Why do westerners love wigs?

Classification: society/culture >> religion

Analysis:

It is one of the most distinctive traditions of English courts that judges and lawyers wear wigs in court. In some former British colonies deeply influenced by the British judicial system, we can also see this cultural imprint with British characteristics, such as the China Special Administrative Region.

Why do British judges and lawyers wear wigs? Many people who study history have put forward various explanations, but it is difficult to convince everyone.

Some people say that in the Middle Ages, overwork and illness made judicial personnel lose all their hair prematurely. In order to hide their "cleverness" in public, wigs became popular and became a scene of the British court.

Some people say that judges wear wigs to show respect, and lawyers wear wigs to cover up and protect them to some extent, because they are worried that their defense results will not be recognized by the defendants and their families. But this is not so much a reasonable explanation as a joke made up by people who have problems with lawyers to discredit them. Because according to a recent survey, 57% lawyers are not satisfied with wearing wigs and want to take them off. The reason is that these wig made of horse hair are expensive but unsanitary. Generally, a wig will last a lifetime. A lawyer's family has a 94-year-old antique, which has been handed down for four generations and can be called a family heirloom.

According to the research of historians and folklorists, the fashion tradition of wearing wigs in Britain began in 12 century. At that time, it was not just the patent of judges and lawyers. People in the upper class regard wearing wigs as a fashion and a formal dress for formal occasions or salons.

Experts pointed out that wigs used by judicial organs are different from ordinary wigs. In England, there are three curls on each side of the judicial wig, but there are only two in the royal family. Whether this represents a subtle metaphorical meaning is unknown. But Scots always quarrel with English people, because in Scotland, the situation is just the opposite, the royal family uses three curly wigs, and the judicial personnel only have two curly wigs.

A judge's wig costs more than 1500 (equivalent to about RMB 18000, wow, it's not cheap), and the most common wig is not less than 300.

When it comes to British judges or lawyers, gray wigs will naturally come to mind. For people outside the Commonwealth legal tradition, although wigs have become the hallmark of Commonwealth legal persons, this kind of dressing will not produce solemn prestige. On the contrary, it is often a strange feeling, which makes viewers sweat for them from time to time and worry that they will slip away with the elegant bow of the barrister and make a fool of themselves in court. Thomas, the third president of the United States? Jefferson once said, "(the British judge) is like a mouse peeking under cotton wool." The instrument also scared a child to cry when he testified in court, which led to the complete abolition of wigs by the special court specializing in juvenile cases in Britain.

Wigs have a long history and are recorded in the documents of ancient Egypt and Roman Empire. However, the popularity of the upper class in Europe is generally considered to be around 1620. Louis XIII wore a wig to cover up his baldness, which caused the nobles who frequented the court to follow suit, and then became popular in Europe, so that even women wore various wigs to attend social occasions. In the 1960s, this fashion was spread to the British Isles by King charles ii. /kloc-The diary of samuel pepys, an Englishman in the 7th century, truly recorded the history of wig popularity in Britain. 1663165438+10 On February 2nd, pepys learned the rumor that both the king and the duke would wear wigs, so he couldn't wait to shave his hair the next day and decided to make wigs. Pepys wrote, "It's still a little sad to say goodbye to my hair, but when it's over, I'll wear a wig." . It can be seen that the popularity of wigs in Britain has played a great role in setting an example.

Commonwealth lawyers wear wigs when they appear in court or attend major ceremonies, because it was popular at that time, and there was no mandatory legal requirement. Hundreds of years later, wigs are no longer fashionable, but they have become the old-fashioned image of legal persons following the tradition. Moreover, wigs are unsanitary, too hot, stinging and even ridiculous. However, it is hard to say change. People habitually associate wigs with status, identity and even justice. After lawyers were granted the right to appear in court, they failed to negotiate with the House of Lords many times because they were not qualified to wear wigs. Many defendants also preferred barristers who could wear wigs to defend them. It is said that wearing a wig is directly related to the ability to convince the jury!