National Big Wig Day is a once-a-year celebration that allows anyone to not only become the big boss for the day but also to show off their not-so-serious side. And do it all while showing other people some basic kindness. It’s a day when people can wear their favorite silly wigs and have fundraising parties to donate to various charitable organizations. If that sounds like something you think you might want to do on the last Friday in January, then dust off a wig and become the big wig of your own life.

The History of National Big Wig Day

National Big Wig Day was invented by Patty Sharkey in January of 2016. On January 2nd of that year, she developed what she describes as a case of post-holiday blues. So she posted a picture of herself wearing a wig on Facebook, captioned with “Happy National Big Wig Day.” A bunch of people expressed their joyful responses to her post, and she discovered that it ended up driving out the blues she had felt. That’s when she decided it would be best to not only create a holiday around the concept but also to create a charity forum.

Facts About Wigs

Since we’re talking about Big Wigs in the figurative sense, we thought we’d talk about them in the literal sense. So we did a little bit of research and found out all that we could about wigs. The result is the tasty bullet points of factual information that we’ve listed below. We hope that you enjoy them.

• The French word “Perruque” was shortened to “Periwig,” and then that was shortened to “wig.”
• During the reign of King Louis XIV, enormous wigs were a status symbol for the wealthier classes.
• Queen Elizabeth I is rumored to have had over 150 different wigs.
• The movie with the most wigs created for it was The Lord of the Rings—The Two Towers.
• Ancient Egyptians were some of the first people to wear wigs.

Observing National Big Wig Day

The most important thing to realize on National Big Wig Day is that you’re the big wig of your life. You are not defined by where you live, your housing situation, or your hourly wage. You’re an important person who is the Big Wig of your own life. That’s the most important thing to remember on this day.

Another way you can celebrate this holiday is by wearing a silly wig, taking a picture of it, and posting it on social media using the hashtag #BigWigDay. And if you want to do something more on this holiday, you can also help raise some money for a charitable organization.