The first time I really thought about the power of wigs was when I saw my aunt go through chemotherapy. As she started losing her hair, she decided to get one. At first a bit ashamed and self-conscious, it took her a few months to get used to it, but with the help of her hairdresser, she learned to style it and to embrace it. Without a doubt, wearing a wig was what helped her feel a little more like her old self again. She was not avoiding mirrors anymore, and it also allowed her to forget, even if just for a split second, about her illness.
The second time was when, on a night when I was supposed to study for my finals, I decided to get my Richard Gere fix and watched Pretty Woman. As one of my courses was about film, I decided to pay a bit more attention to the details, and that's when I realised that Vivian's wig wasn't just any old prop. Whilst wearing her short blond bob, Julia Roberts's character was a whole other person, and being able to take it off meant that she was able to distance herself from the person that she had to be in order to get through life.
In recent years, wigs have become more and more popular, being used by celebrities on the red carpet and on photo shoots, and I've enjoyed seeing them turn into something a bit more fashionable and a bit less taboo too. However, I didn't really get why some stars (*cough* Kylie Jenner *cough*) were so obsessed with them, to the point of getting wig rooms. So when Carl Bembridge, a rising star in the world of wig-making, gave me the opportunity to try some for a week, I couldn't resist. Over the course of seven days, I switched between a dark asymmetrical bob, long black hair, and rainbow-coloured plaits, and here's what I learned.
