Crowning Glory: why a woman’s hair is no-one's business but her own

Bronde, extensions, wig? – this is the speculation that has driven hordes of social media hair sleuths into a frenzy as the Princess of Wales debuted lighter locks during a public engagement at the Natural History Museum last week. While Kate has acknowledged the impact of her cancer diagnosis, treatment and her current recovery, she has never commented on the status of her hair, so shouldn’t the rest of us respect that decision, applaud her tenacity and grace in returning to her duties and stop the intense scrutiny?

Whilst we don’t - and don’t need to – know the personal story behind Kate’s recent hair update, it has sparked conversation around the importance of hair to our identity.

Globally recognised as leading authority in luxury human hair wigs and hair pieces, we have held the hands of thousands of women through their hair loss journey – whether caused by alopecia, menopause, chemotherapy or an autoimmune condition – so we know it isn’t just about losing hair.

For many of our clients, it’s a traumatic loss of control, identity, femininity, and the fear of not recognising yourself in the mirror. Over the last five decades, we’ve learned the importance of being able to look like yourself during this challenging time, even when you don’t feel like it. Not only does this provide reassurance for yourself, but also for those around you - especially for younger family members. The online speculators who feel entitled to a ‘gotcha moment,’ seeking to out someone as a wig wearer with a throw-away comment display an astonishing lack of empathy and compassion, trivialising what, for countless individuals is a profoundly emotional journey.

In a world where negative commentary around women’s bodies has become progressively off-limits, Kate’s hair seems to be truly fair game. What makes the escalating wig hysteria more bizarre is how easily and effortlessly other beauty tweaks are embraced by society. Hair extensions for example are overwhelmingly popular and despite the obvious similarity of being a product that adds more hair to a person’s head, they somehow avoid the shame and stigma that wigs tend to attract. Why are wig wearers made to feel embarrassed about wearing a wig, but celebrities wearing false nails or false eyelashes are not subject to the same scrutiny or even shame?

The Princess of Wales is not the only public figure whose hair has been pored over in recent times. Notably, the backlash and ridicule faced by Jada Pinkett Smith after that awards ceremony forced her to comment publicly about her alopecia. Last month, Team GB Rugby star Heather Fisher, who has lived with alopecia for over 10 years wig-free, spoke of wigs being thrown onto the pitch during games. It seems with wig-wearing, you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. We absolutely believe in the power of sharing stories, and at Mandeville London, we’re currently partnering with fertility and health coach, influencer and hair loss and wig-wearing advocate Liberty Mills @mills.liberty as she publicly shares her experiences of hair loss to bust myths and break down taboos.

It seems that no celebrity is immune to this public baiting around hair loss. Not only is it a gross misunderstanding of the human condition to believe that ‘celebrities’ are somehow not affected by negative comment, it also has an impact for countless ‘normal’ people reading the comments, who are made to feel they are not accepted either.

The real tragedy is that while we obsess over whether someone’s hair is ‘real,’ we miss the chance to see what is real - their character, their achievements, their message. Royal or not, hair loss should not define you or diminish what you bring to the world. Perhaps it’s time to stop speculating on what’s covering someone’s head and shift the focus to what’s within it.

Find out what to say if someone asks if you’re wearing a wig here.