Gen Z's hair color 'revolution'

Hou wanted her hair to resemble singer Hatsune Miku, choosing a bold colour to add emphasis to a look she describes as "very simple".

In China, Gen Z no longer sees dyeing their hair as a sign of rebellion or irresponsibility. Instead, they see it as a way to express themselves.

Ignoring traditional colors, young people freely experiment with bright colors, blue, green, pink, purple to trendy tones like gray, red, yellow, not afraid to explore all options.

Platinum hair, a color that requires multiple bleaching sessions, is a popular choice for those who want to master the art of hair coloring. On the RedNote platform, there are more than two million posts about this hair color, attracting 340 million views.

Lin Jiayu, a student at Wuhan University, bleached her hair platinum just before her 19th birthday. Because she attended classes during the day, she could only go to the salon in the evenings and spent two consecutive nights bleaching her old red hair. Eventually, Lin achieved a bright platinum color that made her stand out from the crowd.

But two months later, she dyed her hair purple again, and the decision came as suddenly as ever.

"I was shopping and suddenly thought, why not dye my hair? Then I was sitting at the shop before I knew it," Lin said.

Zhang Zerui, 20 years old, decided to dye her hair after completing her college entrance exam (gaokao)When he was 10 years old, Zhang dreamed of having blue hair because he thought the color looked cool, but his parents forbade it.

Having just finished his exams, he decided to take the opportunity to test himself before entering the working environment.

At first, Zhang's parents were surprised by his hair's lack of black color, but eventually gave in. They even provided him with extra money to change his hair color four times.

Mr. Wei Zhizhong, chief psychological counselor at Yiweiduxin Psychological Clinic in Guangzhou, said that Chinese people have always viewed black hair as a traditional root, symbolizing soul and life.

But today, people are increasingly accepting short hair, shaved heads, and bright hair colors, showing that Chinese culture is overcoming traditional barriers and embracing multicultural influences.

Wei believes that hair dyeing is not only for beauty purposes but also a way for young people to develop their psychology and express their emotions. The increasing number of people dyeing their hair shows that society is becoming more open.

Although China still has sad cases like Zheng Linghua, a girl who committed suicide because her pink hair was criticized, society in general is becoming more open and supportive of this trend.

"Gen Z shouldn't worry too much about judgments, they should live the way they want," he said.