Mercilessly mocked for my poodle makeover

Linda Kelsey, 64 WHEN, in 1978, my first marriage came to an end after six years, the way to move on seemed obvious. Get a new job, a new place to live — and, most important of all, a new hairdo.

It would be the hairdo that would propel the 26-year-old me to a glamorous new life after a traumatic relationship breakdown.

The job fell into my lap when the editor of the new Company magazine invited me to be her deputy. It meant I could now afford a mortgage on my own.

It was the hairdo I agonised over most. Perms weren’t yet all the rage, but I was a big fan of Barbra Streisand and she had a perm.

I thought if I had one, too, it might add volume and body to my rather fine and wavy mop, which needed daily blow-drying to give it any semblance of style at all.

I’d have preferred a Charlie’s Angel’s job if I could — Farrah Fawcett’s fabulous flicks were what we all wanted — but I didn’t have enough hair to carry it off.

Over the years, my hair had been getting shorter, going from fringed and shoulder-length to a longish bob, because I was never satisfied with how it looked. I took myself off to a posh salon on account of horror stories I’d heard about cheap perms making your hair fall out, yet I still remember the acrid stink of the chemicals as they went on.

Well, the perm certainly gave me the appearance of having more hair! And I no longer had to worry about my hair frizzing in the rain, as it was frizzy the whole time. But instead of being pleased with my easy new style, I was mortified.

So were my friends, who were quick to point out I resembled an over-prettified poodle. I don’t remember any young man saying anything flattering about it.

After six or so weeks, I was delighted to see the re-emergence of my limp locks, and resolved to never again complain about the daily faff of washing and straightening them.

I don’t know if there was any connection, but no sooner had the horrible perm dissolved than I met the next love of my life.

By the mid-Eighties, when everyone started jumping on the perm bandwagon, I felt rather smug because I’d been through it and had come out the other side, while they were still going to have to learn the hard way.