Listen to the full textI was watching a stand-up comedy show and the comedian was a black female who made a joke about going on a date and as the night went on she realised her wig was slowly starting to slip. The crowd was laughing and this was comedy to some and a real disaster for wig wearers.
First, when I wear my hair system from Lordhair, I have absolutely no worries that slipping or detachment will happen. What I used to worry about was people finding out I had a 'wig' on. People who have no experience with hair replacement systems would call it a wig, and those like myself might refer to it as a hair system. For me, this could be because I wasn’t confident to call it a wig, calling it a hair replacement system sounds more technical and acceptable, perhaps? People wear lipstick, eye shadow, mascara and all other make-up to either enhance or change their appearance and we all accept this. We see people putting make-up on in their cars, on the train and in all sorts of public places. What comes to mind if you saw someone putting on a wig in a public space? For me, if I saw a woman put a wig on, I would think it was for medical purposes. My thoughts would also differ depending on the ethnicity of the woman. Whereas for a man, I would be confused. This somewhat dilemma is gender and ethnicity-specific for me. Society (others) work on the foundation that men should present and behave in a certain way.
Let’s make it clear, there is no way someone can just put a hair system on in public, it is quite technical with the prep that goes into it, which in my opinion is why it’s so much more than a wig. I do believe the more and more people who ‘come out' as hair system users the more we can normalise it. The thought, at least in my mind, trans people who are transitioning and want to compliment their transition from male to female or female to male by using a hair system. I sincerely hope society would not see this as comedy.
In my opinion, it’s not comedy and hair should be treated as a protected extension of someone’s skin colour or religion. Hair is an essential part of who we are. As a person who identifies as male, my hair is an essential signifier of my masculinity. It’s been one of the key factors when growing up that allows society (largely other people) to recognise that I identify as a male.
More importantly, my hair has permitted me to shape and realise I can be expressive and playful. My hair is an extension of my personality – colourful, sassy and well-maintained. Not to mention, if I’m having a tremendous hair day – I feel indestructible.
