Sometimes, a wig is just a wig. And sometimes, it is something more. In the case of an Orthodox Jewish Married Woman, a Sheitel is an essential tool to "preserve modesty" in a subtle way. According to an article in the Forward, "Jewish law calls for women to cover their hair after marriage, and many religious women see wigs as a more subtle covering than hats or headscarves." To many women wearing Sheitels, spending between $1,000 to $5,000 is excessive. And these ladies are going elsewhere to get their wigs.
A former friend kept pushing me to go to a store specializing in supplying sheitels for the Orthodox community. I couldn't see spending $2,500 on a wig - even if it would last me 6 times as long as the wigs I now wear (assuming proper care). As much as the wig would look better for a longer time, I don't feel comfortable putting an extra $2,000+ into buying a wig, and having something go wrong several months into its expected lifespan. I'd rather buy a new wig every 3-6 months or so, and have that extra $2,000 in the bank earning interest for me.
WDJ says that I can get a human hair wig much cheaper than that by going the Chinese route. I'm pretty sure that I could do that given the article I just read. This would be a boon to me and other M2F transgenders, as most of us want to look as pretty as possible. And a woman's hair will always be one of the first things a person notices about that woman. If I could be sure I was getting a wig that fit properly and looked good on me, I'd consider the Chinese route for myself.
I don't think I'm giving away any secrets when I mention that WDJ enjoys wearing her wigs. (Since she occasionally makes it known to people at the meetup, I don't think she'd mind me casually mentioning this fact.) Both WDJ and I were chatting with a new woman at our dining meetup, and the subject of wigs came up. Each of us had stories about our wigs, and WDJ talked about her experiences in Facebook wig forums, as well as some of the purchases she has made over the years. Given her experiences with some vendors, I may consider going the Chinese route when I decide to go with a human hair wig - as long as I have a few extra dollars to gamble. Since I am a conservative gambler, I expect that I will likely get a good deal on a wig once I've done all necessary research on going the Chinese route.
