Youll do better with straight hair, says Brittany Noble Jones, a digital and broadcast journalist who is black and who relaxed her natural hair for years. I remember sitting at my desk in Arkansas and Googling short anchor hair, and seeing what came up, she said. It is also true that some male anchors may. No hair loss at all, just like old boss, Slick Willie. "I want the viewer to focus on the content of the story," says CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang. Theyre all 1s on the Norwood scale, with the possible exception of the 80-something year old Dan Rather. For women of color, the overt sexism of the industry's beauty standards is layered also with racism. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. I took one Poli Sci class and realized its not for me, she says. Its under control, its got style, its on-trend, she says. KATV local news anchor Chris May and meteorologist Barry Brandt wore the wigs during a segment announcing that a cold front was approaching Little Rock, Arkansas, bringing the city's record-high summer . Diversity and representation in general whether gender, race or appearance at the station level has started to (slowly) improve. Duchess dons $1,610 Carolina Herrera cape, $300 vegan leather Lovely in lilac! At the smallest stations, the anchor will usually be paying the entire cost out of pocket. So she booked an appointment at a local salon. And upkeep is costly. She tells Ms Mundy: 'Theyre definitely pandering to a male audience You think of Hugh Hefners girlfriends. She went to her news director for advice, and his response had nothing to do with developing her fledgling reporting skills. Stephanopoulos anchors Good Morning America and This Week With GeorgeStephanopoulos. Think any negative stereotype about feminists in the 1970s, or any endorsed by Rod Liddle today, and you have the vision. That ideal look is stereotypically heteronormative, not overly sexy, and predictable.. She says her boss told her that natural hair was unprofessional the equivalent of me going to the grocery store in a baseball hat. The following year, her contract wasnt renewed. Probably not. DNA. Zero had gray hair. She says she hopes by wearing her hair natural she can send a powerful message about acceptance and representation. Rudd praised her current station management for their laissez-faire approach to her hair. Im full figured and you dont see a lot of black meteorologists.. Mark Giangreco officially ended his 27-year run as the top sports anchor at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 Friday with a settlement on the remaining 18 months of his contract and a farewell memo from management.. His dismissal followed a complaint by ABC 7 news anchor Cheryl Burton that Giangreco referred to her on the air as someone who could "play the ditzy, combative interior decorator" on a . Men with very low hairlinesfascinateme. The point is, the diversity is great when it comes to the styles of leftwing media women, and we havent even discussed American leftwing political women. "I had my hair cut very short, like. She feels blessed and grateful to be working in a Top 25 market. Consultants have told her to tease her roots to add body. I agree with Whitfield that such wigs are commonly viewed as Afro hairstyles. The guys on my list have exceptional locks and are in a class of their own. The decision-makers in most broadcast situations are men. Answer (1 of 12): A lot depends on the size of the market the station is in. So this was a national news reporter list. It is rare to see on-air personalities with Type 4 coils. He asked why she didnt wear it that way on air, too, and, after clearing it with a consultant, encouraged her to try it out. We want hair to be there and to look great and to be consistent, but it's not the focal point. He was like, You have to cut your hair to look older, she recalled. But at some point you have to stand up and say, I cant do that anymore.. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website. From pundits like Ann Coulter to Kellyanne Conway, American rightwingers are a uniform vision of dont scare-the-horses dressing. In her case, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Most are in their 50s. That might be just a bit too intimidating for the old ladies and the soccer moms. Were trying to fit into their newsrooms. Esther Katro was 22 when she landed her first job as a reporter at a local TV station in Fayetteville, Arkansas. So you can throw your hair up in a bun. Congrats to FOX 5's Jeannette Reyes for reaching 1 million followers on TikTok! "For Black women, there were those who had long hair or short hair, but . It probably doesnt hurt, she adds, that both top bosses at her station are women. If all of a sudden I'm in a ponytail with no makeup, I think that could be as distracting as wearing too much.". A South Korean news anchor challenged her country's beauty norms by appearing on air with glasses. If youve ever tuned in to your local 6 oclock news, or simply stared mindlessly at the CNN feed blaring on the screen by your airport gate, youll recognize the cut Katro got that day: hair that falls between the chin and collarbone; sleek strands are blown out to perfection, not a flyaway in sight. "Not everybody looks the same, and not everybody is going to be fabulous in the exact same hairstyle," she says, adding that she works with her clients to find styles that will look (and feel) good for them and work for their station's audience. William Thomas Cain/Getty. Were trying to fit into their newsrooms. Her dress is long and she has her legs crossed demurely at the ankle. In addition, some reporters have had cancer and wear wigs due to the treatment's adverse effects, including hair loss. She would prefer just to go on, business as usual. Fox's male viewers, in particular, tend to be older than those of other networks and so are attracted to women who are a little 'brighter', make-up artist Meli Pennington says. In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, television newsrooms are attempting to socially distance, which means your favorite anchor is likely working and broadcasting from home. Katro hated the idea. Kellyanne Conway, Scottie Nell Hughes, Tomi Lahren, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Ivanka Trump, and pretty much every single woman on Fox News: a uniform vision of girlishly long bottle-blond hair. Rather is a legendary news anchor who was around to announce the Kennedy assassination in 1963. Shed had long, dark hair flowing well past her shoulders for her entire life. She transitioned her style to a lopsided asymmetrical cut which as become her calling card. It will change, it will look different when the people who are running the show look different, not the people who are on the air, she adds. Which news anchors wear wigs? It was always one of those things where it was like, 'Wed really like you do to this,' she says. Fox women typically wear figure-hugging garments in bright colours that work well on high-definition TV screens. Theres Andrea Mitchell, who Gawker once described as looking like all the Golden Girls at once, which is literally the highest compliment Ive ever heard; the fabulous Joy-Ann Reid, one of the most prominent female African-American correspondents in the country, who can rock a block-coloured shift dress like nobodys business; and probably most famously, Rachel Maddow, the no-nonsense evening host who gives Republicans a shrift as short as her hair. And I feel like what we need is one really brave station to let women have gray hair, let black women have natural hair, let women have short hair, says McBride, who believes audiences would welcome a broader range of looks. Laura Ingraham delivers a speech in Cleveland, Ohio on 20 July 2016. To celebrate temperatures dipping into the 70s after a sweltering weekslong heatwave, Arkansas' KATV anchor Chris May and meteorologist Barry Brandt wore Afro wigs and viewer reception was chilly. 7 Surprising Facts about the Mature Hairline. Its one cut for everyone, she says. Her heavily-made-up look is typical of the 'Fox Glam' aesthetic that the network has become known for. The expectation for women to look young and pretty with smooth skin and smooth hair and to conform to this very narrow standard is so disproportionate. He used to host Meet the Press, but had his job stolen by the rapidly balding (but remarkably, not yet bald) Chuck Todd. It has to be on this really fine line., Even when its not an explicit order, the message to women in the industry is clear. Light layers and a heavy coat of hairspray lift the roots and frame the face in all the right ways. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Torey Van Oot has covered state and national politics for more than a decade, contributing to outlets ranging from The Sacramento Bee to Refinery29 to The Washington Post. She was working at a station in Jackson, Mississippi. I think the key to hair on television is thats the last thing you want to notice when youre a viewer. The longstanding homogeneity of on-air hair, from Topeka, Kansas to Trenton, New Jersey reporters and industry veterans say is by design. Her heavily-made-up look is typical of the 'Fox Glam' aesthetic that the network has become known for The Detroit City Council and Detroit Urban League have also honored her for her community and volunteer work in the Metro Detroit Area. But when she leaves work, Hamilton takes off her wig to uncover her 3c/4a coils. Michelle Miller, co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday, lets the story determine the style. I always felt like I wasnt myself, she recalls. Oh well, looks like shell have to put up with you in your awesome Bella Freud jumper and Topshop wide-legged culottes combo for another weekend! Jackie Kostek was worried her hair loss would hold her back in her dreams of becoming an on-air TV reporter, until she found the perfect hair topper. I didnt know there was a skeleton key; I had no idea that my inauthenticity to myself was limiting the way I connect with other people and tell their stories, she says. Shortal, the reporter and anchor at the Minneapolis-St. Paul NBC affiliate KARE, spent the early years of her career trying to achieve a more classically feminine look. Published: 23:58 GMT, 23 August 2012 | Updated: 07:45 GMT, 24 August 2012. One curly meteorologist told her she had to straighten her own hair because she was told it would create a halo on the green screen. In June 2006, Erin started anchoring the 5, 6, & 10 o'clock newscasts. It's sort of erratic. "When I go to the supermarket, people automatically recognize me from the haircut.". So what are the so-called rules of on-air hair? News anchors are some of the most recognizable people out there. She said she felt more pressure to straighten her hair with damaging chemical relaxers because she had to maintain a conservative appearance on television. But dismissing certain styles as distracting can also amount to discrimination, especially when it comes to women of color in the industry. Wendy Williams, The Wendy Williams Show Like Sherri Shepherd, the sassy talk show host has her own line of wigs, in 40 styles. An incident with a sew in was the catalyst she needed. He got kicked out of Iraq for revealing the time and location of an imminent military operation. Why do so many rightwing American women have bottle-blond hair, often worn girlishly long? Its the omnipresent anchor bob. One of the first things theyll tell you as a woman in broadcast is you cant have curly hair, says Shortal, who, as you might guess, has naturally curly hair. All rights reserved. They want you to look nice, but not too nice. In TV news, sometimes you have to choose between getting your hair done and getting makeup, and eating because you have to have this look on TV.. I was pondering something similar myself recently while looking through Ivanka Trumps fashion collection on ivankatrump.com, which seems to be one of the only places it is stocked these days. WEAR, ABC 3 is the ABC affiliate for Northwest Florida and South Alabama that provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of . Light layers and a heavy coat of hairspray lift the roots and frame the face in all the right ways. The move received coverage and kudos from national outlets. Nearly all of the women interviewed for this story said they had received negative feedback about their appearance from viewers. Jones, now freelancing in New York, is currently wearing box braids. By Latoyia Edwards Updated November 4, 2021, 11:45 a.m. Latoyia . When I see them all lined up as talking heads on the news, I get a rare insight into what it must be like to gaze upon the bar area of one of those private American tennis clubs that dont allow anyone whose name is too urban or ends in -stein or -berg. And he acts like one sometimes, too! Mostly Cloudy/Wind. Its totally different than that TV feel," Rudd says. Then, though she admitted to the hair stylist that she wore her hair curled under, it was flicked out regardless because it looked 'cuter'. Youthful appearance is key (better dye those grays away!). Youthful appearance is key (better dye those grays away!). And then theres the audience feedback. Noble Jones spent years straightening her natural hair with chemical relaxers and, later, wearing weaves, while working at stations in Tennessee, Michigan, and Missouri. I dont fit any of that, she says. I remember sitting at my desk in Arkansas and Googling short anchor hair, and seeing what came up, she said. Once she cut it, she began to experiment with her texture and all of its possibilities. One likened the look to that of a pageant queen, another called it 'glamour nighttime', and a third added that 'at Fox, they look very painted'. A multiple Emmy Award nominee, she has won a few of them for Best News Anchor. This guy, Bill Wixey, has one of the most offensively low juvenile hairlines Ive ever seen! She says her boss told her that natural hair was unprofessional the equivalent of me going to the grocery store in a baseball hat. The following year, her contract wasnt renewed. Photo Credit: Fox News. Earlier this year, she proposed doing an experiment where went on-air without doing her hair or makeup for an entire week. News anchor proudly whips off wig on live TV 43,960 views Mar 5, 2014 358 Dislike Share Save HLN 638K subscribers Memphis-area news anchor Pam McKelvy removed her wig and revealed her. But when she was out chasing stories in the college town, people kept mistaking her for a student. Hair isnt the only way in which women are held to high aesthetic standards on TV, but its one of the most shapeable and ubiquitous elements of the newscaster uniform. It was always one of those things where it was like, 'Wed really like you do to this,' she says. The change was nothing short of transformational and not just because of the time she saved now that her style could go from bed to studio in a matter of minutes. It is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any condition. 80% of men will experience some degree of hair loss by the time they reach the age of 80, as I explain in my Hair Loss 101 post. Barbara Allen-Rosser, a TV-news veteran who now works as an image consultant for on-air talent, says the point of hair guidelines is to keep viewers focused on the actual news. In her case, the response was overwhelmingly positive. But serious shifts, especially when it comes to beauty standards for female talent, will require changes at the top. Who'll find love on our blind date? Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Around the time of the birth of her first child in 2016, Noble Jones decided it was time for a change. Still," she says, "anchors do want to look their best with a little bit of glamor, so you have to hit a happy medium.". He was a wizard on election night! And in the process, she wants to change attitudes within her industry.Hamilton was in the eighth grade when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. The recent graduate loved the thrill of breaking news and being on air. But dismissing certain styles as distracting can also amount to discrimination, especially when it comes to women of color in the industry. Just one black woman in the UT study sample wore her natural curls. She no longer gets pushed to cut or style her hair in certain ways. About two-thirds had short or medium-length cuts. But given his age, Im grading Rather on the curve! Esther Katro was 22 when she landed her first job as a reporter at a local TV station in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Rose was fired after the. Female TV News Anchors Forced to Wear Wigs to Cover their Natural Hair | Natural Haircare News Female TV News Anchors Forced to Wear Wigs to Cover their Natural Hair Erica Barton According to a recent study, women of color represent only 12.6 percent of local news anchors in the country. I went [to the salon] and told them I want to look older; give me a sophisticated cut to my jawline.. And for news stations struggling to compete with round-the-clock digital media, you can't pay for recognition like that but you can stop paying to prevent it. So what are the so-called rules of on-air hair? I call it my work hair. Illegally holding and showcasing this gun magazine on TV landed Gregory in hot water. In the screen grab below, Meghan McCain, second from the right, in a red dress, is the exception to the rule. Its a very freeing experience that I think is really unique to women in professional settings right now., RELATED: What It's Like to Have Hair That Comes Out for You, That freedom behooves the stations, too. But I gotta give a shutout to one of my local newscasters. This News Anchor Says it's Time to Ditch The Wig and Wear Her Natural Hair on Air BY Michelle Breyer 5.30.19 For viewers of FOX 46 Charlotte, meteorologist Britney Hamilton's short, shiny bob has become her signature look. Kellyanne Conway, Scottie Nell Hughes, Tomi Lahren, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Ivanka Trump, and pretty much every single woman on Fox News: a uniform vision of girlishly long bottle-blond hair. GeorgeStephanopoulos is 56! So although she looked for colleges that offered meteorology, she thought she would major in psychology or political science. There were slight suggestions that I would hear that were like, You do realize this is a visual medium?. With the current crisis we're all facing, it's important that I provide a sense of pride, professionalism, and respect for my craft through my work and my clothing, hair, and makeup," she says. Theres nothing unique about it. It's a favorite among Fox News personalities, like Martha Maccallum, Shannon Bream, and Ainsley Earhardt; you'll see it on Megyn Kelly who's now at NBC. Men are allowed to be bald. When I dont have to put it on anymore, Ill be fully myself.. I know Im not the only one! For women of color, the overt sexism of the industry's beauty standards is layered also with racism. KATV . For viewers of FOX 46 Charlotte, meteorologist Britney Hamiltons short, shiny bob has become her signature look. NBC Boston anchor Latoyia Edwards is sharing the story behind why she's now wearing her hair in braids on the morning news. Two white TV reporters were suspended after wearing Afro-like wigs on-air for a 1970s-themed segment last month, the Arkansas Times reported. Arthel Helena Neville (born October 20, 1962) is an American journalist, television personality, and weekend anchor for Fox News, based in Manhattan alongside co-anchor Eric Shawn.. Neville is the daughter of Doris Neville and Art Neville, a Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, keyboardist, solo artist and founder of the New Orleans music groups The Hawketts, The Meters, and The Neville . Read more on the novel coronavirus outbreak: You can follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things beauty. Five Ways to Know. "It was just bad judgment . Jilly Cooper slams Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Wheel of Fortune contestant answers food puzzle wrong, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' This got me thinking about the look of American rightwing women in general. It's not just perception, either. Rheya is the Breaking News Anchor for KCCI 8 News at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. News. John Berman is an honorable mention, as are Regis Philbin and Judge Andrew Napolitano (not technically news anchors, I know). In a column for Globe Magazine 's Women & Power issue, the. "Not everybody looks the same, and not everybody is going to be fabulous in the exact same hairstyle," she says, adding that she works with her clients to find styles that will look (and feel) good for them and work for their station's audience. 0:45. But when she leaves work, Hamilton takes off her wig to uncover her 3c/4a coils. And occasionally, she does a wash and go. The cases of Black hair getting prodded and detained throughout history are countless: There was Faith Fennidy, a Louisiana schoolgirl who was sent home for wearing braids; there was Zendaya, who was chastised by Giuliana Rancic for wearing dreadlocks at the 2015 Oscars, with Rancic saying the faux locs make her look like she smells like A TMZ reporter once called him the Brad Pitt of TV news reporters and that was a fairly accurate statement. stars 6. TV executives fired the station's news director, Nick Genty, and indefinitely suspended Chris May and Barry Brandt, the anchor and meteorologist who wore the wigs. Who is the love of Bill HEmmer's life? The queen of wigs is Beyonc. I imagine he can attribute his fantastic follicular fortune to his Latin genes. Gray, with a juvenile hairline thats always a winning combo. But then we turn to rightwing women. Just one black woman in the UT study sample wore her natural curls. Allen-Rosser, the consultant, has too. Carolyn was once named Woman of the Year by YWCA of Western Wayne County. Updos and complicated styles are a no, as are drastic color changes. But its easier to say We cant do it.. "Pretty quickly, my makeup goals shifted from 'try to look good' to 'try not to look unwell.'". David Muir Photo Credit: ABC News. After graduating from University of North Carolina Charlotte with a bachelors degree in meteorology, she got a masters degree in physics from North Carolina A&T University. KATV anchor Chris May was suspended after wearing an Afro wig on air. Photo Credit: ABC News. While she was interested in meteorology, she didnt necessarily see it as a career. KATV local news anchor Chris May and meteorologist Barry Brandt wore the wigs during a segment announcing that a cold front was approaching Little Rock, Arkansas, bringing the city's record-high summer temperatures down into the 70s. For many like her, the expectation isn't just that you'll conform to a certain anchor bob it includes replacing your hair's natural texture with something else. David Muir has the best hair in network news, without question. He was like, You have to cut your hair to look older, she recalled. Sometimes it takes a little pressure, she says. And upkeep is costly. This News Anchor Says it's Time to Ditch The Wig and Wear Her Natural Hair on Air, SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Eco Styler Styling Gels - Black Castor & Flaxseed Oil, SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque. Sometimes, anchors contracts even go as far as explicitly preventing women from changing their appearance without a managers approval. Cheryl Annette Burton [citation needed] (born December 25, 1962) is an American news anchor who has been working for WLS-TV, an American Broadcasting Company-owned and operated television station in Chicago, Illinois, since 1992.Burton anchors the station's 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscast alongside Alan Krashesky and formerly anchored for the 7pm newscast on WCIU-TV alongside Hosea Sanders. While some anchors like Dokoupil are doing their own makeup for the first time, others who started out in local news are tapping into leftover hair and makeup experience from early in their careers. For a while she was getting "babylights," because a stylist told her the subtle highlights would add the appearance of volume under bright studio lights. It's time for Black girls and women to feel empowered to wear their hair how they choose and for society to embrace them. KATV news station, based in Little Rock, suspended anchor Chris May and meteorologist Barry Brandt for wearing the wigs during the 10pm newscast on September 16, according to the Washington Post. She started sending videos in front of the screen with natural hair. For a while I thought Tucker Carlson did but after studying it closely (cause I was trying to style mine like his) I think it is real. Jesse Watters also has a juvenile hairline, but I find him to be an insufferably snarky douche, so I left him off the list. But she feels like it will be a monumental moment for her. I went to take (the sew in) out to wash my hair, and it knotted up and got matted, says Hamilton. Your California Privacy Rights. Ive never known anyone where it was an ultimatum, it was just highly suggested., Jana Shortal, now an anchor and reporter at the NBC affiliate KARE in Minneapolis, also felt those messages acutely throughout her early career.