Do guys like girls with wigs or weaves?
WELL, some women will say it doesn’t matter what a guy thinks about their choice of hairstyle, it’s their business — whatever makes them happy. Yet, I am not so sure that most of those who say that really do feel this way. I do think there’s usually some group that a woman might want to be complimented by, and there are often men in that group. In a romantic relationship it is also important for a man to make a comment when his partner gets back from the hairdresser — she’s often listening for him to comment on her hair, especially if it’s a new look she’s just adopted — and some women will spend the hours and the money in pursuit of ‘that look’. So certainly, they’ll often want to know what their significant other thinks of the ‘do.
It really is amazing that the value of the wig and weave industry is expected to be over US$13.28 billion by 2026. People are making billions of dollars from what might be the insecurities of others. It is interesting that native Africans and people of African descent are by far the largest consumers of hair wigs and extensions. They are spending billions to purchase hair — not just haircare products. Wig and weave production facilities are shooting up more and more in Asian countries, especially China and India. Is it that Asian countries are harvesting profits from Africans’ desire to have their Asian kind of hair?
We know that there are medical circumstances that cause some women (and men) to use wigs and weaves, but let’s talk about those that do so for cosmetic (ie, beauty and functional) reasons, and how men might perceive that. There has recently been a genuine return of some women to their “roots”, as they sport natural hairstyles. The last two decades have seen a shift in hairstyle choices, especially for women of colour. Several media personalities and celebrities are now going back to natural hairstyles, and some are doing the bald look. Hail to the Black Panther movie for joining to empower the confident, black woman. And the recent dust-up regarding Jada Pinkett Smith’s low hairstyle brought a fresh focus to the issue of baldness.
Ayanna Pressley, US Congresswoman from Massachusetts, who has alopecia now confidently sports a bald head, and has chosen to abandon her wigs. Essence.com also featured 19 stunning black women with bald heads in October 2020 with the subtitle ‘NO HAIR, DON’T CARE’. I believe more and more men are joining to celebrate these changes.
I personally prefer limited use of what’s not your own — yes, modesty is my personal preference. I guess I am generally conservative like that. But what might other guys generally prefer when choosing a date, or commenting on their spouse’s new hairdo? I think Jamaican and Caribbean men are predominantly conservative, and in conservative circles it may be that “less is more” — especially for the religious among us. Our Caribbean cultures may have imbibed such Bible text as “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,” (1 Timothy 2:9 NIV). I would hazard a guess to say that most Jamaican men are also inclined this way. And I would also suppose that many Caribbean men do find the ‘soul sister’ — simply bald included — attractive.
Having said that, I ultimately think that for us Caribbean guys, once our significant other feels beautiful and is happy with her look — wig, weave, natural, or bald — we’ll like whatever it is she’s sporting. When the guy loves the girl, whatever makes her feel royal, we’ll support it — and we’ll even pay for it.
Rev Christopher Brodber is a counsellor and minister of religion. E-mail him at chrisbrodber@yahoo.com.
