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Conversation Piece. Among the nation's three largest male wigmakers are Louis Feder, Taylor Topper, and Squires for Men. All have branches or outlets across the country, and all currently boast an annual volume well in excess of $1,000,000. Says one pleased Squires manager: "It used to be not too many years ago that the woman who dyed her hair was considered 'fast.' Now hair tinting by women is perfectly acceptable, and the same is happening with regard to toupees." The company requires that all branch managers must be balding: "You have to be able to know your customer's apprehensions," says Chicago Branch Manager Irvin B. Kipnis, who does.
Taylor Topper's General Manager Paul Caine likes to quote former Senator from Idaho Glen Taylor, who runs the manufacturing end: "The Senator is always saying that the only thing that will stop hair from falling is the floor. But today a hairpiece is acceptable. It is the most brilliant conversation piece in the world, and anybody who tries to conceal it is crazy. I've personally never known any kind of social rejection when I said I wore one, but I've had some very strange reactions from people who found out when I hadn't told them. People hate to be fooled."
Whatever his age and no matter the degree of his adjustment facilities, the newly wigged man faces the problem of getting past that first full-headed day at home or office. Many new toupee owners plan their vacations around the wig's delivery date, return home to friends who usually know something is different but are often convinced it is a slight weight gain or that brilliant tan. One suburban New Yorker received his new hairpiece in the privacy of the fitting room, put it on as his wife walked in. She burst into laughter and kept right on laughing for about five minutes. Her husband blushed, got more and more embarrassed, was finally ready to hurl the wig at the salesman. "No, no," gasped the wife, "don't take it off—I love it! But, I don't know why, it just affects me this way."
In other words, the first five minutes are the hardest.
* Estimates range from 100,000 to 500,000.