News IN its 322-year history, Lloyd’s of London has insured everything from the Titanic to Bette Grable’s legs. But never before has it written a policy for an American football player’s hair.
The trademark locks of Pittsburgh Steelers defender Troy Polamalu, 29, are now subject to a $US1million guarantee. Polamalu’s lush black curls are so renowned that the star has not cut them for over seven years.
Although American footballers wear motorcycle-style helmets, the dangers of the sport for players such as Polamalu are clear. In 2006, he was tackled by his ponytail by Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs after intercepting a pass.
Polamalu was born in the US but his family hail from Samoa. He was out of action for part of last season with ligament injuries – an absence that some fans believe cost them the Super Bowl.
His hair, however, remained a big draw, even off the field. When he announced that he would be signing autographs at a Pennsylvania shopping centre in March, fans immediately bought up all 820 tickets to the event.
“He is so hot,” Jessamy Geiser, a female admirer, told the local Patriot-News newspaper. “I just wanted to touch his hair, but I guess he had it up so the women wouldn’t grab it.”
The insurance policy on Polamalu’s hair was taken out by Proctor & Gamble’s for its Head and Shoulders shampoo brand, which he promotes.
So-called “beauty insurance” first began when Lloyd’s of London agreed to insure the famous cross-eyes of the silent movie star Ben Turpin for 18,000 pounds – the amount payable if they uncrossed.
In the 1930s, Betty Grable’s movie studio insured the starlet’s legs for $US1 million – giving her the original “million-dollar legs”. Since then, celebrities who have taken out insurance range from Dolly Parton, the country singer, who insured her 42-inch bust for 350,000 pounds, to Tom Jones, the Welsh crooner, who took out a 3.7 million-pound policy on his chest hair.
Heidi Klum, the supermodel, bought insurance cover for her legs for 1.1 million pounds – with the left valued at 100,000 pounds less than the right because of a scar. Mygripe
Be the first to comment