Change your hair or leave: Knoxville anchor says she was fired by WATE for her appearance

It was Tabitha Bartoe's third day on the job at WATE when her bosses at the Knoxville TV station pulled her away from training − not for an urgent weather event, but for a hair appointment and shopping spree to find new clothes.

The station felt like a good fit for the recent college grad, and the role of weekend morning weather anchor was a promising one.

But after months of being criticized by supervisors for her appearance − namely, her naturally curly hair − Bartoe said she was let go May 9 because her style didn't align with company policy.

"It doesn't even sound real," Bartoe told Knox News. "The whole thing just sounds like a joke. And I wish it was."

Women in television have always had to contend with a narrow beauty standard that can be weaponized to eliminate their jobs. Last year, renowned Canadian television journalist Lisa LaFlamme was fired after she stopped dyeing her hair and let her natural gray show.

In 2019, Mississippi news anchor Brittany Noble-Jones was fired after a supervisor complained about her natural hair. Noble-Jones is Black and did not straighten her hair or wear extensions. She said she was told to use a closet to pump milk for breastfeeding after she returned to work following the birth of her child.

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/17/tennessee-weather-anchor-tabitha-bartoe-curly-hair-wate-fired/70227065007/