Manic Panic Turns 38, Rainbow Hair Trend Stronger Than Ever
Model Abbey Lee Kershaw dyed her hair with Manic Panic and attended amfAR’s Inspiration Gala with designer Alexander Wang last month. (Photo: Manic Panic)
Unlike most of my peers, I haven’t dyed my hair in over a decade, but that’s because I got it out of my system early. In 1995, long before Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lena Dunham, and the parade of rainbow hair in Hollywood, I was dyeing my strands with Manic Panic. From Pillarbox Red to Dark Tulip to Plum, I loved changing up my look every couple months, just as many other women do to this day.
Manic Panic was a pioneer in the beauty industry. Formed way back in 1977 by original Blondie members Tish and Snooky Bellomo, Manic Panic began as the country’s first punk boutique on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, which sold a rainbow of hair dyes. The store didn’t last, but the alternative beauty movement they spawned took off and eventually became mainstream, with the Manic Panic brand branching out into cosmetics, false lashes, and more.
A flyer for the original Manic Panic boutique from 1977. (Photo: Manic Panic)
In the ‘90s, my parents, incredible cool New Yorkers that they are, sold Manic Panic in their own boutique in our small town in Connecticut. As a teen, my friends and I would take turns with shower caps, paintbrushes, and Vaseline, dyeing our hair into brilliant, far-from-natural shades — I even bleached my little brother’s hair with a Manic Panic kit. Perhaps it’s no surprise that my first apartment ended up being a few doors down from where the Manic Panic shop once stood on St. Marks Place. My hair may be the brown I was born with today, but you never know when the mood will strike for hot pink again.
Happy 38th birthday to the brand that inspired and continues to facilitate stepping outside the box and taking a beauty risk.
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