The Truth Behind Wearing Alternative Hair

There is an unearned stigma with hair loss and wigs. The majority of wig wearers spend so much time trying to hide the fact that they were a piece. Admitting to wig wearing opens you up to criticism, judgment, and so many questions.

In middle school, I remember a girl who wore a wig. If you’re thinking our classmates weren’t kind about it, then you’re correct. None of us even knew why this preteen girl wore a wig, but in middle school, it’s a social crime to have something that makes you different.
 
Fast forward to high school and a girl a year ahead of me was diagnosed with cancer in her senior year. We held fundraisers and rallies in her honor. She opted for a hair scarf to conceal her hair loss. No one mocked her for it, thankfully.
 
Am I suggesting her cancer hair loss was worthy of ridicule? Absolutely not. I bring it up because hair loss is stigmatized, but considered acceptable under certain circumstances. The middle schooler I described most likely had a medical condition too. 50% of alopecia cases start in childhood, after all, but her condition wasn’t widely sympathized.
 
Hair loss, in any form, is a health condition and all are deserving of respect. Don’t let my middle school tale frighten you. Times are different, thankfully. People are different.
 
Still, as you enter the world of wigs, you might be wondering what your place is in the bigger conversation of hair loss and hairpieces.
 
The short answer is whatever you want it to be. You are under no obligation to answer to anyone. No one is entitled to know whether your hair is grown or bought.
 
On the other hand, you can tell the world. You have nothing to be ashamed of! Tell your friends, your coworkers, your date! Gush about your favorite wig on social media - you might just inspire a friend  you didn’t know wore wigs too.
 
Even if you tell anyone who will listen about your new human hair wig, you still control the narrative. You can tell everyone you love Jon Renau and Ellen Wille, but that doesn’t mean your listeners entitled to any information you don’t want to give.
 

Meet Dana who is a passionate and dedicated voice of the hair loss community in Dallas Texas. Her story of how she came from timid and taunted for her hair loss "Alopecia" at an early age… to being a beautiful confident woman who knows her value with or without hair… now that is true beauty!

We’ve sung the praises of social media influencer Hair Loss Boss before and it’s time to talk her up once more. She’s a woman crusading to normalize hair loss, but she admits that is her journey.

“Whatever the reason for your hair loss, from telogen effluvium through to Alopecia Universalis, and everything in between, it's a health condition and should be treated with the respect that comes with that. You don't owe anyone information about your hair loss. You aren't required to answer questions about it. You can share as much or as little as you like. You are in control of your hair loss story.”
 
Single-handedly destroying the stigma around hair loss isn’t your job, but you can help if you choose to. “Contributing to such a cause is opt-in,” reads a Hair Loss Boss post on the subject. “Just trying to manage your own struggles with hair loss is doing enough.”
 

Do you feel empowered by revealing your hair loss? Do you feel powerful keeping your own business private? There’s no wrong answer, but we want to hear about YOUR experience! 

Join our community in 1 easy step and share your amazing and inspiring story with your wig family! We can't wait to see you there.