When did “wigs” become a four-letter word?
In the midst of the third millennium B.C., the Egyptian fashion for wearing wigs was spreading through the world. They were seen as a symbol of status and beauty – from Persian kings to the civilizations of Ancient Greece – in innumerable styles. Wigs were worn in many eras by all kinds of people and have seen many a ‘vogue’ over the past several centuries.
Somehow, after the 1970’s, wigs became associated with pillbox chignons and powdered bouffants. Suddenly wigs were for the “older” generation, and there was a great deal of what one might call ‘wig abuse’ wherein large, unnatural looking wigs were worn in conjunction with a great deal of blue eye shadow and the kind of garish lipstick that would never wipe off your cheek!
In today’s world, a lot has changed. Wigs are available in natural colors and textures, and there are a number of wig providers creating added hair using the best quality human hair that is virtually undetectable. Yet for some reason the mindset has remained the same. People are so scared to look like their iconic image of a ‘bad wig’ that they fear wigs, an unnatural fear propagated by lesser quality hair found in some mass produced wig shops. Women worry that wigs will be hot or itchy, never knowing that there are options out there made from soft breathable materials.
People give up too quickly and sometimes never find out that there are better choices out there, so that no one has to know you are wearing a wig. When properly fitted and styled, you can again look just like you once did with your own hair on its best day, every day. While one can still find harsh unnatural synthetics of yesteryear, today’s hair market has a wide variety of modern synthetics made to mimic real hair and the true top-of-the-line product, high quality human hair. Wearing added hair is a choice, not an obligation, but if a woman chooses to wear hair it’s important to know that there are options out there that focus on comfort and a natural look.
Through communities like Women’s Hair loss Project and Alopecia World (amongst many others), women are educating and empowering each other to fight back against the stigma of wearing hair. Together, let’s take “wigs” off our list of four-letter words!