Is it still OK to colour my hair pink in my 50s?

It’s funny, isn’t it: ageing rockers like Mick Jagger (80), or Ozzy Osbourne (75) are left alone, but Madonna (65) or Cher (77) still have their appearance constantly scrutinised.

Although it’s not really funny, is it? It’s limiting. We live by these blurred guidelines telling us how we should look and what society expects of us at every stage of our lives. “We’re sold a myth that self-expression is for the young, but why shouldn’t people be doing the same after lifetimes of responsibility – and repression?” says celebrity hairstylist and founder of Bleach London, Alex Brownsell.

Brightly coloured hair is more mainstream now than ever before, so my advice is to seek out people in their 50s and beyond living by their own beauty rules: take Helen Mirren’s pink hair phase and Vivienne Westwood’s trademark orange. If you decide to lean into it, Brownsell has some advice: “It’s best to apply colour to clean, dry hair if the hair is grey. Pastels tend not to work on naturally grey hair, so I’d suggest using vivid shades – pinks, reds, peaches and coppers often work well.”

Rules in beauty and fashion are made to be broken, because so often they were designed to make us buy things or to conform. As we age we have even more of a right to look how we want, and that includes using our bodies as a personal canvas.

Got a beauty question for Anita? Email her at BeautyQ&A@theguardian.com