Wigs

If you've ever watched a historical piece movie set in 18th-century England, you already know that wigs were a big deal in British high society. In vintage films, the nobility all have those enormous, puffy white wigs. In reality, King Louis XIII of France, who wore one to conceal his baldness, is where the idea of the powdered wig originated. The wigs were powdered because, being made of horse or goat hair and never having been cleansed, they stank and were loaded with lice. Powder reduced the unpleasantness.

The wig craze spread quickly because, as we saw with high heels, the social elite adore nothing more than imitating what everyone else is doing. If you've ever watched a historical piece movie set in 18th-century England, you already know that wigs were a big deal in British high society. In vintage films, the nobility all have those enormous, puffy white wigs.

In reality, King Louis XIII of France, who wore one to conceal his baldness, is where the idea of the powdered wig originated. The wigs were powdered because, being made of horse or goat hair and never having been cleansed, they stank and were loaded with lice. Powder reduced the unpleasantness. The wig craze spread quickly because, as we saw with high heels, the social elite adore nothing more than imitating what everyone else is doing.