Wigs Becoming Teen Fashion Accessory

“I wear a long wavy hair wig when I meet my boyfriend, which he likes, but I wear a straight hair wig when I want to look like a pure, innocent girl.”

A second year high schooler has five wigs in her bag. She chooses one from the five including three hair extension pieces, a long wavy wig, and a long straight wig, depending on her mood after school on any given day.

She said that almost half of her classmates have more than one kind of wig because they cannot have their hair done as they please owing to strict school regulations on students’ hairstyles.

Indeed, wearing wigs is now in fashion among teens. In the past, mostly the bald and cancer patients were the primary wig customers, but now wigs are becoming a fashion item for youth to accessorize themselves with.

Approximately 100 wig makers nationwide are manufacturing about 1,200 kinds of fashion wigs. A manager of a popular online shopping mall said that over 200 pieces are selling a day and that monthly sales amount to 50 million won. During vacations, the sales sharply increase.

A wig company official said that girls in their teens account for about 70 percent of total sales.

Some youngsters wear wigs with styles similar to celebrity hairstyles.

Girls put on wigs to have long hair only on the back of the head like BoA or Lee Hyo-ri does, or a wig with long wavy hair like actress Hyun-young. For boys, wigs featuring the hairstyles of the boy band SS501, actor Lee Jun-gi, and singer Kim Jong-guk are smashing hits. These boys and girls are accustomed to putting on wigs and take pictures of themselves.

Wigs caught people’s interests during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Since then, youngsters have enjoyed wearing wigs for sports competitions, special events or parties. Wig manufacturers are ecstatic once again around the 2006 World Cup season scheduled for this month.

President Yoo Won-cheol of Rodeo Hair, an online mall selling supporters’ wigs, said, “June usually has a low demand for wigs because of the hot weather, but prior to the World Cup, our supporters’ wigs have been selling like hot cakes since May.”

World Cup supporters’ wigs come in a variety including wigs featuring the Korean national flag, a rainbow or a soccer ball. Some are red with the Red Devils’ signature horns, and others are Taegeuk-patterned (two-comma patterned). Older generations, who are not accustomed to wearing a wig, buy wigs custom-made for a couple or a group.

Song Byeong-seok cheers for soccer teams wherever a game takes place in the K-league with a Taegeuk wig on his head. He said that he will wear the wig and cheer on the national team in the Seoul city hall square. “All the stresses go away when I see people delight in looking at me with my wig on,” said Song.

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