Of all that secrets that we have and keep in Trannydom, perhaps the worst kept secret is that I wear a wig. Oh, stop already with the gasping thing-it's pretty
obvious if you've looked at any of the pictures of me on this website. After all, one does not go from short hair to shoulder length hair to short in only three weeks.
Work with me here, darling! J
It's not that I don't want to grow my own hair out in a feminine style (because I do); it's just that between having to maintain certain looks for work (I do have to
show up at the office every blue moon) and certain cruel genetic twists (such as an slowly advancing forehead), I just don't need to go there. And frankly, I'm okay
with that. That's life in the Mina lane.
I have worn the same style of wig for a number of years now. It took me forever to decide on a style I liked to begin with, and since then I have grown to really like
what I see when I put it on. However, time is starting to take its toll on the poor thing, and I really do need to get another one in the same style-preferably made from
real hair this time. Meantime, I wanted to try a few new looks. Summer is coming, and I am thinking about something a little lighter on my head that is essentially
the wig equivalent to wash and wear. That's the beauty part of a wig; it allows one to play around with different styles and not make you look bad for weeks or months
on end.
So, not all that long ago, I bought-sight unseen-a lot of used wigs, from a dear friend and sister I trust. There were eight of them in the lot; and after sorting out ones
that were essentially duplicates and a number that are just simply too small for my head, I was left with three of them. Not bad at all for what I paid for them! One of
them I really liked, another was pretty good, and the third (being a much longer style) I wasn't too sure about, but figured with a little work (and perhaps a cleaning
and restyling) might work out for me. I couldn't figure out which one I liked the best, however. It's kind of like shopping for shoes: too many styles and colors to
choose from all at one sitting.
So I decided to have a little contest. No prizes, but a contest nonetheless.
I took some quick and dirty pictures of myself in the three that I had pretty much decided to keep and posted them on an empty page here on the website. I added
a recent picture of myself in my current look, and invited some 29,000 plus people to weigh in and give me feedback. That's right-I posted the question, with a link
to the pictures, on TrannyWeb. (Want to see them? Click here.) And sister, let me tell you-did I get feedback! Much of it conflicting, but then, that just shows
differing tastes in hairstyles.
The best part is that it was all well meaning-every last word of it!-but in all honesty a little of it hurt. No woman wants to be told that the look she loves best and
has worn for years is not all that flattering, and I don't care who tells her…especially when it took her nearly a year and a third to find a hairstyle that didn't
scream “WIG!” (Don't believe me? Check out the Dear Diary entries for September 9, 2000 and January 31, 2002. Go ahead, I'll wait.)
Because these comments were (a) solicited and (b) honest, and offered in charity and friendship, I intend to take them in that spirit. However, this was a pretty
eye-opening experience for me, and as such has given me some things to think about. Not the least of which is that I really do have an ego after all. (You all can
stop it right now. I can already hear the snickering and the snide comments in the background: “She's just now figuring this out?” Knock it off right now, little
missy, or you get to stay after class and clap the erasers.)
Here's an example of a comment I got: “Picture X looks like you're wearing a wig”. Uhhhhh, duh.
Honey, let me be the very first to tell you: All those pictures look like I'm wearing wigs! Not a one of them even approaches my natural hair color, which is sort of
a dirty blonde color with silver streaks and highlights. (That's a really nice way of saying I'm turning gray. That's okay; I'm entitled to start that process at this point
in my life.) And with getting conflicting advice from several people who sell wigs for a living about how to wear them properly (i.e., how much forehead should be
showing), I have decided to wear the things how I think I'll look the best in them. (I dislike conflicting advice like that.) What I really wanted to know, I've gotten.
I know I set myself up for this-but in the end, it has been a help. Thank you all, ladies for your comments; I appreciate every last one of them. You all have been
a help to me on a rather sensitive question, and I accept all your comments in the spirit in which they were offered.
The final upshot to all this: I am keeping the three wigs for now, and selling (or donating) the rest. I will enjoy them for what they are-wigs!-and start the process
of finding a new wig that looks much like the old one (but is in better shape). Plus, I have a new style that will be good for the summer-lighter, cooler, and shorter.
It's a lighter color, too. And I'll see about how to wear them so it doesn't look quite so much like I am wearing a wig.
Hey! Maybe I'll find one that has the old style but the new color.
