A soft smile and a voluminous head of curly hair. The trademark hairstyle of Bob Ross, the icon of PBS's flagship program The Joy of Painting, is reportedly a choice made to save on hairdressing costs, the Daily Mail said on the 27th (local time).
According to the report, Ross's business partner Annette Kowalski said in a past NPR interview, "I grew my hair out and got it permed because I thought I could save on haircut costs. And then I thought I would never have to cut my hair for the rest of my life." It was a perm, not natural curl, but the result was a huge success. The curly hair soon became Ross himself.
But ironically, that symbolism became a shackle. Kowalski said, "Once that hairstyle was used on the company logo and product packaging, he could never change his hair. In fact, he was tired of that curly hair." The hairstyle had become a brand, and there was no freedom to change it.
In photos from his time serving in the Air Force, Ross appears as a neat young man with short, straight hair. Assigned to personnel records instead of pilot training, he encountered an art class for the first time then, and that experience later led to his legend on PBS. The Joy of Painting, which began airing in 1983, captivated viewers worldwide over 31 seasons by delivering the message that "anyone can paint."
In his final years he maintained his signature look with a wig to hide his illness. Son Steve Ross recalled, "(My father's) hair had become so thin he was frail and even had trouble drinking water." Ross died in July 1995 at age 52 of lymphoma.
[Photo] YouTube video capture
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