Obviously no one should be insulted for wearing a snood or hat instead of a shaitel. This is especially true given that a shaitel is so much more expensive, & I’d guess that many in Lakewood are on tight budgets.
For the record, I’ve never lived in Lakewood. When my husband was training, we couldn’t afford to replace my shaitel when it wore out, so I’ve been wearing snoods or hats for the past several years. I find snoods & hats much more comfortable to wear, so I haven’t gotten around to replacing my shaitel. There are times when I am one of the only women at an event not wearing a shaitel, but no one has ever commented to me about it.