Dakota Johnson Shared The Fear Many People Might Consider Trivial, But Nearly 70% Of Women Share
It turns out stars really are just like us.
Andrea Raffin | Shutterstock Dakota Johnson is known for her impressive filmography that spans everything from “Fifty Shades of Grey” to the 2022 adaptation of “Persuasion.” As the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and the granddaughter of the legendary Tippi Hedren, it’s easy enough to feel envious of the charmed life she must surely lead.
It’s not exactly difficult to look at someone in Johnson’s position and assume her life is nearly perfect, but it turns out that Johnson struggles with insecurities that other women can relate to. This comes as a comfort, as many would assume that Johnson’s biggest struggle is picking which designer dress to wear on the red carpet. But really, she’s just like all of us.
Dakota Johnson revealed that she is 'attached' to her famous hair.
In addition to her repertoire of interesting roles, Johnson is perhaps best known and most recognizable for her hair. The actress sports long, dark locks with signature bold bangs. Her hair has remained relatively the same style for quite some time now, so it would only be natural to think she’ll have a change in store soon. Such is the way of Hollywood. But we shouldn’t expect that from Johnson.
In an interview with Etalk that she gave while promoting her new film “Splitsville,” she addressed her famous tresses. The interviewer asked her, “What is it like, Dakota, to have such hair goals onscreen and offscreen?”
“You know what?” Johnson asked after chuckling at the question. “I’m, like, obviously physically attached to my hair, but I’m very emotionally attached to it, and I should probably change things up, but I don’t think I will.”
Perhaps more interesting than her admission that she has no desire to change her hair was the thought that she is “emotionally attached” to it. It’s something that many women can relate to.
Almost 70% of women admitted feeling self-conscious when they don’t like the way their hair looks.
In a survey from Hair by Sam McKnight and Mortar Research, 70% of women said that when they aren’t happy with their hair, they feel self-conscious. This is easy enough to believe, as appearance connects very deeply to how a person feels about themselves. Additionally, women also said they were not happy with their hair about half of the time.
Lucy Partington, who reported on the survey for Stylist, confessed to feeling the same way herself. “I know it sounds silly, but hearing that other people feel the same makes me feel seen,” she said. “I’ve often minimized my feelings … Because letting something as stupid as the way my hair looks get in the way of me living my life sounds pathetic — but maybe it’s not quite as pathetic as I’ve convinced myself it is.”
McKnight, a celebrity hairstylist who has worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett and Kate Moss, confirmed that these feelings are completely normal. “Good hair is transformative, and it goes way beyond how you look,” he stated. “It affects your mental and emotional health — your self-worth, self-confidence, how you interact with people, your productivity, how you hold yourself, what you believe about yourself, your resiliency. Everything is impacted when you aren’t happy with your hair.”
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This makes sense, as women do put quite a bit of time into their appearance.
According to the TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey, women spend a total of 55 minutes on their appearance every day. That adds up to a total of two weeks each year. In other words, we could be spending the time that we put into our appearance in Hawaii instead.
Nevertheless, women put a lot of focus on their appearance. Some of this goes beyond the superficial and is rooted in very real fears. Just like Johnson, women worry about their hair and what it says about them. Our hair is important to us, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
