Outfit of the Day: Blue Wig

First things first, I’d like to wish all of you a Happy New Year! Jordan and I were both exhausted from moving into our new apartment on New Year’s Eve, but we managed to make it all the way to the midnight champagne toast at our friends’ house party, so I’m pretty proud of us even if we were in bed by 12:15.

It’s probably the first year I didn’t make a huge deal about getting a new year’s dress, and I’ve gotta say, it was kind of nice not feeling obligated to get all sparkly. I’ve already made a list of (feasible) resolutions, because I’m ready to make this the year that all of the cool shit happens in my life. Earlier this week, I was presented with a pretty neat opportunity by a friend that will help me get some exposure, so I’ll definitely elaborate once I learn a little more about it. I have a good feeling about 2015!

For today’s outfit, I wanted to try a take on the blending trend; I decided to pair this light pink H&M billow-sleeved blouse with the pastel pink accordion pleat skirt I got from Urban Outfitters a few years back. The ensemble balances nicely with the blue hair since the colors are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and everything is tied together with my favorite 1960s winter coat.

Anime is a huge part of my daily life. As soon as I get home from work, I make myself dinner, throw on lazy clothes and pull up either my Hulu or Netflix queue to resume the latest anime series I’ve likely become addicted to. Most recently, I’ve been really into Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl. The protagonist has the cutest blue hair (complete with antennae), and I got the itch to dye; after talking with my stylist, we decided that my curls have been damaged enough from bleaching and not to proceed…for now. I’ve wanted to try out wigs for years, but as much as I appreciate cosplay, I had difficulty finding something that was more suited for everyday wear. I found out about U.K. company Geisha Wigs via Instagram, and this blue gem has become a wardrobe lifesaver on days when my real hair is too crazy to style, not to mention it’s great for making new friends (aka getting free drinks) at the bar.

As much as I appreciate the awesomeness this wig has to offer, I wish that companies were more culturally sensitive when branding their products. Like, what does geisha culture have to do with this wig? Absolutely nothing. Geisha presents itself as nothing but a buzzword, which I find unsettling. (I’m using this particular company as an example. Please don’t take this as an instance of me devaluing the shop or the wigmaker herself, as the wig is a high-quality item and I appreciate being able to purchase from a small business. I wish the owner nothing but continued success, but I also want to be honest & bring the issue as well as my feelings to light.)

Overall, we live in a world where we’re taught that symbols of status or religion are okay to “borrow” from other cultures, especially when it comes to fashion shows (cough: Victoria’s Secret) or music festivals, because white people are apparently devoid of any sort of heritage to lay claim to. I just want people and especially businesses to be more conscientious about what constitutes cultural appropriation, I don’t think that’s too much to ask as a consumer. What are your thoughts on this subject? Am I in the wrong for financially supporting a company that so blatantly advertises under the guise of “geisha”?