Harborough author offers fascinating insight into her time as a hairdresser in 1960’s London

Elaine Ramsay went to work in a prestigious Mayfair salon at the age of 16
Elaine RamsayElaine Ramsay
Elaine Ramsay

An author from Harborough has released a novel inspired by her time working as a hairdresser in London during the 1960s.

Elaine Ramsay left home in 1959 at the age of 16 and went straight from school to work at a top Mayfair hair salon.

It was there she says she was thrust into the middle of gay culture – a far cry from the strict and conventional home she had been raised in.

And despite happening more than 60-years-ago – her experience has inspired her latest novel ‘Violet Eyes’.

The mum-of-two said: "I found myself immediately engulfed in the gay culture, although in those days the word gay had yet to be adopted. As a young suburban girl from a strict, conventional home, I had never heard of homosexuality or lesbianism, let alone met anyone who overtly fitted into that category.

"At first, I felt overwhelmed with this new world – it was not as if I could go home and talk it through with my parents. Would they even know what I was talking about? But it did not take long before I adapted to my situation. The staffroom was alive with witty banter and funny anecdotes. I loved the warmth and humour and grew to understand the underlying cynicism that most of them had – the fact that society as a whole despised them.

"The inhumane penalties and chemical ‘cures’ enforced by outdated laws. I grew to recognise the differences between those brave enough to present themselves overtly – ‘take me as you find me’ – and those who lived a secret, fearful life.”

While Elaine enjoyed writing she never found the time while being a hairdresser and later having children and family to care for.

But when she retired from her career later as a civil servant and teacher, she joined creative writing groups in the East Midlands and has since been highly commended in magazine ‘Writer’s Forum’.

She has also wrote another novel, called ‘The Pit’ which is an environmental-themed story in a similar style to Watershed Down.

But her latest book ‘Violet Eyes’ is based on her experience of leaving leaving home and joining the glossy world of London hairdressing in the 60s.

The main character – a young girl called ‘Christine’ – wants to escape from her home life and longs for love. She meets Frank, who is rich, good-looking, and famous, but the two of them are drawn to each other for very different reasons in Elaine’s novel.

The author added: “I started to write properly when I retired, and the growing media coverage of LGBT matters by then prompted my early memories.

“On the surface, London’s hairdressing world in the 1960s is a world of glamour, wealth, and celebrity. A world of excitement and opportunity. But all is not what it at first seems and the superficial gloss masks something deeper, more sinister.”

To book costs £9.99. Click here to buy.

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