
Pierre Mollicone, the "ambassador" for the hair-care company brought over from Paris for the contest, said the ultimate goal was to treat customers with respect, creativity and energy.
"We work as part of a team, in a synergy," Mollicone said, a brawnier version of his compatriot Jean Paul Gaultier. "It's not about change for change's sake, but to give beauty to our clients."
There you have it: Let go of those fears, grab that bottle of dye and get ready for a whole new you.