A brief history of wigs
Wigs today are typically made from either human hair, or convincing synthetic fibre. Some people wear wigs to disguise the fact that they are bald; a wig may be seen as a less intrusive and less expensive alternative to therapies for restoring hair. Actors, on the other hand often wear costume wigs in order to better portray the character they are playing.
Other ancient cultures, including the Assyrians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, also used wigs. Some East Asian entertainers (Japanese Geisha, Korean Kisaeng) wore wigs (Katsura and gache respectively) as part of their traditional costumes. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the use of wigs fell into abeyance in the West for a thousand years until revived in the 16th century as a means of compensating for hair loss or improving one’s personal appearance.
Perukes or periwigs for men were introduced into the English-speaking world with other French styles when Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, following a lengthy exile in France. These wigs were shoulder-length or longer, imitating the long hair that had become fashionable among men since the 1620s. Contrary to popular belief, women in the 18th century did not wear wigs, but wore a coiffure that we nowadays would call hair extensions.
Powdered wigs (men) and powdered natural hair with extensions (women) became an essential for full dress occasions and continued in use until almost the end of the 18th century. Powdering wigs and extensions was messy and inconvenient and the development of the naturally white or off-white powderless wig (made of horsehair) for men is no doubt what has made the retention of wigs in everyday court dress a practical possibility. After 1790, both wigs and powder were reserved for older more conservative men, and were in use by ladies being presented at court. This gave rise to the taxation on those rich enough to afford these things. This tax effectively caused the demise of both the fashion for wigs and powder by 1800. During the 18th century, men’s wigs became smaller and more formal with several professions adopting them as part of their official costumes. Until 1823, bishops of the Church of England and Church of Ireland wore ceremonial wigs. The wigs worn by barristers are in the style favoured in the late eighteenth century. Judges’ wigs are, in everyday use as court dress, short like barristers’ wigs (although in a slightly different style) but for ceremonial occasions judges and also senior barristers (QCs) wear full-bottomed wigs.
The wearing of wigs as a symbol of social status was largely abandoned in the newly created United States and France by the start of the 19th century, although it persisted a little longer in the United Kingdom. Women’s wigs developed in a somewhat different way. They were worn from the 18th century onwards—although at first only surreptitiously—and full wigs in the 19th and early 20th century were not fashionable. In Britain and most Commonwealth nations, special wigs are also worn by barristers, judges, and certain parliamentary and municipal or civic officials as a symbol of the office. Today, Hong Kong barristers and judges continue to wear wigs as part of court dress as an influence from their former jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In July 2007, judges in New South Wales, Australia voted to discontinue to wearing of wigs in the NSW Court of Appeal. A number of celebrities, including Dolly Parton and Raquel Welch have popularized wigs. New Zealand lawyers and judges have ceased to wear wigs except for special ceremonial occasions such as openings of Parliament or the calling of newly qualified barristers to the bar. Cher has worn all kinds of wigs in the last 40 years- from blonde to black, and curly to straight. They are quite common at Halloween, when "rubber wigs" (solid bald cap-like hats, shaped like hair), are sold at some stores. Some women wear wigs, known as sheitels, for this purpose. In the film and television genre, Jidaigeki, wigs are used extensively to alter the cast’s hair styles to reflect the Edo Period when most stories take place.
Today, wigs are worn by some people on a daily or occasional basis in everyday life. This is sometimes done for reasons of convenience, since wigs can be styled ahead of time. Another use seen in modern day society is for men who crossdress as women, wigs are used to make the men have more feminine hair in all sorts of styles. There are two methods of attaching hair to wigs. High quality custom wigs, and those used for film and theatrical productions are usually done this way. Making custom wigs starts with measuring the subject’s head. Theatrical, and some fine custom wigs have a fine, flesh colored net called "hair lace" at the front which is very inconspicuous in wear and allows the hair to look as if it is coming directly from the skin underneath. For less expensive wigs, this labour intensive sorting process is substituted for by "processing" the hair. Weft structured wigs can have the wefts sewn to the foundation by hand, while it is on the block or , as is common with mass produced wigs, sewn to a ready-made base by skilled sewing machine operators.
Mail this post
