But if you think there's a double standard that relegates gray-haired women to the rocking chair, take a look at these gray- and white-headed celebs and how they're redefining style.
Gray Hair Flipbook
Check out these celebs who look fabulous with gray locks.
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images | Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic | Lester Cohen, WireImage | Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images
Jamie Lee Curtis at the premiere for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"
After spending years covering up her gray, Jamie Lee Curtis, unlike many Tinseltown women, decided to flaunt it. "I learned to focus on my whole appearance," Curtis told Marie Claire magazine. "Women think if they have the same hair they had at 20, they get a pass with everything else. In fact, I also needed to lose weight and buy some new clothes - which I did, and I look better than ever. Hair color does not camouflage all sins.
Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic
Emmylou Harris at the Stagecoach Music Festival in 2007
Back in the '70s, singer/songwriter Emmylou Harris was nearly as famous for her lustrous brown hair as her piercingly beautiful voice. The color has changed but Emmylou, shown here at the Stagecoach Music Festival in 2007, still inspires hair envy.
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
Ruby Dee at the Academy Awards
Ruby Dee, shown here at the Academy Awards this year, won an Oscar nomination for her role as Denzel Washington's fiercely ethical mother in "American Gangster." She also won plaudits for her soft gray hairdo, a stunning contrast to her caramel complexion.
Lester Cohen, WireImage
Cloris Leachman at the Disney-Pixar's WALL-E premiere
Cloris Leachman challenged Mel Brooks to a duel after he declared that his former "Young Frankenstein" star was "too old" to reprise her Frau Blucher role on Broadway. But the 82-year-old Leachman may have gotten the last laugh: Not only did America fall in love with the wild and wacky star during her spin on "Dancing with the Stars" this season, but Brooks is reportedly reconsidering is foot-in-mouth decision.
Jeffrey Mayer,WireImage
Helen Mirren at the Rome Film Festival
Just because Helen Mirren portrayed Queen Elizabeth doesn't mean she's adopted Her Majesty's dowdy 'do. The Oscar winner , shown here at the Rome Film Festival, is proof that "gray" and "glam" can happily co-exist in the same sentence. At 63, Mirren is still as dazzling in a red bikini as she is on the red carpet.
Elisabetta Villa, Getty Images
Gloria Steinem at Glamour Magazine's "Glamour Women Of The Year Awards in 2006"
Gloria Steinem is perhaps the most iconic figure in the modern feminist movement, as well known for her glamor quotient as her political stands. At 74, her trademark frosted blond coif has taken on more than a little gray, but we prefer to think of it less as salt-and-pepper than cinnamon-and-sugar.
Evan Agostini, Getty Images
Carmen Dell'Orefice at a Gala Celebrating Patti LaBelle
Model Carmen Dell'Orefice has been a fabulous fashion fixture since the '50s -- and one of the boldest too. In 1973, at the age of 42, she quit coloring her hair. She never looked back. At 78, this Snow Queen is still working the catwalk and making regular appearances in such magazines as Vogue and as the face of brands from Target to Rolex.
Gary Gershoff, WireImage
Olympia Dukakis at the 2007 New York Film Critic's Circle Awards
"Moonstruck" Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis shows off her sassy, moon-white look at the 2007 New York Film Critic's Circle Awards.
Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images
Judi Dench at the screening of "Cranford" at the Directors Guild of America
In the new James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," Judi Dench's silver hair is as much a weapon as Bond's handguns. With her dark suits and crisp white shirts, the cropped locks give her instant authority in her sixth appearance as Bond's no-nonsense boss, M. And don't look for Dame Judi to slow down any time soon. At 73, the English actress holds a record for having received six Oscar nods after turning 60. Next up: Liliane La Fleur in the flamboyant movie-turned-play-turned-movie, "Nine."
Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images