Hair discrimination is a real thing, and former WATE weather reporter Tabitha Bartoe learned the hard way. When hair discrimination is reported on, it’s typically involving a person of color, primarily Black, for wearing their hair in their natural state (think an afro, locs, or twist out), and refusing to conform to Eurocentric norms. But Bartoe is not a POC, and she was not exempt from being terminated for hair her employer deemed unkempt. In an interview with Knox News, Bartoe says her WATE bosses began complaining about her hair on her third day of training for the weekend weather anchor gig. The newly college graduate initially didn’t mind them setting up hair appointments and shopping sprees because she felt it was their way of grooming her professional image, but she discovered it was much deeper than that.ย
“It wasn’t necessarily a problem in the beginning because I was just assuming that they were just trying to help me and trying to build my professional image,” Bartoe said. “I was willing to take advantage of it, but I think it was right away when they asked me if I was willing to ever get my hair relaxed. Or, ‘If you straighten your hair, the curl will fall out over time; that’s what we’re looking for.’” But she says she didn’t want to style her hair in the way that was demanded of her.
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“That’s just not what I was looking for. … I’d like to have my natural hair,” she said she told them, noting her natural hair is curly, but she sometimes straightened it along with her bangs. “I had no say in how my hair was supposed to be done for both appointments,” she added. “It was just what they wanted. I did not feel comfortable in either of those situations.”
After months of being under scrutiny by supervisors for her appearance, mainly her natural hair pattern, Bartoe said she was fired on May 9 because her style didn’t align with company policy.
“It doesn’t even sound real,” Bartoe explained. “The whole thing just sounds like a joke. And I wish it was.”
Bartoe took to social media to post about her termination. She received a ton of support, with The New York Post, Daily Mail, and other media outlets reporting on the incident. In the post, she says her hair, clothing choices, body type, and more about her appearance were often criticized and the subject of jokes from colleagues.ย
Bartoe says other people who are dealing with similar situations should speak up. She also plans to continue pursuing a career in media.
