Wigging Out
May 13, 2004
I spoke with a female client who lives in Borough Park, Brooklyn, a local community where many Hasidic Jews reside. As she sells wigs to women, she was in a panic over the current news that has left the community scratching their heads and wondering what to do and where to go to find the proper hair piece.
Hair from Italy will still be acceptable and look more natural than synthetic hair pieces which could now become the norm.
In the community, women shave their heads, or at least cover their hair, even at home, after they marry, which is usually between 18-20 years of age.
Personally, I see this as a sign for women to let their own hair down. The wig often does not allow the scalp to breath.
Can you imagine yourself walking around with a hat/wig all the time, even in the summer, your own hair slowly falling out after being covered and not able to breath? My client says you get used to the wearing a wig!
It is interesting how, in modern times, we often hold on to outmoded traditions. They will change, or the universe will create the change by default ...
An ultra orthodox Jewish sage has issued a ritual ban against natural hair wigs from India, saying they may have been made from tresses shorn from women during Hindu ceremonies, Israeli newspapers report.
Many Orthodox Jewish women, who adhere to rules of modesty by allowing only their husbands to see their natural hair, responded to the ruling by switching to synthetic wigs or hats, the Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz dailies reported on Friday.
The edict, issued by the spiritual leader of an ultra orthodox sect, said some hair in wigs sold in Israel may have come from women who took part in Hindu haircutting ceremonies, which was tantamount to idol worship.
Hairstyles and traditions through the years