Lena Pringle, a sports anchor in Jacksonville, Fla., is rocking a new hairdo.
On Sept. 9, the WJXT journalist posted a few pictures of herself with a very short natural haircut.
“Shoutout to the people who told me I wouldn’t be able to get/keep a broadcast news job with a short natural haircut,” she wrote on Twitter. “Jokes on you, huh?”
The selfies Pringle took at the anchor desk got a ton of positive reaction in the industry. As of Thursday afternoon, the photo had been retweeted more than 10,000 times and had more than 121,000 likes.
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? 💁🏾♀️ pic.twitter.com/2SwcmnQY7A
— Lena Pringle (@lenapringle_) September 9, 2020
Other anchors from across the country weighed in on her look. “You are stunning!” wrote WHDH anchor Amaka Ubaka. “You look fly and can’t anyone say nothin!! Keep gettin it. Being you is what sets you apart!”
You are stunning! You look fly and can’t anyone say nothin!! Keep gettin it. Being you is what sets you apart!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
— Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) September 13, 2020
Many Black women journalists who aspire to work on air have long been told to style their hair straight and long for the camera. In recent years, though, some news leaders have been more open to natural styles.
“I remember being in college and I remember them saying, ‘You have to have straight hair. It has to be long. It has to be spotless, it has to be colored. … Natural hair isn’t going to keep you in the industry. It’s too distracting; it’s too urban,'” Pringle said in an interview with Today.
Pringle hasn’t faced opposition from her current employer for wearing her hair in a natural style, she said.