A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
'Sheitel: Beauty in the Hidden,' dives deep into Jewish women's experience of covering their hair
Wigs
The Latest
-
Film & TV -
Yiddish World My mother’s wig making salon in the 1920s
She would string the hair up on a long thread knotted at the top and start making a wig out of it.
-
Fast Forward Orthodox Leaders Crack Down On ‘Slutty’ Long Wigs
Orthodox leaders are increasingly policing the length of women’s wigs, the New York Post reported Sunday, citing numerous women who say they have encountered criticism and even discrimination because of their artificial locks. “People always say the longer it is, the sluttier it is,” Esther Adina Sash, 30, told the Post. Orthodox women traditionally wear…
-
Life The Orthodox Woman’s Tireless Search For The Most Natural Wig
On a chilly spring day in March of 2002, Rachel Riss, an Orthodox woman with a fashion-forward sensibility, got engaged. But niggling at the edges of her starry-eyed cloud of happiness was a twinge of worry: she needed to find a wig. According to Jewish law, a woman must cover her hair upon marriage, and…
-
Life Orthodox Women Face ‘Frum-Shaming’ Campaign Over ‘Immodest’ Wigs
Digital flyers were recently sent among the Orthodox community’s wig makers. The senders’ names were kept anonymous. “Dear Jewish women,” the flyer’s message screamed in all-caps. “How badly are you trying to look like a prostitute? How important is it for you to slap G-d in the face?!” The flyer featured a collage of images…
-
Life Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Ban Human-Hair Wigs (Again)
Five Israeli ultra-Orthodox rabbis released a statement this past summer, blasting wigs made of human hair for their idolatrous origins (which has long been a dispute among rabbis). As is well-known, in the year 5764, the rabbanim and great poskin [ruler] in our generation have ruled that wigs which contain any human hair from India…
-
News Taxonomy of the Sheitel
When I was 17, a matchmaker introduced me to my future husband. My family and I knew it was an auspicious match from the get-go: The boy and I were both Satmar Hasidism; we came from the same town, Kiryas Joel; we were socialized in similar circles, and we observed the same religious rules. But…
-
Life Robocall To Orthodox Women: Keep Wigs Short
Nate Lavey Two weeks ago, the rabbis of Lakewood, N.J. called a gathering of female educators to provide words of encouragement in the area of — what else — tznius, or modesty. Among the many dire tznius issues discussed, the rabbis suggested that women cut their wigs shorter to make them less provocative to —…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
- 2
Opinion American Jews have a Hasan Piker problem. Solving it is going to hurt
- 3
Opinion How Israel became a country where teenagers murder each other in cold blood
- 4
Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
In Case You Missed It
-
Yiddish World New documentary captures the lively history of Yiddish theater in America
-
Opinion Is supporting peace illegal in Israel? A shocking arrest carries a warning
-
Culture The handwriting analysis that convicted Alfred Dreyfus is for sale
-
Yiddish World Yiddish street signs: Commemoration or marginalization?