Wigs began to catch on in the late 16th century when an increasing number of people in Europe were contracting the STI. Without widespread treatment with antibiotics (Sir Alexander Fleming didn’t discover penicillin, the treatment for syphilis until 1928), people with syphilis were plagued by rashes, blindness, dementia, open sores and hair loss. The hair loss was particularly problematic in social circles.
This fucking culture, man. People getting dimensia and going blind, but if they loose their hair then their friends abandon them.
This fucking culture, man. People getting dimensia and going blind, but if they loose their hair then their friends abandon them.
To be fair it might have been the fear of catching the disease plus the stigma (it was associated with prostitution and bohemian lifestyle).