Why did people wear wigs in Europe?

The wig was not so easy to kill as it invited all the following fashions - fashions that gave certain groups the option to show their natural hair again (artists and strongly religious people would do that) and rivaling fashions that created entirely new ideals of homogeneity - und new practical short wigs. read more

Courtiers and other aristocrats immediately copied the two kings. They sported wigs, and the style trickled down to the upper-middle class. Europe’s newest fad was born. The cost of wigs increased, and perukes became a scheme for flaunting wealth. An everyday wig cost about 25 shillings—a week’s pay for a common Londoner. read more

Men wore powdered wigs in the 1700s as a symbol of status. The practice was initiated by King Louis XIII of France, who wore the hairpiece because of premature balding. Powdered wigs soon bore a strong association with royalty and nobility in the country, and this attitude spread throughout Europe and followed early settlers to the New World. read more