Wig as Trace

From criminal disguise and Jewish Sheitel debates to misunderstandings of the Shamate community; from ‘pouf’ satire and Emperor Yongzheng’s European-style wig to Agassi’s image anxiety; and from the illegality of global human hair trade to ancient Egyptian funeral wigs and the horror of blonde-killing fantasies. Across visibility and concealment, wigs—through the simple acts of wearing and removing—reflect shifting social and cultural motives of disguise and creation. “Wig as Trace” uses wigs as a lens to observe and respect the world’s diversity.