Toupée
Many women now wear hairpieces rather than full wigs if their hair loss is confined to the top and crown of their heads.
One researcher has noted that this is in part due to a shift in perceptions over the perceived value of aging that occurred at that time.
Toupée manufacturers helped to build credibility for their product starting in 1954, when several makers advertised hairpieces in major magazines and newspapers, with successful results.
Factor's toupées were carefully made and almost invisible, with each strand of hair sewed to a piece of fine flesh-colored lace, and in a variety of long and short hairstyles.
Sears-Roebuck, which had sold toupées as early as 1900 via its mail order catalog, tried to tap into the market by sending out 30,000 special catalogs by direct mail to a targeted list, advertising "career winning" hair products manufactured by Joseph Fleischer & Co., a respected wig manufacturer.
[6] Toupées continued to be advertised in print, likely with heavier media buys taking place in magazines with the appropriate male demographic.
After about six months a person can begin to lose hair permanently along the weave area, resulting in traction alopecia.
Many shampoos and soaps will damage toupée fibers, which unlike natural hair, cannot grow back or replace themselves.
Even the best-cared-for toupée will need to be replaced on a regular basis, due to wear and, over time, to the growing areas of baldness on the wearer's head and changes in the shade of remaining hair.
Other alternatives include non-surgical hair replacement, which consists of a very thin hairpiece which is put on with a medical adhesive and worn for weeks at a time.
Other trends leading to the decline in toupée use include a rise in acceptance of baldness by those men experiencing it.
[14] In the 20th century, toupées were a source of humor in virtually all forms of media, including cartoons, films, radio and television.
Film and television stars of both past and present often wear toupées for professional reasons, particularly as they begin to age and need to maintain the image their fans have become accustomed to.
