Why Do Black Women Wear Wigs?
As I'm scrambling to pick out the best wig for the new year, I bumped into the question: why do black women wear wigs? I asked myself the same thing. Then I realized I honestly just looked up one day, and suddenly wigs were in—I mean really in. My mother and aunts had maybe one or two wigs, and even then, the idea of wearing one felt a little off.
Personally, I used to look at my roommate with a little side-eye each time she'd return from lectures and throw her wig on the bed. Something about it felt like living a "fake life"—and maybe my reaction was even a sprinkle of jealousy. We had conversations about her wigs, and she would say, "The peace I get when I throw my wigs on the bed and let my scalp breathe is unmatched."
Then someone would ask her, "What if someone walks up and pull...