DEL.ICIO.USIf debate is won by a hair, will it be fashionable?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 02, 2008
The Barack buzz. The McCain comb-over. The Hillary helmet.
Election 2008 has put hair in the spotlight, and the two candidates generating the hairiest tales of all face off Thursday night in the vice presidential debate.
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Sarah Palin’s hairdo is mentioned in the media at least 10 times as often as Joe Biden’s, but Atlanta hair expert Mychael Hamlin of Salon 124 Sugarloaf in Duluth says both could use a little help. “Hair is part of you, so it’s kind of your personality … it is a judgment on you,” says Hamlin, who recently styled some chic heads during New York Fashion Week.
We’ll see which candidate wins the war of words Thursday night, but here’s how they stack up in the hairstyle hall of fame.
SARAH PALIN
The do: An upswept hybrid of beehive, bun and bangs — a frumpy French twist?
Hair history: A Farrah Fawcett flip was Palin’s style back in her pageant days.
The debate: Is Palin evoking the “I’m every woman” updo or is she shooting for understated sexy to temper unbridled political passions?
Claim to fame: Palin and her towering tendrils have twice been spoofed by Tina Fey on “Saturday Night Live.”
What she says: “A reporter once asked me about [my appearance] … and I assured him I was trying to be as frumpy as I could by wearing my hair on top of my head …” (Palin in February’s Vogue magazine)
What our expert says: “She had auburn-y highlights in brown hair and they looked kind of good, but … [the style] reminds us of the Van Halen ‘Hot for Teacher’ video. You can wear your hair up sometimes, but not every single time. It looks like you are hiding something,” Hamlin says.
The solution: Hamlin prescribes a Katie Holmes-style bob to get Palin’s hair on point.
JOE BIDEN
The do: A “Who wears hair plugs?” crop of distinguished gray with a hairless halo at the crown.
Hair history: Brunette to baldy in 30 years or less.
The debate: Did he or didn’t he get hair plugs?
Claim to fame: Biden and his alleged hair buds are featured in a Jay Leno one-liner.
What he says: According to Politico.com, a Washington Post reporter in 1987 asked Biden if he had plugs. “Guess,” he responded. “I’ve got to keep some mystery in my life.”
What our expert says: “If you look at him head-on, he has no receding hairline. He should just wear a yarmulke, because that is exactly where he is bald.”
The solution: If Biden does have implants, he should get the rest of his pate plugged, said Hamlin, or “cut his hair a little shorter, because it makes it look less obvious.”
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