The Tangled World of Wigs
New hair, the everyday accessory
Reported by Sarah Delia
Produced by Sarah Delia and Chessie Gruen
Although most people would consider wearing a wig outside of a costume party as “hair-raising” as walking on stilts, the practice is not as unusual as you might think. From drag queens to corporate professionals, wig-wearers are everywhere.
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It's Sunday morning at Perry's, a popular restaurant in downtown Adams Morgan in Washington, D.C. Crowds of people are packed into the room -- and not just for scrambled eggs. They're also here for the drag queen entertainment.
Backstage, performer Bella Dolce touches up her eye shadow and puckers her pink lips in the mirror. She is almost ready to perform. The finishing touch: an elegant auburn wig.
Dolce struts up to a table of giggling women and blushing men while they nibble on their meals. She winks a purple shaded eyelid as she confidently mouths the words to Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Leaning forward, she makes it easy for customers to slip dollar bills between her silicon breasts. Her fake eyelashes, head-to-toe sequins, tight stockings and four-inch heels make her look like a woman. But it's her wig that completes her feminine transformation.
They Look So Real
Wigs play an important role for all drag queens when forming their stage identities, so these ladies don't waste their time on stereotypical sky-high pink 'fros. Areyon, who performs to classics like Aretha Franklin, stresses the importance of a good wig.
"Good hair can make or break a girl," she says. "You can have on the most beautiful makeup in the world but if you have ugly hair it f--ks the whole illusion up."
Another performer, Xavier, says she's been wearing wigs for the past 16 years. While some people regard wigs as mere costume accessories, she disagrees. She insists that a good wig becomes part of the performer as she hits the stage.
"With us you can't tell if it's a wig or not," she says. "They look so real. We don't do the everyday, just 'put it on.' ... It's not just a cap for us to just wear."
Wigs are essential for drag queens like Xavier -- but where does one find the perfect wig? Some find their sassy, seductive 'dos at online websites and local wig stores.
All Kinds of Customers
One place in particular, Esther's Wig Shop, in Silver Spring, Maryland, has just about every hair piece imaginable. The store window is crowded with mannequin heads sporting afros, sassy curls, and chic straight locks. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, even pink-heads and blue-heads plaster the walls.
The wigs start at $40 but go up into the hundreds. Human hair wigs are generally the most expensive, and customers like that they can be dyed, flat-ironed, and styled like real hair. But drag queens aren't the only customers store owner Esther Takk gets.
Takk is Korean. She opened the beauty and wig shop after coming to America more than thirty years ago. Although some people think wigs merely serve to disguise people's identities, Esther believes wigs help people feel more beautiful in their own identities. She enjoys helping her diverse group of customers pick out the perfect wig that matches both their style and personality.
"All people come in, black, white, Oriental, chemotherapy, everybody come to here," she says. "They enjoy wig because is like [their] real hair."
Although some customers have lost their natural hair for reasons such as alopecia or stress, others have another reason to wear wigs.
"Some people's hair is bad," Esther says "They have bad hair, and they buy the wig, and it looks like real hair ... For them, the wig is very convenient."
Reflecting Personality
One wig enthusiast, Rhonda Moore, falls into that category. The cut she has right now is short with layers that flatter her face. Surprisingly, when I ask her about her current hair style, she reveals that the hair I've been admiring isn't the hair she was born with.
"Oh my gosh, are you wearing a wig right now?"
"Of course I am!"
"I could not tell!"
"That's because [Esther] did such a good job brushing it."
Moore's frantic work days and frequent trips to the pool have taken a toll on her natural locks. Her busy work schedule leaves her little time to fuss over her natural hair, so wigs are the perfect solution for her hair frustrations. She explains why wearing wigs makes her life easier and fun at the same time.
"There are many reasons to buy wigs," Rhonda says. "I buy wigs that reflect my personality and how I think people want me to be perceived. You do the sweet, conservative bob in the work place. I own about two of those. Most of mine are curly and wild. Not because I'm a wild person, but because they better reflect my personality."
