Remember when years back Kylie Jenner said that she had invented wigs? That drove me nuts. It was in 2016 and it’s still something my subconscious associates with Kylie. We all know that Kylie is not a wig OG, but Dolly Parton definitely is. Huge beauty pageant style hair has always been a part of her look, and she’s been wearing wigs for decades. She shared her six fashion rules with Vogue to promote her new book Behind the Seams, which include wearing high heels, avoiding trends, and embracing wigs. Dolly started wearing wigs when she figured out that teasing and bleaching her hair was damaging it. Her first hairstylist, Colleen Owens, introduced her to her first “fall” (a piece you blend with your own hair for more volume). Dolly then realized she’d never have a bad hair day with wigs. The rest is history.
[My first hairstylist] Colleen Owens introduced me to my first hairpiece—they used to be called falls—that you could add to your own hair and give you extra bulk. And it was through her that we found wigs. She was so creative. The wigs were wearing me—I wasn’t wearing the wig! But I loved all the intricate little things that Colleen used to do. It was always the bigger, the better. I started wearing wigs because I quickly realized that bleaching and teasing my hair every day would cause breakage and not look good. It was handy to have several looks that I could just choose from, and never have a bad hair day.”
I’m very lucky to have naturally thick hair, but no matter how much I tease or spray it, and no matter how i style it, it does not hold volume at all near the crown of my head. So I would definitely turn to wigs if big floofy hair was the goal. It’s great that Dolly’s always been open about wearing wigs because hair thinning and hair loss is something that happens to so many women. That’s not why Dolly started wearing them, but I think she shows people that it’s okay to use something artificial if it makes you feel better about yourself or like how you look. Sometimes people equate being “authentic” with being unvarnished or being “au naturel”. But it’s really just about wearing what you like and what makes you happy.
photos credit: Avalon.red, Getty and via Instagram
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