Wild and Wacky World of Wigs

Wild and Wacky World of Wigs, written by Mary Ann Marazzi.

《千奇百怪的假发世界》，作者：玛丽·安·马拉齐

Welcome to the world of wigs. Throughout history, people have always had an obsession with hair. From ancient Egyptian culture to modern society, wigs have played an important role in this obsession. Wigs have been worn for many reasons from fashion to social standing.

欢迎来到假发的世界。 纵观历史，人类一直对头发情有独钟。 从古埃及文明到现代社会，假发在这份执念中一直扮演着重要角色。 人们戴假发的原因很多，从追求时尚到彰显社会地位都有。

What's a wig? Wigs come in many styles from full wigs to toupees and extensions. Full wigs cover the entire top and sides of the head down to the neck. Toupees cover part of the head from the forehead to the crown and from ear to ear. The person's own hair shows at the back of the head. Extensions are pieces of hair or fiber that are attached to wigs or natural hair with pins, clips, or glue. Extensions create a thicker or longer look. Wigs can be made of many different materials, wool, animal hair, straw, and even plastics such as nylon.

什么是假发？ 假发分很多种类，有全头套、局部补发块还有接发片。 全头假发会覆盖整个头顶、头侧，一直延伸到脖颈位置。 局部补发块覆盖额头到头顶、双耳之间的部分头皮。 使用者本身的头发会露在后脑勺。 接发片是用别针、发夹或胶水固定在原有假发或真发上的发块，材质为发丝或人造纤维。 接发片能让头发看起来更浓密或者更长。 假发可以用很多不同材料制作：羊毛、兽毛、稻草，甚至尼龙这类塑料都可以。

What's in a wig? Until the 1700s, wigs were often specially made for one person. They were so expensive that most people could not afford them. A tight cap with a fabric base was made to fit the person's head. The hair was then looped over the cap and tied off. It was attached to the fabric base with beeswax, resin, or glue. Once attached to the base, the hair could then be styled to match the fashion of the times. In the 1700s, wigs that could fit anyone became popular. These wigs had a ribbon at the edge of the cap that could be tightened to fit the head. Because these wigs could fit many different sizes of heads, the prices dropped and more people could afford them.

假发是怎么做出来的？ 在18世纪之前，假发通常都是为个人量身定做的。 那时的假发价格高昂，大多数人都买不起。 首先会做一个贴合头部、带织物基底的紧头套。 接着把发丝绕在头套上绑好。 再用蜂蜡、树脂或者胶水把发丝固定在织物基底上。 固定到底座上之后，就可以把头发做成符合当时潮流的造型了。 到了18世纪，适合任何头围的通用款假发开始流行。 这种假发的头套边缘有一根丝带，拉紧就可以贴合不同头围。 因为这种假发能适配多种头围，价格随之下降，更多人都买得起了。

The first wigs. The oldest known wigs date back to 1400 BC in Egypt. Many people in Egypt wore wigs to look like their gods and to cover bald spots. A full head of hair was a sign of being strong and healthy. The Egyptians believed their gods had fancy, thick, braided hair, so they made wigs in the same style.

最早的假发。 目前已知最古老的假发可以追溯到公元前1400年的古埃及。 很多古埃及人戴假发，一来模仿神明的样子，二来遮盖秃斑。 浓密的头发是强壮健康的象征。 古埃及人相信神明都留着精致浓密的编发，所以他们做了同款造型的假发。

In Egypt, people at every level of society wore wigs. The king and his family wore wigs made of human hair and decorated with ivory and silver. Wealthy people could afford wigs made from wool or goat hair, while poor people could only afford straw wigs.

在古埃及，各个社会阶层的人都会戴假发。 国王和他的家人戴真人发制作、用象牙和银饰装饰的假发。 有钱人能买得起羊毛或山羊毛做的假发，穷人就只能买稻草做的假发。