My Secret Wig Radio 4
Brian Kernohan has a secret – at least he thinks it’s a secret but his hairdresser is in on it.
“Who am I kidding? I know I’m going bald. But what can I do about it?” he sighed.
The thought of a wig may have made the odd quick dash across his mind. But he wouldn’t dare suggest it.
People say male baldness is due too much testosterone, too much virility.
“I can’t imagine women would feel the same about a bald George Clooney,” sighed Brian.
Yet hundreds of thousands of people opt for a wig – whether it is due to illness or age. You probably know many of them, but they might not share their little secret.
In this upbeat and moving documentary, Brian chatted to men and women, young and old about losing their hair.
One man said: “My hair was my everything. I was more hurt over my hair going than actually having cancer.”
There were those who laughed about it – take the husband whose wife wears a selection of wigs.
“Sometimes I wonder who is coming home,” he joked.
But out there are also couples who have never shared the secret of their false hair.
Brian met Geraldine Stafford who set up a wig business called “Secrets” after her own traumatic experience of hair loss. Back then, there was not a lot of choice in wigs – she wanted to change that.
Brian even agreed to wear a wig.
He was not just nervous, he was terrified when he stepped outdoors with his wig on for the first time, he confessed.
Producer Freya McClements’ documentary was rich in light and shade.
There was laughter and there was sheer heartache.
Take a 16-year-old girl who has lost her hair and mourns it deeply.
“It’s hard enough having cancer without having to lose your hair,” she said.
For some it’s a life choice, for others it’s a life challenge – we were left with plenty to think about.
