History of wigs
Overview
Etymologically the word wig is short for "periwig", or "peruke". The word "periwig" first appeared in the English language around 1675 (Wikipedia).
Throughout the ages wigs have been used for many purposes: fashion, as a symbol of social standing, for hygienic purposes, religious precepts, and even to inspire awe in the enemy before battle.
Also, different materials have been used: human hair, vegetable fibers, yak hair, horse hair, etc.
In this short overview we will attempt to trace the usage of wigs from the first recorded usage up to our modern times.
We will depict the usage of wigs in ancient societies divided by castes, where different styles of wigs meant that the bearer belonged to a certain social stratus, right into our modern societies where wigs are used mainly for fashion.
The Far East
Wigs are principally a Western form of dress.
In the Far East they have been used in the traditional theatre of China and Japan.
Some East Asian entertainers (Japanese Geisha, Korean Qisaeng) wore wigs (Katsura and gache respectively) as part of their traditional costumes.
Koreans considered big and heavy wigs to be more aesthetic.
In fact, there is a record of an incident where a heavy gache wig actually killed a young 13-year-old bride when the heavy wig broke her neck as she was getting up to greet her father-in-law.
Also due to its cost, some families took up to seven years preparing a gache wig for their new daughter-in-law.
Such was the women's frenzy for the gache that in 1788 King Jeongjo prohibited and banned, by royal decree, the use of gache, as they were deemed contrary to Confucian values of reserve and restraint.
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| Japanese geisha wigs or katsura |
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| Korean wigs or gache |
