“I have a problem”: Why Meshel Laurie wore a purple wig on The Project
Last Friday night, regular co-host Meshel Laurie debuted a sleek, purple wig on The Project.
The 41-year-old radio and TV presenter is known for her colourful hairstyles, but behind her latest hairdo is a common health issue many women experience but still feel ashamed about today: female hair loss.
In a lengthy Facebook post, the mother-of-two explained why she chose to wear a purple wig.
“I know my look on The Project tonight was a bit wacky, and to be honest, it rattled my confidence a bit. It was a desperate measure by a desperate woman,” Meshel wrote.
“It was a cheap wig. The fact is, I have a problem. I’ve always had great hair. I’ve never felt like I had much else going for me on the physical side of things, but I always had a great, thick head of hair that could take anything, but now alas, it has left me. It grows, but then it snaps. I know for a lot of women it stops growing altogether!”
Meshel went on to explain how her hair loss has impacted her self-confidence and mental health.
“It’s taking my confidence and making me feel like I’m not myself anymore. It’s also making me so very sad. Every time I look in the mirror I’m horrified at what I see. I’ve just been flailing around for months until now, grabbing at one thing after another until I hit rock bottom with this purple wig,” she said.
“I try so hard not to be a problem to anyone, but this issue was quickly becoming too big for me to handle on my own. I was spending whole days driving around town trying to figure out how to cover it up before my next Project call time.
“Onward and upward. Time to start dealing with it positively instead of ignoring it.”
Contrary to popular belief, hair loss and thinning doesn’t only happen to men. In fact, more than 55 per cent of women will experience some degree of hair loss in their life.