Who is Number 53?

Today, as I was cutting and coloring my hair (spoiler alert for anyone who didn’t know) I wondered about Number 53. She’s the girl on the cover of Garnier Ultra Creme Nourishing Permanent Hair color. ($8.50 beats the 75 to 100 dollars hair salons charge to color my hair.) I do this to try and fool people into thinking I’m younger than the date on my driver’s license.

Number 53 looks about 18 years old and has the green eyes I always wanted but never got. If it wasn’t for her, I would actually have to look at the number on each box of hair color to find what I need, but as soon as I see her face, I know that’s my color.

It would be a cruel joke if Nutrisse decided to switch the faces on the boxes. I would probably end up with purple hair because I never even think to check the number. This is clearly marketing at work. AI explained a bit, but it never said the obvious, that knowing my girl’s face helps me find my product.

But I want to know more about this girl. Who is she? What’s her name? Where does she live? How old was she when they took this picture? Did they find a girl with the exact hair color to use? Do they have competitions with dozens of girls lining up to be number 53, then pick one who best exemplifies 53’s medium golden brownness? Or did they force this young thing to color her hair?

Does she know that millions of women don’t even know their hair color is Medium Golden Brown, they just rely on finding her face to know they have their product! Does she ever regret having posed for a hair color product? Does she get better seats at restaurants because someone spots her and says, “Right this way Number 53!

I looked it up and AI told me they choose these women because we aspire to look like them and that more women buy hair color than men, so they show women’s faces on the box because we are the target audience. AI also said the model visually demonstrates the product’s potential outcome.

And that’s where it lost me. Because I am fairly certain the girl on my box has never had to color a single strand of her hair, ever, because, again, she is maybe 18 years old, if she’s even real. What about all those poor women who expect to look like #53 and then are terribly disappointed when Medium Golden Brown alone, isn’t enough? It also explained that Nutrisse is trying to show someone with a sophisticated, natural, or trendy image.

That also worries me. What happens when Nutrisse decides she’s not trendy anymore? They’ll find a new trend-setter and I’ll be hopelessly confused for a few months until I get used to a new mug on the cover.

But it also said this, which really saddens me: “In some cases, the images on hair dye boxes might even be computer-generated or depict models wearing wigs, especially in attempts to showcase ideal hair conditions or unconventional colors.”

Wow, #53 might not even be real.

And something I’ve never noticed in the 20 plus years I’ve used #53 is the information on the side panel that attempts to get you to pay attention and rip off the tab so you know your product is #53 and not rely on the picture on the front.

This is where they show you what your hair will look like if you use this product. What’s funny is they don’t show what a person with actual gray/white hair will look like, and isn’t that what most of the people who buy this product actually have?

I’m happy with the color, even if it doesn’t make me look like #53. It makes me feel kind of badass because outside, or under direct lighting, my hair looks bright red. And since I wasn’t lucky enough to be born with it, I’ll take it.

So, #53, if you are real, wherever you are, please respond to my post. I feel like I know you, but I think this could really cement our hair color bond.

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