Shirley Polykoff

CONCLUSION

(Photo of Shirley Polykoff from The Mirror Makers, 1984)

Times have changed since Shirley Polykoff first asked the now famous question, "Does she... or doesn't she?," which inspired women across the nation to color their hair. In 1997, Ms. Polykoff reflected on the different "hair-coloring world" within which we now live. She acknowledged, "Now you can have roots, streaks, wild colors, purple one day, brunette the next. And the ads give you that license; anyone growing up today thinks of hair color as we used to think of lipstick... So to me, advertising remains a window on mainstream America - not necessarily what our life is really like, but what we'd really like it to be" (Polykoff, 1997). "Advertising and products that succeed reflect trends in fashion, as well as inaugurate them, and are great indications of the tempo of the times..." (Polykoff, 1975).

Ms. Polykoff often had opportunities to guest lecture at colleges and ad clubs. She encouraged future advertising copywriters to look within themselves for a solution to their problem. By examining all their prior experiences and emotions, a solution can be found. She recommended that one learn to know and understand his own drives and desires, in order to know what it is others want. She often summed up her lectures with her personal slogan, "Think it out square, then say it with flair" (Cummings, 1985).

When asked specifically, "How did you do it?" Ms. Polykoff replied with four points: (Cummings, 1985):

1. You have to have humility;
2. You have to have enthusiasm;
3. You have to be a bargain, and
4. You have to know yourself... really know what makes you tick.

Ms. Polykoff's career in the advertising industry spanned 55 years (Cummings, 1985). She died at the age of 90 on June 4, 1998 at her home on Park Avenue (Thomas, 1998). Her contributions to the advertising industry will continue to be admired and studied by those who follow in similar creative pursuits.

In his article, "True Colors," published in The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the importance of Shirley Polykoff's and Ilon Specht's work in advertising. Ilon Specht created L'Oreal's slogan, "Because I'm worth it!" which again transformed women's views on hair coloring.

"They were brilliant copywriters, who managed in the space of a phrase to capture the particular feminist sensibilities of the day. They are an example of a strange moment in American social history when hair dye somehow got tangled up in the politics of assimilation and feminism and self-esteem. But in a certain way their stories are about much more: they are about the relationships we have to the products we buy, and about the slow realization among advertisers that unless they understand the psychological particulars of that relationship - unless they could dignify the transactions of everyday life by granting them meaning - they could not hope to reach the modern consumer. Shirley Polykoff and Ilon Specht perfected a certain genre of advertising which did just this..." (Gladwell, 1999).

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~ Early Career ~ FC&B ~ Clairol ~ Miss Clairol Ads ~ S.P. Advertising ~
~ Ad Collection ~ Honors ~ Conclusion ~ Bibliography ~