Let's Discuss Nicki Minaj's 'The Other Woman' Wigs

Posted by Unknown at 13:12 | 0 comments

It's a cycle we're all familiar with by now: Nominations for big awards shows come out in early December, you see movies you'd never heard of before listed for major accolades, you use your holiday break to catch up on these critically acclaimed films, and in the process, you see a trailer for a movie starring Nicki Minaj. OK, so that last part is only true of this year (and Nicki's more of a supporting character to Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton's boobs in The Other Woman), but the rest of that is an inevitable annual truth.
I'd heard mumblings of Nicki's breakout film role all spring during filming and saw that the trailer dropped last month, but it wasn't until I was FACE TO FACE with the preview in theaters that it all sank in (all it takes is one cat GIF to break me #factsonly). A sampling of my initial reactions: OMG! Kate Upton! Acting! Sort of!; Am I willing to watch another movie just for Leslie Mann if Paul Rudd is not also in it?; and the one question that has stuck with me since prying myself from those dingy, butt-worn theater seats, "Am I crazy or did I just see Nicki Minaj with two different hairstyles and colors for a two-minute trailer?"
Yes. Take a quick spin through the video on YouTube, and you too can confirm this. Nicki Minaj starts the trailer (she's the first voice you hear!) as a blonde with long, sweeping waves, then later returns at the 0:33 mark with long, straight black hair and blunt bangs. Normally, this wouldn't phase me. I am well-versed in Nicki's love of wigs, from the candy colors and unusual shapes of her early days to the more natural styles she seems to prefer lately. And if Nicki were playing herself in this movie, it would make PERFECT sense. But she's not.
She's billed on The Other Woman's cast as Lydia, Cameron Diaz's "opinionated assistant" at what looks to be a prestigious NYC law firm, and while there's nothing that says Lydia couldn't have just decided to hit the salon in between the scenes that were spliced together for this trailer (a completely plausible sequence of events), behind-the-scenes photos from filming suggest that she may actually have FIVE hairstyles total in the film, if not more. Thus, Lydia, the character, must also be a huge, unabashed fan of wearing wigs (else her hair would all break off from the chemical processing and her follicles would revolt against her). We should also make it clear that these are not just any wigs. These are not the too-shiny, tangled nests of synthetic fibers you find at your neighborhood Spirit Halloween. These are extremely high quality. Maybe even human hair.
Now IDK when the last time you went shopping for a realistic looking wig was, but those things are not cheap. Sure, sometimes you'll find a passable bargain at $50 (usually works best for the darker colors), but most of the time, the above average locks will run you upwards of $150. Most of Nicki's The Other Woman looks, though, feature visible roots to make them that much more realistic, and those are not only difficult to come by, they're usually between $1,000 and $2,000. Pair all that with the knowledge that the average executive assistant at a New York City law firm makes a salary of $56,000 a year, she's probably paying Manhattan rent, and she clearly has an appreciation for designer clothes, accessories, false eyelashes, and a RULL good matte finish foundation, and you may, like me, be starting to wonder how this all adds up.