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Monday, April 20, 2009 at 9:07AM 
In The Pink
by MOLLY LAMBERT
Trends are a strange animal. Lady Gaga starts wearing ridiculous Minnie Mouse hairbows and suddenly the Forever 21 accessories department is flooded with them. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't look totally ridiculous wearing a gigantic hair-bow. Maybe that is the point. Why not the steampunk sun-goggles or the bubble dress?
When somebody pioneers a semi-original individual style, like Amy Winehouse's rockabilly girl-group sour mash, it is instantly co-opted by millions of fans and copycat artists. Again, it's only certain details that are focused on. The winged eyeliner but not the bouffant. The tattoo flash but not the bloody ballet slippers.
Dudes are not immune. The reemergence of flannel is not a fluke. Men's trends tend to come in waves of accessories, and ill-decided upon hats. I don't trust anyone whose sense of style revolves around a hat. Or a scarf. Or a haircut. It's best to have a consistent personal style. One that evolves, but does not consistently mutate each season to fit the trends being pushed on you by the fashion industry.
That said. Do what you wanna do. Go where you wanna go. Be yourself and hope that poseurs don't start copying you. Drew Barrymore cosplayed Bat For Lashes at Coachella. Joanna Newsom said she stopped wearing peasant dresses because it weirded her out too much that her fans all showed up in them. You hear that, new age neo-hippie girl cosplayers? You freaked out the freak folk lady.
Why then, a pink wig? Why not a blue one or green? Why not red or purple or black? Why pink? What is the significance of pink? Hmmm. Perhaps it is best not to think about these things too deeply. Whether it originated in Closer or Lost In Translation (circa 2003 to 2004) I can't be entirely sure, but it has since taken on a life of its own as a costume and signifier.
Whatever the reason, the pink wig has finally made its way into pornography courtesy of (Miss This Recording) Sasha Grey in the just released "Throat," a new remake/reimagining of "Deep Throat." Sasha is poised for her mainstream closeup wtih Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience." Hate to say we told you so.
But aside from Scarlett and Natalie, the pink wig found its most famous wearer in one Britney Spears, who donned it often at her most bi-polar. Aside from the iconic night she shaved her head, we never really got to see Britney bald. Shades of Little Edie.
Instead of a strong powerful skinheaded Britney we were met with a performative and pathetic goofball. Pinkly bewigged and generally oscillating back and forth between hyperactive happiness and tearful fits like a collicky baby on a sugar high.
Wigs allow you to become someone else, the way clothes allow you to become someone else. Who did Britney want to be? The sexy never-nude stripper from Closer before Devendra robbed the jeweled cave of her whispering eye? Or the voluptuary Scarlett artistically showing off her donk in Lost In Translation?
Maybe Britney had some other invented persona in mind. Her own private Sibyls and Sasha Fierce to contend with. Maybe there are more than one. An "Innocent Britney" deep inside battling it out with "Dark Phoenix Britney" and "took too many cold medicine pills with her Patron shots Britney" and "Y Did I Have Kids Yall Britney" Perhaps she should star in a premium cable TV show where these different personalities battle it out.
When a celebrity is told for the length of their existence as jailbait to take off their clothes, who is to blame when they then won't stop taking their clothes off? Pink Wig Britney was a Sheela na Gig, spreading her no longer teenage thighs anyplace she could be photographed doing so. It was the saturation point of the brief no panties craze amongst celebrities, demonstrating Britney's mental illness at its most baroque.
Speaking of mental illness let's not forget that Lindsay Lohan chose to dye her hair back to red to tell us all that the carnival isn't over yet. Before the parade passes by, she'll send in the clowns.
It's 2009, Amy Winehouse is alive and she may live to record a third album.
Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson wore fake bouffants (like this pink flowered number) for their early gigs in the B-52s but soon stopped because they inhibited dancing during performances.
Lily Allen dyed her hair pink in tribute to Britney's wig phase, now a permanent touchstone for confused young pop stars in the public eye, hungry for love and sex and cheeseburgers.
FLICKR BABES DOING PINK WIG COSPLAY:
sometimes u just want 2 wear a wig with sunglasses
or tiger bunny ears. this kute azn could grift all of brooklyn if she wanted 2.
sometimes u want 2 pout and look distant, like maybe u r in a belle & sebastian song
or take a long hard stare in the mirror, and try 2 make a change
sometimes u want the whole internet 2 c what u r up 2
other times u just sit for important ppl like painters and famous video artists
u just want 2 show the world u r still a 'hot mama,' or MILF
and h8rs can 'f off' if they don't like u or ur stylee
u are not a stock character from a online stock photo image directory
u r a special flower, unique in every way
u r an individual with ur own preferences and tastes
u do not follow the crowd, the crowd follows u. they do not unfollow u.
Molly Lambert is the managing editor of This Recording. She tumbles here.
Reader Comments (3)
What about Selma Blair's character in Storytelling?
Step away from the twitter feed and let the pink wigs toupee where they may. Gosh, i verbed toupee. That is not a bouffant; that is a beehive. Did you even google blue wigs? sky blue wigs? (stamps foot). Someone needs to write a blog about elder ladies and their magenta hair box color and wigs especially prevalent in Europe. The pink wig is a related signifier.
lily allen is such a cupcake! look at that photo! it kind of makes me hungry