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Does She or Doesn't She?

DOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE? That is the question. Taken from a vintage advertising campaign for Clairol Hair Coloring (“Does She or Doesn’t She? Only Her Hairdresser Knows For Sure!”), the tag line has myriad answers. Does she or doesn’t she... color her hair? Have sex with strangers? Have a secret inner life? Love her husband? Long to escape?. The possibilities are endless. The suggestive nature of the slogan is no accident. The Madmen-era copywriter knew exactly how to pitch the line. “Does She or Doesn’t She” wasn’t selling hair care; it was selling discretion, self-confidence, secrecy, independence, the mere possibility for deviation from the prescriptive life of the American woman. "Does She Or Doesn't She" doesn't necessarily mean she has a choice...but maybe. Drawn, painted, collaged, and sculpted, “Does She or Doesn’t She” looks at how we define ourselves with our most primal adornment: our hair. We measure age, professionalism, and politics by hair condition and styling. Our hair is dead cells manipulated to connote life, youth, potential. Hair is a locus of both agency and restraint for women, empowering and constricting, allowing us to feel a focus-group-tested version of freedom and an untamed, passionate version of control. We are able to become whatever woman we want to be via our hair. And when that hair is gone... who are you? And if you’re tempted to ask me, “Does She or Doesn’t She?” My answer hasn’t changed.
At The Salon
Braids
Combs
Curlers
Extra Eye (Detail of High School Hair)
Looking Back
Pink Earrings (Detail of High School Hair)
Red Hair Tie (Detail of High School Hair)
Sex Education
Sweetheart
BFF
Beehive
Chelsea Girls
Cross Necklace (Detail of High School Hair)
Does She Or Doesnt She?
Glasses and Teeth (Detail of High School Hair)
Me With Makeup
Pompons (Detail of High School Hair)
Rollers
Straight Hair
Yellow Dress
Braces
Dutch Shoes
Comb Over
Crosse Eyed (Detail of High School Hair)
Dull Dry Brittle
High School Hair
New Doo
Purple Hairband (Detail of High School Hair)
Sassy Look (Detail of High School Hair)
Sweet Dreams
Yellow Ribbon (Detail of High School Hair)
My Hair
Wig Shop
©2026 Melissa Stern