The other day, I came across an article that said men detest wigs and prefer women with natural hair. And naturally, I scoffed, telling myself only a man who has attempted to keep natural hair can hold an opinion on wig-wearing black women.
Do men understand the complicated relationship African women have with their hair? Not only is there pressure to grow our hair longer than a bra strap thanks to all those 4C videos on YouTube, but we want to retain this length so that our hair doesn’t look like a miserably thin cloud that disintegrates at the sight of water, but its upward growth, the thing that makes it magical, is constantly compared against straight hair.
In fact, it would be fair to say that over time, a distinction grew between good hair - long, soft, lustrous and exotic black hair, versus black hair that simply refused to grow past a certain length or was not as voluminous as the hairs on YouTube and Instagram. Basically long hair good, not so long hair, not good.
Black women have an interesting relationship with wigs. A hair historian from the University of Columbia said a lot of research indicated that wigs showed “rank in society” in Egypt.
Members of the royal family would wear extremely elaborate wigs with “gold and lace and other adornments to show that they had nobility”.
The upper crust would shave off all their hair and choose the wair they wore. Imagine this scorcher of a weather and a three-tiered wig. Anyone who was not an aristocrat was not allowed to wear a wig. That was a privilege for the few. The wig-wearers would take care of their hair with essential oils, and “would even be mummified and buried with the pieces on their head”.
In the 60s, black women wore wigs to get and keep their jobs. The texture was largely straight hair, which was socially acceptable. Now, women wear wigs to cultivate variety, and if you go shopping online, be it Jumia or Instagram, you are likely to find anything from a baby-’fro to 30-inch up-to-there wigs. Prices also range whether they are customised, bought and styled or just bought and plopped on the head.
There are a number of reasons motivating black women to wear wigs. The most common one is as a protective style. Underneath it, natural hair grows, is nurtured, and is protected.
The one thing that helps keep hair healthy is keeping the ends tucked and free from manipulation. Instead of thinking of wigs as an entity independent of hair, think of it as a means to an end.
As a beautifying move just like braids and yes, even weaves. And for women, you would need to take really good care of your wigs. They cost money and just like everything else that makes you happy and keeps you beautiful, they need love. When you buy a wig, treat it like you would your hair. Of course, there are also plenty of women largely in the US and UK who wear wigs to look professional. Sometimes, it could even be a way to deal with a bad hair day.
Women do not wear wigs because they loathe themselves. And no, we certainly do not wear straight wigs because we think we are mermaids or want to be white. It also has nothing to do with thinking we are not beautiful. We know we rock. We just also need you to understand that hair is dynamic, complex, pretty and always good, no matter how we wear it.
Wigs can be used for self-expression and a sense of fun. How else would you explain rainbow-coloured wigs that definitely look unnaturally attractive, or voluminous hair that is clearly contrived?
One thing about wigs is that they definitely keep things interesting. It's like becoming a different person when you wear it. If someone reminds you the wig on your head is as real as a unicorn, just toss your head and walk right past them with a mysterious smile on your face.
