When Did Men Stop Wearing Wigs?

Yes, we’ll get to the syphilis part

When a one-time friend of Jean-Jacques Rousseau criticized the Genevan philosopher’s understanding of wealth and privilege as a problem, rather than a reward, Rousseau (according to a biographer) used a timely metaphor to illustrate his point:

“We must have gravy in our cooking, and that’s why so many sick people lack broth. We must have liqueurs on our tables, and that’s why the peasant drinks. We must have powder for our wigs, and that is why so many poor people have no bread at all.”

The equity and income gaps are still the fodder of philosophical hand-wringing—but at least today it’s not because of our use of cornstarch for vanity’s sake.

Aside from your weird uncle Sal and his waxy toupee or your barrister friend with his traditional white drape, it’s unlikely that you’ve seen a straight, cis guy wearing a hairpiece during your lifetime. Wigs, though still worn by plenty of folks of all genders and a few professions, have largely fallen out of fashion for the average businessman or bureaucrat. But it was (in the grand scheme) a relatively quick tumble from favor; up until just a hundred years ago, the wig was a must-have attire staple for men of wealth and power.

Wigs: Designed to Cover a Problem

Wigs were certainly not invented in the Western world. There’s historical evidence of wigs dating back to some of the earliest civilizations. And it…