Most people dream of being on television and don’t think of the negative aspects of it. One female meteorologist was recently criticized for her hair. Like most people, Corallys Oritz likes to wear her hair in different styles. She is a woman of color and has naturally curly, kinky hair. Sometimes, it can be hard to style, especially during the hot Tennessee summer.
Instead of wearing it natural, she often straightens it.
In fact, she has only worn it natural since arriving in Tennessee a couple times. After wearing her hair straight for a while, she decided to give it a break and let it be natural. After filming one day, she received a call from a viewer named Donna who was complaining about it. Donna told Oritz that she shouldn’t wear her hair like that again and should change it to something more “normal.” Of course, Oritz didn’t take the comment lightly. She explained:
“Normally, when people say comments, I ignore it, but when it’s racism, I don’t condone that at all.”
Oritz also explained that Donna had called in to complain about her hair three times.
While Oritz was upset, she chose to take the high road. Instead of lashing out at the viewer, she used the call as an opportunity to teach others about the racism that people of color face.
She responded by saying:
“There are many ways I like to define myself as a person. I am a woman of color. I am of Caribbean descent directly from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Multilingual. I am a college-educated woman with two degrees. Most importantly, I’m someone passionate about science and arts and I’m happy I get to work in the field that I’ve loved since I was young.”
She also explained how her hair is a part of her identity and not something that she is ashamed of or should hide.
She added:
“The last few years I’ve grown to manage and love wearing it in its natural state, the big curly fro or ‘poof’ as I call it.”
She then addressed the caller directly. She said:
“The issue with this is that it always targets and pressures women of color to present their hair in ways that are unnatural just for the sake of having their hair look ‘professional.’ For years on end women of color have always been told their hair wasn’t professional or ‘neat’ enough for the workplace, and for years women of color would have to adhere to ‘white beauty standards’ in order to get ahead.”
She explained that things are changing now, and women of color can wear their hair however they like.
Sometimes, that means they wear it natural, and sometimes, they wear it curly or straightened. The beauty of it is, it’s each woman’s own personal choice. Ortiz hopes that her statement will make people aware of the things they say and how they affect people. She added:
“I hope a post like this brings to light the constant criticism a person of color might face just for being themselves. With their different colors, shapes, and sizes, it shows the different ways beauty is represented. Like the diverse and beautiful demographic of people we have in this area.”
While Oritz wasn’t happy about the comment, she was happy that she had a chance to address the issue.
She doesn’t tolerate racism on any level, and when she sees or hears it, she wants to be able to stand up against it.
She later explained her feelings, saying:
“I’ve always been a straightforward person and open about social issues, and racism is just something I strongly never condoned.”
Oritz is just one of many television personalities who has been criticized for her looks or style.
Viewers are constantly putting them down for one thing or another. It’s not OK to bully someone about their looks just because they are television. Hopefully, Oritz’s message will help others realize this and stop some of these rude comments.
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Where do I even begin.
There are many ways I like to define myself as a person. I am a woman of color. I am of Caribbean descent directly from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Multilingual. I am a college educated woman with two degrees. Most importantly, I’m someone passionate about science and arts and I’m happy I get to work in the field that I’ve loved since I was young.
Being from such a racially ambiguous background, it’s not uncommon that people ask me where I am from. Coming to this region of the United States from the North I always had my own perceptions how living in this different environment would be.
To many, I look either like a black/mixed woman or a brown woman. I understand many people here haven’t seen a variety of other cultural groups or might not know the difference between being “Mexican” or Hispanic… none of which I would ever put people down for. I always appreciated the genuine curiosity that came from some people whenever they ask me these questions.
One thing that has always been a strong part of my identity is my hair. About 90 percent of the time I wear it straight. It’s the way I was accustomed to wear it growing up. The last few years I’ve grown to manage and love wearing it in its natural state, the big curly fro or “poof” as I call it. No it’s not a wig like some people have thought, but because of my racially ambiguous background my hair texture itself is versatile, meaning I can wear it and style it many ways.
What many people may not know is that being in the TV industry there is a “standard” in which people are made to have their hair worn. The issue with this is that it always targets and pressures women of color to present their hair in ways that are unnatural just for the sake of having their hair look “professional.” For years on end women of color have always been told their hair wasn’t professional or “neat” enough for the work place, and for years women of color would have to adhere to “white beauty standards” in order to get ahead. Slowly but surely over the years those standards have been changing in this field and we see more and more women of color being able to present themselves with their natural hair on TV.
I write this because these past few days I’ve been giving my hair a bit of a break from this heat and humidity and not having to straighten it so often. This is only my second round wearing it the 10 months I’ve been in Tennessee. I’ve received so much positive feed back from viewers about the brief hair change I have going on and how they enjoy seeing my curly hair. Many people appreciate the representation I’ve given to those wanting to wear their hair in their natural state.
Unfortunately, working in the TV industry there is always going to be criticism as well. We’ll focus all day in trying to get a report or forecast in, but to just end up getting criticized for wearing a certain clothing or having a certain hairdo from viewers at the end of the day.
In my case early Sunday night, a viewer who goes by Donna felt that my hair wasn’t up to “her standards.” The following video just reflects back to everything I just said about criticism and dealing with what is considered “cultural or racial ignorance.” Racism for short. It is very clear you can hear what she says and it’s something I don’t condone.
I hope a post like this brings to light the constant criticism a person of color might face just for being themselves. I hope it serves as a lesson to people like Donna and to remind her that we are living in a new century, in nation filled with people of different background, cultures, ideals, colors, shapes and sizes.
Posted by Corallys Ortiz on Monday, September 17, 2018
