The Wig Menace

In the past few months, fellow actors and I have been targeted by a man who has earned the title of Wig Menace in the entertainment industry. Having received over 100 statements and a police report, South Florida Theater Magazine has acknowledged the importance of writing this article. With further investigation, local actors and wig designers have claimed to have been targeted, bullied, and attacked by him through social media. For safety measures, most sources in this article have chosen to remain anonymous.

The Wig Menace is known to have several instagram accounts, (which I will list below), that he uses to harass actresses, cosplayers, and wig designers. He has an extreme hatred for wigs due to his belief that entertainers should only be cast based on their natural hair color. Saying harsh and demeaning comments towards the way they look, hundreds of actresses have stated they have felt personally attacked by him.

Princess performer, Ashley, explains that he first interacted with her by complimenting her natural hair as Princess Anna. He then continued to find a picture of Ashley dressed up as Rapunzel and commented on why she would cover up her beautiful hair in a nasty wig. Ashley comments, “I tried reasoning with him and explaining that I was portraying a character whose hair is her defining feature.” His response, “ Then you shouldn’t be portraying the character if you can’t use your natural hair.”

According to several sources, the Wig Menace has been quite prevalent in the entertainment community for several years now. His anti-wig protest dates all the way back to 2013, where he first started targeting wig designers, then their clients. On top of that, the Wig Menace has gone as far to email and personally call certain wig companies in protest. 

Owner of Tease & Floof, Justin Lore, designs wigs for many professional theaters in Florida. His wig company and clients have been recent victims of the Wig Menace. Many of Lore’s South Florida actresses have reported being harassed for wearing his wig. That is when Lore decided to take a stand against the Wig Menace by exposing all of his fake accounts to his followers in a social media post. It states:

 “The accounts in the pictures above should be blocked and reported. He has it in his mind that people should be cast based on their natural hair color and that wigs should never be worn in the theater. He doesn’t get it and there’s no reasoning with him. It’s not worth it. It gives me pause to tag anyone in the near future because I don’t want you to have to deal with him.” 

With his recent obsession of targeting Florida actresses and wig designers, it has come to our attention that his reach goes far past our state, but all the way to the U.K., where he resides. He goes even further to claim he is a film director and is known to coax  young actresses along. One specific actress, who will remain anonymous, explains that he lured her in for months by offering her an audition for a film he was directing. “When I received the script it looked like it was written by a high schooler,” she says, “then he said based on my hair color he would like me to audition for a specific role.” 

This idea of using  hair color as another limitation on what an actress can or can’t do seems to be the most troubling thought for many. His opinion is not the issue here, it is the aggressive nature of his actions that is the problem. One actress states, “He’s been harassing people for many years… I got my first message from him over 5 years ago.” She says, “ The police have been contacted on behalf of my friend, but the police couldn’t do anything.” This is one of many sources who have claimed to get the police involved but still nothing has been done. Yet, there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

Who is the Wig Menace one might ask? Well our tale is not over yet. Our story has led us to an active police investigation that is tracing down the Wig Menace as we speak. An anonymous source has provided us with Metropolitan Police reports for an on-going investigation taking place in Scotland Yard, London. This report answers the question of who is the man behind the mask, or in this case, the cellphone. 

The man hiding behind the screen is Daniel Staley-Myers, known to be between the ages of 32 – 38 years old. This is what we know about Mr. Myers. He resides in Leeds, London and is of White/European descent. He is also known to have Aspergers. Asperger syndrome is a condition on the autism spectrum, with generally higher functioning. People with this condition may be socially awkward and have an all-absorbing interest in specific topics. With that being said, that makes this situation a bit more sensitive. Nonetheless, it does not excuse Mr. Myers’ behavior. 

The report states:

“To date, the more and more brazen contacts (emails, online messages, text messages, and  

 phone calls) have been unsettling, at best, and are now in the very real arena of costing us calculable, present, and future business-damage by way of his not only involving us but our multiple industry clients as well. Mr. Myers is known to travel abroad for his obsessions. We understand that he has underlying mental health issues, and we are sorry for that, but lines have been crossed at this point which require real intervention by someone. We know this individual’s reputation and history online thoroughly. We suggest looking into this and not only speaking to Mr. Myers himself, directly, but his parents as well, if that is the situation, so that they are made aware of the seriousness of events, and the lengths we are prepared to go should this continue.”

What is to come of this report? It is confirmed that the Metropolitan Police have personally called the individual’s (Myer’s residence) and spoke to his grandparents, as well as warned him that there are real consequences for what he is doing. The Constable then closed by telling Mr. Myers that if he doesn’t stop, he would have him “called in.”  This is not the first time his parents have been directly contacted, in fact many are now putting the blame on his family. One anonymous source stated that his father will only take his electronics from him for so long but that they don’t seem to grasp the intensity of this situation.

Since the report, Mr. Myers has chosen to ignore the Constables warning and has continued in his ways. Although we are unsure of the connection between the U.K. and Florida, it is a fact that his recent venture has been to target our local theater community here in South Florida. However, the South Florida theater community has made it clear that this kind of behavior is inexcusable and will not be tolerated. Instead, they have chosen to lift each other up with positivity. Tease & Floof owner, Justin Lore, ended his post with this powerful statement:

“These aren’t thousand dollar wigs here, folks. But I’m so proud of the business I have built 

and the confidence I see grow in performers when they put on a wig that they love!”

Here at South Florida Theater Magazine we believe in the right to tell both sides of the story. We personally contacted Mr. Myers and asked if he would like to share a statement. He has chosen not to comment. 

Fake Accounts:

@daniel_staley_myers

@the_power_of_dreams_official

@pwerofdreamsoff

@dmeyer40275

@screenaction

@screen_action

@i_love_ciara_bravo

@danielstanley253