Chef Has Uplifting Response to ‘Old Hag’ Comment

Rachel Grumman Bender
After a commentator insulted chef Rachel Farnsworth’s gray hair, Farnsworth explained why she’s so proud of her silver streaks. (Photo: Angie Peters Photography)
After a commentator insulted chef Rachel Farnsworth’s gray hair, Farnsworth explained why she’s so proud of her silver streaks. (Photo: Angie Peters Photography)

Chef and food blogger Rachel Farnsworth’s posts are usually about delicious dishes, from peanut butter pie to creamy mashed potatoes. But the Stay at Home Chef felt compelled to speak up when someone left a nasty comment on her slow cooker Texas chili recipe — and it wasn’t about the food. It was about the grey strands in the chef’s hair.

Commenter Beth wrote: “You look like you are 70 with your grey hairs. You really should consider dying [sic] them for TV so you don’t look like such an old hag. Just a suggestion.”

Farnsworth replied to the woman’s rude post on her blog with this revealing response: “My husband likes my grey hair and has asked that I don’t dye it because he wants us to go grey together. If you read my ‘about me’ page you’ll also see that I have a disease that most likely means I will never live to be 70.”

That’s because she has Addison’s disease — a rare autoimmune disease that can be life-threatening, according to the National Adrenal Diseases Foundation.

Farnsworth added: “The media will have me believe that the natural aging process is something to be hidden and covered up. I choose to embrace it. Every sign of aging that I have is a sign that I am still alive. How can I not embrace that? I can only hope to one day see old age.”

Along with describing the incident on her Facebook page, in a post that has been shared nearly 80,000 times, Farnsworth also made a touching YouTube video explaining why her gray hair is a badge of honor, which you can watch here:

Rather than lashing out at the rude commenter, Farnsworth continued to take the high road in her response, and focused on the importance of kindness. “Might I offer you a suggestion in return?” she wrote. “Please stop shaming women for their appearance. Growing older is not something to be ashamed of. It is not something we should be forced to hide and cover up. We should be free to express ourselves as we see fit. For me, that means embracing the signs of aging and growing old with my husband, while I can. For you, that may mean something different. When in doubt, always err on the side of love and kindness.”

We couldn’t agree more.

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