The Changing Look of On-Air Talent

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Lena Pringle made waves when she rocked a natural, short hairstyle while anchoring a newscast at WJXT News4JAX in Jacksonville, Florida. She tweeted a pic of her natural style with the caption, "Shoutout to the people who told me I wouldn't be able to get/keep a broadcast news job with a short natural haircut. Jokes on you, huh?" The tweet received over 100,000 likes and has been shared across all social media platforms. It even landed Pringle an interview on The Drew Barrymore show. 

Pringle isn't the only on-air talent making the decision to wear her hair in its natural form. The growing trend is being seen amongst both male and female reporters on local and national news outlets. Female journalists attending the 2019 National Association of Black Journalists convention also went viral after posting a picture celebrating 'being on-air with natural hair."  Pringle was among the 25 women in the group. 

Natural and curly hairstyles in the workplace is being debated nationwide as the Crown Act moves to the Senate. The House of Representatives recently announced the passing of the Crown Act that protects against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. The shift, specifically as it relates to aspiring journalists, highlights not only the need for adjustments in what's being taught to students about professional standards of beauty but also the importance of representation in all newsroom positions.

Here, Lena details the advice she was given in school about her hair and why not following it set the tone for success - one natural hairstyle at a time.