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The Wig: A Hairbrained History
Whether in a court room or a dressing room, wigs come in many forms and represent many things: from power, to sexuality, to parody, to health, to self-identity, to disguise. Wigs are present at parties and in chemotherapy rooms, in pop music and contemporary art. In this witty and eloquent book, Luigi Amara reflects on the curious history of the wig and along the way takes a sideways look at Western civilization. Amara illuminates how the wig has starred throughout history, from ancient Egypt to the court of Louis XIV, and from British courtrooms to drag shows today. Containing many striking and unusual images, The Wig will appeal to all those interested in the history of fashion—as well as philosophy, art, culture, and aesthetics.
1136976308
The Wig: A Hairbrained History
Whether in a court room or a dressing room, wigs come in many forms and represent many things: from power, to sexuality, to parody, to health, to self-identity, to disguise. Wigs are present at parties and in chemotherapy rooms, in pop music and contemporary art. In this witty and eloquent book, Luigi Amara reflects on the curious history of the wig and along the way takes a sideways look at Western civilization. Amara illuminates how the wig has starred throughout history, from ancient Egypt to the court of Louis XIV, and from British courtrooms to drag shows today. Containing many striking and unusual images, The Wig will appeal to all those interested in the history of fashion—as well as philosophy, art, culture, and aesthetics.
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The Wig: A Hairbrained History

The Wig: A Hairbrained History

The Wig: A Hairbrained History
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The Wig: A Hairbrained History

The Wig: A Hairbrained History

Overview

Whether in a court room or a dressing room, wigs come in many forms and represent many things: from power, to sexuality, to parody, to health, to self-identity, to disguise. Wigs are present at parties and in chemotherapy rooms, in pop music and contemporary art. In this witty and eloquent book, Luigi Amara reflects on the curious history of the wig and along the way takes a sideways look at Western civilization. Amara illuminates how the wig has starred throughout history, from ancient Egypt to the court of Louis XIV, and from British courtrooms to drag shows today. Containing many striking and unusual images, The Wig will appeal to all those interested in the history of fashion—as well as philosophy, art, culture, and aesthetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781789143461
Publisher: Reaktion Books, Limited
Publication date: 12/04/2020
Edition description: New edition
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Luigi Amara is the author of many poetry collections, essays, and children’s books, including Nu)n(ca, winner of the International Poetry Prize in Spanish, and The School of Boredom. He lives in Mexico City.


Christina MacSweeney is an award-winning literary translator specializing in Latin American fiction.

Table of Contents

An Otherworldly Prologue 9

A Theory of Disguise 15

Casanova, Wigs and Masks 20

The She-wolf of the Night: Messalina 27

The Rage Called Wig 33

Samson at the Roland-Garros 43

The Counter-philosophy of the Wig 49

The Future Was a Purple Wig 57

The Mannequin and the Dark Object of Desire 63

Andy Warhol's Wig 70

The Hemisphere in a Wig 76

On the Other Side of the Mirror of Horror 81

Musical Curls 87

Capillary Plagiarism 95

The Indiscreet Charm of Hair 102

On Remains and Other Relics 111

Dressing Up Justice 118

Towering Hairdos 124

Abbé de Choisy; or, the Inner Woman 133

Cindy Sherman in Simulationland 141

Death Will Come and Shall Be Wearing a Wig 147

A Bald Wig in Search of a Head 155

In and Out of the Theatre 162

Stony Hair 170

Wigs at the Extremes of Crime 177

On Nudity; or, Venus in a Wig 186

Reinvention by Hair 193

Devotional Hairstyles 203

The Chimeric Wig 209

That Old Camp Stridency 215

The Tangled Mop of Fetish 223

A Knife Named Guillotine 230

The Discourse of False Hair 238

Bedside Reading 249

Photo Acknowledgements 251

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