Why the Boom in Wigs?

A FEW years back, wigs were almost unknown​—actresses, wealthy women of fashion and a few women with thinning hair being about the only ones who wore them. But now they are sold by the millions practically world wide. In the United States, retail sales have boomed from almost nothing eleven or twelve years ago to more than 500 million dollars annually!

In some larger cities and affluent suburbs a large proportion of women own them​—if not a full wig, then a partial hairpiece of some kind or another. And the New York Times of August 22, 1970, noted that “wigs for men are a hot, new item in stores across the country.” One of the first department stores to stock wigs specially designed for men had sales of $5,000 in the first two weeks.

Such popularity, however, is not unprecedented. In the eighteenth century, wigs were commonly worn in Europe and colonial America by both women and men. During the American Revolution wigs were ‘government issued’ to soldiers, and dressing his wig was important in the soldier’s life.

But why are wigs again so widely popular, especially women’s wigs? Why such booming sales?

Improved Quality, Low Cost

When wigs started gaining popularity again around 1960, only those made of real hair looked genuine. But they were and still are generally expensive, running into the hundreds of dollars for quality ones. On the other hand, wigs of synthetic material were poor imitations, being obviously artificial.

However, in the latter 1960’s synthetic wigs made of modacrylic fibers were perfected. These fibers are inexpensive​—about $3.25 a pound—​not very flammable, and remarkably similar to human hair in molecular structure. They are also so light that a full wig may weigh only three ounces.

Thus began production of synthetic wigs that almost perfectly duplicate in appearance and feel human hair and they could be purchased for $25 to $30, which was quite low when compared with those made of genuine hair. Another advantage of the synthetic wig is the minimal effort and cost to maintain it.

The human-hair wig requires practically the same care one’s own hair does​—regular setting, shampooing and so forth. However, when the synthetic wig is manufactured, the curls are baked into it so that the set does not come out except at high temperature. Thus it can be worn time after time, and it still looks good. When it gets dirty it can be washed simply by swooshing it about in cool or tepid soapy water, rinsing it, shaking it, and hanging it to dry.

In 1967 another improvement was made​—the stretch wig was developed. The hair is attached to a cap made of elasticized fiber threads, which can be stretched to fit a variety of head sizes. It is pulled on more or less like a bathing cap, and it stays firmly and securely in place.

With such improvements, the wig boom was on. Practically all wigs sold today are synthetics. Of those sold in the United States, well over 90 percent are imported, mostly from such places as Korea and Hong Kong.

Other Reasons for the Boom

Wigs are a profitable business, tremendous profit margins being realized all along the line, from manufacturer to retail seller. So promotional efforts, prompted by a profit motive, are also a factor in the wig boom. But, of course, to maintain sales buyers are necessary.

What many women like about wigs is their convenience. It takes only a few minutes to put on a wig, and then one is ready to go, adorned with a hairstyle that few persons, if any, may be able to tell is not one’s own. A wig department supervisor observed that only one person in a hundred buys a wig because her own hair is poor.

Some women, for example, have found they can go swimming and, by donning a wig, be ready in minutes to meet an appointment or fulfill a social engagement. Some men, too, are pleased by the advantage this affords, not only for their wives, but for themselves. As one said: “The time it takes her to get ready to go out is cut in half. Now if only someone would invent instant make-up.”

A factor, too, in the boom in wig sales is that many women buy not just one, but a number of wigs, some even changing from one style (and color) to another each day.

Factors to Consider

Not all women have been satisfied with wigs. Some say they feel uncertain when wearing them, being afraid that they may come off, to their embarrassment. Others complain that they are uncomfortable, that their heads feel hot and itchy after a day’s use. Wig caps, some women say, are not porous enough to allow the scalp to breathe sufficiently. Even women who like wigs admit that in very hot, humid weather they can be unpleasant, just as a hat can be. On the other hand, in the winter this feature can be an advantage, serving to keep the head warm.

The question is often raised as to whether regular wearing of a wig harms the hair or scalp. It can. Frequent wig wearers commonly find that the elastic around the edge of the wig cap has a tendency to rub the hair off near the hairline. Aside from that, however, little harm is apparently done, at least no more than would occur from regularly wearing a hat that covers the top of the head. Of course, the wig should be taken off when going to bed, since the hair and scalp do need ventilation.

Women usually are glad to take their wigs off when they return to the privacy of their home, even as they find it comfortable to remove a hat. As a result, a woman may appear rather unsightly, for to wear a wig the hair must be pressed down tightly on the head. Some women say they do not like to appear this way before their husbands, and husbands may understandably not like it either.

Looking at Wigs from the Christian Viewpoint

Some feel that the boom in wigs may be explained entirely by lowered prices, improved synthetics and timesaving convenience. But is this all?

Perhaps one might here think of another question: Why is it that the previous boom in wigs, one that saw even ordinary soldiers wear them, faded out in most places in the nineteenth century? The answer is that what was popular became unpopular; artificiality gave way to naturalness. Could it not be simply a reversal of popularity today that has brought a restoration of an earlier fad?

Christian women will recall the Bible’s exhortation to modesty, including the avoiding of elaborate “styles of hair braiding.” (1 Tim. 2:9) Wigs can serve as a temptation to violate this sound counsel. In the eighteenth century, when wigs were so popular, French women notably competed for the most extravagant hairstyle. Today, too, some women purchase wigs that look quite unnatural on them, even outlandish. What is their motive?

Does a woman wear a wig because of a serious problem with her hair, as did one who suffered the loss of much of her hair due to a family tragedy? For most this is not the reason. Then is it truly for practicality? Or is it simply a strong desire to be “fashionable,” even to “stand out”?

In the absence of hair problems, the intensity of the wearer’s concern about wigs could be the determining factor as to the rightness or wrongness of the whole matter as viewed from the Christian standpoint​—just as the intensity of desire differentiates the materialist from the non-materialistic person who nevertheless works for wages.

Admittedly we humans often suffer in appearance due to imperfection. We may try to cover over some defects or blemishes and do so with a right motive: that of wanting others to have something pleasant (or at least reasonably pleasant!) to look at. Today, however, man’s ingenuity has made it possible for humans, particularly women, to change virtually everything about their appearance, substituting artificiality for naturalness. Might not a great enthusiasm for such artificial things or immoderate use of them imply some lack of appreciation for the body we received through our parents by the Creator’s life-transmitting process? We might here recall the apostle’s statement that a woman’s hair, her own hair, can be “a glory to her.”​—1 Cor. 11:15.

All this is not to say that the use of a wig is of itself improper from the Christian viewpoint​—no more than the use of cosmetics, perfume, jewelry or, in menswear, padded shoulders, is of itself improper. Basically the question is the motivation behind it and whether the use is with moderation.

So, like some women, you may feel that the timesaving convenience (or winter warmth) of a wig merits its use. Or, like others, you may prefer naturalness, perhaps preferring to be appreciated principally for what you actually are. In either case, the married woman should also give due consideration to the preference of her husband.