Your Wig, Your Worth!

Hair is not Hair, Hear me out.

This was the post that sparked a lot of outrage on Twitter.

After a Twitter user, Chisom, made that tweet, there were mixed reactions. Some Kenyan women said they admired the flamboyance of Nigerian women when it comes to fashion expression. Others spoke about what they called an unhealthy obsession with wigs.

As a wig wearer, a braids lover, and someone who appreciates her natural hair, here is my take.

Women purchase wigs for various reasons. Braiding can be time consuming. A wash and go, especially with 4C hair in this current weather, is not as effortless as it sounds. For many of us, wash and go is not really wash and go.

However, we cannot deny the fact that wearing and owning wigs has increasingly become a symbol of class in Nigeria, especially in cities like Lagos.

A few months back, 21 Mag made a post titled “What’s wrong with wearing braids to the club?” One particular comment stuck with me. A lady wrote:

“Natural hair at formal events, styled or not, is usually a no-no unless it’s in a sleek bun. Braids? Also a no for me. I remember when I first started stepping out of my shell, I’d show up to exclusive events in braids while the other hot girls were rocking frontals. Shame covered me like a cloth. I started saving immediately to get my own wig. Now I’m obsessed. Some babes will argue, and I get it. I’ve been there. But once you get your money up, trust me, no one will need to tell you which one stands out more.” Read more

Obviously, not every woman thinks this way. But we must admit that this mentality is growing. Adolescent girls are reading posts like this and adopting these ideas consciously or unconsciously.

Your natural hair is not inferior.

Over time, there has been a rise in the idolization of wigs. Where is it stemming from? Media representation? Movies, TV shows, music videos? What does the “well put together woman” usually look like on our screens? If we are honest, the media has quietly defined what “polished” looks like. In music videos, the leading lady is rarely wearing her natural hair unless it is a themed shoot. In mainstream films, the corporate woman, the wealthy woman, the love interest, they are often styled in sleek wigs or long extensions even to go to bed! Natural hair is usually reserved for the “struggling” character, the activist, or the village setting. Subtly, we are taught that straight equals sophisticated and laid edges equal luxury. Over time, those images form a visual hierarchy in our minds. Without anyone saying it directly, we begin to associate wigs with elevation and natural hair with limitation. Natural hair is often only represented in epic dramas. Why is that? Why is it that when a woman is meant to look powerful, wealthy, or desirable on screen, she is almost always wearing a wig?

A woman once shared that she styled her natural hair to work and was advised to wear a wig instead. What does that say about our perception?

It took conscious effort for me to start caring intentionally for my natural hair. We should not be raising a generation of women who see cultural hairstyles as inferior and cannot defend their pride. People should not feel comfortable making jokes or comments about someone’s hair with so much disdain. When you hear people make strange comments about natural hairstyles, frown upon it. Do not normalize it.

If you are the type who weighs women by the quality of wigs they wear, that mindset is low. It needs to stop.

How do we build confident women if their confidence is tied to the bag they carry, the hair they install, or the clothes they wear? These things can be enhancements, but they should never be the foundation.

A young girl who just started working, except if absolutely necessary, should not feel pressured to spend her salary on wigs just to keep up with trends. Even seasoned wig wearers often invest in a few quality pieces and use them for years.

Constantly changing hairstyles and wearing tight braids can cause traction alopecia. Wigs can serve as protective styles. That is how we should see them, an alternative for preserving our hair. The moment we start using wigs to classify other women, we lose the plot entirely.

We may think it is a Lagos or Abuja problem, but if left unchecked, it will become a general issue.

We also cannot ignore the role society plays. Young girls in school are sometimes asked to cut their hair because it is considered a distraction. Explain that to me like I am five. Are we saying that spending an hour a week to change a hairstyle will stop someone from acquiring knowledge?

Let it be a personal choice to cut your hair or not, not a myopic societal dictate.

Honourable mention to the production of hair products that are not formulated for African hair or our weather. Brands create anything and simply place a girl with an afro on the packaging. Relaxers that damage natural hair are still aggressively marketed without proper education.

In all that has been said, I hope we begin to develop a healthier outlook toward natural hair.

The change starts with you. Let’s begin to see our hair for what it truly is, not a status symbol, not a trend, but part of our identity.