Bringing a Whole New Meaning to Locks of Love: Auctioning Off Celebrity Hair

by Alexandra Owens



Usually when I read about celebrity hair, it's referring to what's still attached to the star's head. But in advance of the upcoming auction for Mick Jagger's locks at Bonhams in London, CNN profiled Louis Mushro, a professional collector who has gathered and sold the hair of people like Marilyn Monroe, Mother Teresa, and Abraham Lincoln. Apparently it's a healthy business--Mushro recently sold several one-sixteenth-inch strands of Lincoln's hair for around $1,200 each. But I have to say, I've never understood the appeal of this particular relic, whether you want to own a piece of a celebrity the way Mushro apparently does or keep a part of a loved one close to you.

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I recently paid a visit to the Mozart museum in Salzburg (supernerd!) and was thoroughly weirded out that along with his childhood violin, the curators decided to exhibit multiple locks of the prodigy's hair. There was nothing particularly educational or inspiring about the hair. It was unremarkable, and nobody would have known if I had swapped it with my own. So what makes famous strands museum worthy? It's not like taking another artifact such as, say, a mummy--that might be considered icky, but it also demonstrates aesthetics, skill, and history. And let's face it: If I find a hair in the sink or in my salad, I'm going to be grossed out whether it's from a famous head or not.

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Holding onto a piece of somebody becomes slightly more understandable to me if it's for personal, sentimental reasons. My mom still has a lock of my dad's hair from when they first started dating and he was still a blonde. I refuse to touch it, but I admit it's a little romantic. But from anyone else other than the love of your life? I don't think so.

Is saving locks of hair old-fashioned? Romantic? Or just plain creepy?

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