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Clockwise from left: Angela Bishop, Yaara Bou Melhem, Jeanette Francis, Ellie Southwood and Tracey Spicer (OK, that\u2019s a perm because there are so few photos of her natural curls!)<\/address>\nShort Curly Hairstyles On TV
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\u201cIt makes me look kind of nuts\u201d, it\u2019s \u201cdistracting\u201d, \u201cuntidy\u201d, \u201cunprofessional\u201d, \u201cmy fun side\u201d, and a \u201csecret\u201d.<\/p>\n
These are just some of the reasons curly-haired TV presenters give for wearing their hair straight on screen. As a curly haired<\/a> woman who occasionally visits the TV industry, I found this phenomenon crazy. Why can\u2019t women have curly hair on television? I developed a few theories about why curls don\u2019t cut it, but as with many questions related to female beauty, the answer is rather more complex than it at first seems.<\/p>\nTheory number one: Is it fashion?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cUniversity was the only time my curls were right for the era,\u201d says Angela Bishop. \u201cI had the full Kylie Minogue\/Charlene on Neighbours thing going on.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once I started working at Channel Ten they had to become a secret. I learned to get faster and faster at smoothing them out, in order to get to work on time, and prayed I would never get caught doing a standup in the rain, lest my duplicity be exposed.<\/p>\n
![\"smiling](\"https:\/\/thehoopla.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/smiling-lady-with-curly-hair.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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\u201cBut eventually it had to happen. I was out covering a story on the rare yellow footed rock wallaby in the Mootwingee National Park in western NSW. We were staying in shearer\u2019s quarters, and the first evening we arrived, I noted they had power, so I figured I could whip out the blow dryer the next morning and have poker straight hair in time for the shoot.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the generator was only switched on at night, which Angela didn\u2019t find out until she had dripping wet hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Sheila,\u201d they asked her, \u201cyou want us to fire up the generator and burn our precious rations of fuel so Miss Chic de Lic from the big smoke can blow dry her hair. In the desert!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mumbled something like \u2018you\u2019ll never understand\u2019 and shuffled back to my room to work on plan B. Which was\u2026..an Akubra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela does admit to wearing her hair curly on a couple of occasions on Channel Ten \u2013 when the station\u2019s band Hard and Fast were on the road. Curls, she says, \u201c\u2026are more suited to rock\u2019n\u2019roll.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curly Hair In Australia<\/h2>\n
Theory number two: Is it an order from male producers? <\/strong><\/p>\nWhen Ellie Southwood was working on Channel Seven as a news reporter in Western Australia, her curly hair was a frequent sight on television screens across the state. But when she decided to head east to Sydney and met with some news directors there, the response was unequivocal: \u201c\u2018Really like your work. You can obviously do the job. Just\u2026 the hair\u2026\u2019 Quite clearly curly hair wasn\u2019t going to cut it in Sydney,\u201d Ellie said.<\/p>\n
![\"girl](\"https:\/\/thehoopla.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/girl-with-curly-hair.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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She didn\u2019t need to be told twice. Ever since that meeting, Ellie has blow dried her own curls straight for work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can understand that straighter hair might look more neat and professional, so I oblige. But I also love my curls and sometimes wish I could set them free \u2013 to send a message to all those women and girls who style their hair with the best hair straighteners that curls can be cool too! Plus, hair straighteners can also be used to curl your hair.\u201d says Ellie.<\/p>\n
Jacinta Tynan, Sky News presenter and author says that straight hair used to be a necessary evil when she presented the news in front of a chroma key on the ABC. \u201cIt was a requirement to keep it flat and neat and spray down the \u2018flyaways\u2019 \u2013 a technical term, I believe \u2013 so it didn\u2019t flare. That\u2019s why so many of us newsreaders in those days had \u2018helmet hair\u2019. I was told I couldn\u2019t keep my hair long then so had a bob for years that was so<\/em> not my preferred look! I felt like I was someone else.\u201d<\/p>\nCurly Hair Products<\/h2>\n
Since the advent of digital TV, however, Jacinta has taken to wearing her hair curly on Sky. Kind of: \u201cOf course I tame my curls. It takes effort to get the natural look! I say to my hairdresser, \u2018let\u2019s tong it\u2019 and that will last a couple of days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been subject to a \u2018curl embargo\u2019,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I do know a presenter who has because her (male) bosses decided it didn\u2019t suit her. Another was told her hair was too thin<\/a> for curls.\u201d<\/p>\nTheory number three: Is it just plain crazy?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nPossibly\u2026 but many women who straighten their hair<\/a> on TV have never been told to do so.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve never been told to wear my hair straight but I find it less unruly,\u201d says Jeannette Francis from The Feed on SBS2. \u201cIt can be quite frizzy if I leave it curly and the fly away hairs that show up on camera can make me look kind of nuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurly hair on TV can make it seem like you have a crazy vibe about you. It\u2019s much easier to control if it\u2019s straight.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Yaara Bou Melhem, a curly-haired reporter on SBS\u2019s Dateline recalls a conversation she was having with fellow journalists recently: \u201cWe meandered onto talking about women who \u2018boldly\u2019 wear their hair curly on TV and discussed the case of one international journalist who refuses to listen to demands from her base to brush her hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never had that, but then I\u2019ve never tested it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just a given that I wear my hair straight for television. Curls are so unpredictable and mine are prone to frizz, big time, which is in no way screen friendly. I associate curly hair with my \u2018fun\u2019 side and straight with my \u2018professional\u2019 side.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to wear my curls all the time but we have a love-hate relationship because they\u2019re prone to craziness, which I love\u2026 and hate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long Curled Hairstyles: Do Audiences Approve?<\/h2>\n
No, it\u2019s the audience! <\/strong><\/p>\nAccording to Tracey Spicer, however, it\u2019s all about the audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cHair and jackets are the most common topics of viewer feedback. Management uses these comments to direct the hair and makeup artists about the \u2018look\u2019 they want for presenters and journos,\u201d says Tracey, who is a columnist for The Hoopla, presenter on SkyTV and former newsreader for Channel Ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hair was always the subject of great consternation. Hair and makeup artists, wanting to work at Ten, were trialled on my hair because it was \u2018curly and very difficult\u2019. Even celebrities don’t show their curls<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cIn a way, I see the argument for straight hair. Curly, unruly hair can look a bit distracting \u2013 and, as a news anchor, your primary role is to read the news \u2013 nothing should distract from your face, it\u2019s the same with fashionable jackets or dangly earrings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long Curly Hair On Men<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s not just the girls, either. Marc Fennell, from SBS, and Charlie Pickering, from Channel Ten\u2019s The Project, are curly-haired boys who\u2019ve taken to straightened times. And it\u2019s not just the news \u2013 apparently \u201ccurly haired girls historically don\u2019t do well on the Bachelor,\u201d reports Hollywood Magazine. Gasp!<\/p>\n
![\"girl](\"https:\/\/thehoopla.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/girl-with-crazy-curls.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
And in case you\u2019re wondering whether it\u2019s just an Australia phenomenon, here\u2019s a picture of the newsreaders at the USA\u2019s Fox TV network, in all their glorious diversity.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s up, audience: Do you really think people with curly hair aren\u2019t in control?<\/p>\n
Are we really judging female professionalism by the wave of their locks? Is it simply about fashion, or is something else at work here?<\/p>\n
Do you have curly hair? How do you feel about it, do you wear it straight or let it fly? Get more hair posts here<\/a>. See our homepage<\/a> for more!
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The hair and make-up studio of a television network is a weird and wonderful thing. People walk out of there transformed, especially when they walk in with curly hair. That\u2019s because curly hair does not cut it on the telly. Think about it: how many women on TV can you name who have curly hair? …<\/p>\n
Theory number one: Is it fashion?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cUniversity was the only time my curls were right for the era,\u201d says Angela Bishop. \u201cI had the full Kylie Minogue\/Charlene on Neighbours thing going on.<\/p>\n \u201cBut once I started working at Channel Ten they had to become a secret. I learned to get faster and faster at smoothing them out, in order to get to work on time, and prayed I would never get caught doing a standup in the rain, lest my duplicity be exposed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut eventually it had to happen. I was out covering a story on the rare yellow footed rock wallaby in the Mootwingee National Park in western NSW. We were staying in shearer\u2019s quarters, and the first evening we arrived, I noted they had power, so I figured I could whip out the blow dryer the next morning and have poker straight hair in time for the shoot.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the generator was only switched on at night, which Angela didn\u2019t find out until she had dripping wet hair.<\/p>\n \u201cSo Sheila,\u201d they asked her, \u201cyou want us to fire up the generator and burn our precious rations of fuel so Miss Chic de Lic from the big smoke can blow dry her hair. In the desert!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mumbled something like \u2018you\u2019ll never understand\u2019 and shuffled back to my room to work on plan B. Which was\u2026..an Akubra.\u201d<\/p>\n Angela does admit to wearing her hair curly on a couple of occasions on Channel Ten \u2013 when the station\u2019s band Hard and Fast were on the road. Curls, she says, \u201c\u2026are more suited to rock\u2019n\u2019roll.\u201d<\/p>\n Theory number two: Is it an order from male producers? <\/strong><\/p>\n When Ellie Southwood was working on Channel Seven as a news reporter in Western Australia, her curly hair was a frequent sight on television screens across the state. But when she decided to head east to Sydney and met with some news directors there, the response was unequivocal: \u201c\u2018Really like your work. You can obviously do the job. Just\u2026 the hair\u2026\u2019 Quite clearly curly hair wasn\u2019t going to cut it in Sydney,\u201d Ellie said.<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t need to be told twice. Ever since that meeting, Ellie has blow dried her own curls straight for work.<\/p>\n \u201cI can understand that straighter hair might look more neat and professional, so I oblige. But I also love my curls and sometimes wish I could set them free \u2013 to send a message to all those women and girls who style their hair with the best hair straighteners that curls can be cool too! Plus, hair straighteners can also be used to curl your hair.\u201d says Ellie.<\/p>\n Jacinta Tynan, Sky News presenter and author says that straight hair used to be a necessary evil when she presented the news in front of a chroma key on the ABC. \u201cIt was a requirement to keep it flat and neat and spray down the \u2018flyaways\u2019 \u2013 a technical term, I believe \u2013 so it didn\u2019t flare. That\u2019s why so many of us newsreaders in those days had \u2018helmet hair\u2019. I was told I couldn\u2019t keep my hair long then so had a bob for years that was so<\/em> not my preferred look! I felt like I was someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the advent of digital TV, however, Jacinta has taken to wearing her hair curly on Sky. Kind of: \u201cOf course I tame my curls. It takes effort to get the natural look! I say to my hairdresser, \u2018let\u2019s tong it\u2019 and that will last a couple of days.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been subject to a \u2018curl embargo\u2019,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I do know a presenter who has because her (male) bosses decided it didn\u2019t suit her. Another was told her hair was too thin<\/a> for curls.\u201d<\/p>\n Theory number three: Is it just plain crazy? Possibly\u2026 but many women who straighten their hair<\/a> on TV have never been told to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been told to wear my hair straight but I find it less unruly,\u201d says Jeannette Francis from The Feed on SBS2. \u201cIt can be quite frizzy if I leave it curly and the fly away hairs that show up on camera can make me look kind of nuts.<\/p>\n \u201cCurly hair on TV can make it seem like you have a crazy vibe about you. It\u2019s much easier to control if it\u2019s straight.\u201d<\/p>\n Yaara Bou Melhem, a curly-haired reporter on SBS\u2019s Dateline recalls a conversation she was having with fellow journalists recently: \u201cWe meandered onto talking about women who \u2018boldly\u2019 wear their hair curly on TV and discussed the case of one international journalist who refuses to listen to demands from her base to brush her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never had that, but then I\u2019ve never tested it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a given that I wear my hair straight for television. Curls are so unpredictable and mine are prone to frizz, big time, which is in no way screen friendly. I associate curly hair with my \u2018fun\u2019 side and straight with my \u2018professional\u2019 side.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to wear my curls all the time but we have a love-hate relationship because they\u2019re prone to craziness, which I love\u2026 and hate.\u201d<\/p>\n No, it\u2019s the audience! <\/strong><\/p>\n According to Tracey Spicer, however, it\u2019s all about the audience.<\/p>\n \u201cHair and jackets are the most common topics of viewer feedback. Management uses these comments to direct the hair and makeup artists about the \u2018look\u2019 they want for presenters and journos,\u201d says Tracey, who is a columnist for The Hoopla, presenter on SkyTV and former newsreader for Channel Ten.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hair was always the subject of great consternation. Hair and makeup artists, wanting to work at Ten, were trialled on my hair because it was \u2018curly and very difficult\u2019. Even celebrities don’t show their curls<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a way, I see the argument for straight hair. Curly, unruly hair can look a bit distracting \u2013 and, as a news anchor, your primary role is to read the news \u2013 nothing should distract from your face, it\u2019s the same with fashionable jackets or dangly earrings.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the girls, either. Marc Fennell, from SBS, and Charlie Pickering, from Channel Ten\u2019s The Project, are curly-haired boys who\u2019ve taken to straightened times. And it\u2019s not just the news \u2013 apparently \u201ccurly haired girls historically don\u2019t do well on the Bachelor,\u201d reports Hollywood Magazine. Gasp!<\/p>\n And in case you\u2019re wondering whether it\u2019s just an Australia phenomenon, here\u2019s a picture of the newsreaders at the USA\u2019s Fox TV network, in all their glorious diversity.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s up, audience: Do you really think people with curly hair aren\u2019t in control?<\/p>\n Are we really judging female professionalism by the wave of their locks? Is it simply about fashion, or is something else at work here?<\/p>\n Do you have curly hair? How do you feel about it, do you wear it straight or let it fly? Get more hair posts here<\/a>. See our homepage<\/a> for more! The hair and make-up studio of a television network is a weird and wonderful thing. People walk out of there transformed, especially when they walk in with curly hair. That\u2019s because curly hair does not cut it on the telly. Think about it: how many women on TV can you name who have curly hair? …<\/p>\n<\/p>\nCurly Hair In Australia<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nCurly Hair Products<\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\nLong Curled Hairstyles: Do Audiences Approve?<\/h2>\n
Long Curly Hair On Men<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"