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Why Black Hair Dye Became Popular in 1930s Detroit

In the 1930s black hair dye for men became a hot seller in the Detroit area. Why?

Well, because Henry Ford decided that younger men could work more productively on his automobile assembly line and so began to fire older workers and higher younger ones. This prompted some of the veteran workers to try to disguise their age with what else, but black hair dye. While Ford does deserve credit for laying the foundations to the modern automobile industry, particularly by introducing the concept of the assembly line, he also can be roundly criticized for his labour practices and ideological views. He was a blatant antisemite and commonly expressed his sentiment that Jews were responsible for many of America’s problems. Ford did introduce a five dollar a day plan for his workers, which at the time was more than any other company paid, but his policies constantly harassed workers to be more efficient and workers were told how to live if they wanted to share in the company’s profits.


@JoeSchwarcz

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