In popular culture, many gentlemen in the 18th century wore white curly wigs as part of their daily image. Gilbert Stewart, the famous portrait painter who once painted the founding fathers, painted five of the first six presidents with pure white hair. Modern audiences usually think of wigs as wigs. This is mainly because the phenomenon of wearing low price lace hair in movies and TV is increasing. However, by the time of the American Revolution, wigs were outdated and replaced by a trend of powdering natural hair. In the second half of the 18th century, wigs were indeed a major status symbol, and by 1800, short, natural hair was all the rage. Politics, cleanliness, disease, and cost are all factors in the rise and decline of wigs.
If wigs are really so popular, why are they outdated?
Just as wigs are rising in popularity and height as fast, they will soon decline due to costs and concepts. The age of enlightenment brought a new mentality, and educated people became more concerned about the plight of ordinary people. With the rise of the bourgeoisie, luxury consumption in fashion and hair styles is considered ignorant. Wigs, especially during the French Revolution, were considered a sign of nobility—the newly rich bourgeoisie did not want to be associated with nobles, especially considering that these nobles often sent their fakes to the guillotine. Wigs are becoming more and more associated with deception. Although wigs were originally used to cover up the effects of syphilis, wearing wigs may be seen as the wearer not only hides the visual effects of the disease, but may also hide deeper secrets. During the tenure of William Pitt Jr., Parliament passed the "Powder Act" of 1795, effectively signing the death penalty for wigs. Unless they meet certain qualifications, such as members of the British royal family or clergy, citizens must purchase a certificate to purchase baking powder. The price of this certificate is equivalent to today's 122 dollars.
Where are the low price lace hair?
Wigs have had a huge impact on historical memory, and they seem to be a symbol of history in the late 17th century. Hollywood seems to be particularly keen to distort the proliferation of wigs. In TV shows like "Turn Around", every British soldier wears a white powder wig. Although in "Pirates of the Caribbean", most British sailors do not wear wigs, but the nasty powdered Prussian still appears in their image.
If you want to see these handicrafts with your own eyes, some museums—especially the Victoria and Albert Museum in London—have collections of wigs. However, relatively few have been preserved because they are not particularly easy to preserve.
The endurance of wigs is undeniable-British judges and lawyers continued to wear low price lace hair until the 21st century, although the practice is now mainly ceremonial. Although wigs are not as popular as described in modern popular culture, they still had a major influence on fashion in the 18th century. Since fashion is constantly changing and cyclical, maybe one day, big wigs will return to fashion!