A wig is a head of hair made from horse-hair, human hair, wool, feathers, buffalo hair, or synthetic, worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance.
28 year old Rupa getting her head shaved so her hair can be donated to the Gods at the Thiruthani Murugan Temple, India. Following are the words of that photograph who took this photograph for Getty Images:
All of us are familiar with wigs and weaves. A lot of women use them, and it was fascinating to see where the hair comes from. Before I started this project, I never would have thought that a lot of these expensive products originate at a small hilltop temple in rural India! I met Rupa who has her hair shaven to donate to the Gods, a process known as tonsuring. Rupa donated her hair with the wish that her daughter’s illness is cured. It is common for Hindu believers to tonsure their hair at a temple as a young child, and also to celebrate a wish coming true, such as the birth of a baby or the curing of an illness. The 'temple hair', as it's known, is then auctioned off to a processing plant and then sold as pricey wigs and weaves in the US, Europe and Africa. During the project, I visited the Raj Hair International processing plant. There were hundreds of women working in a dozen different rooms, combing the hair, washing and drying, de-licing, curling, and making wigs by hand, strand by strand. I was told that it takes a full month to hand make a full wig. No wonder the price tag for these products is so high! What I think makes this story so interesting is the contrast. The women tonsure their hair for spiritual reasons, to show their love and appreciation to God. Meanwhile in the West or Africa, women shell out a hefty sum for their hair to enhance their physical looks.
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