Tamron Hall Reveals Her Natural Hair In The Motherland

News anchor Tamron Hall revealed her natural hair texture in the Motherland this week with blogger Curly Nikki. She joins a long list of celebrities recently showing off their natural hair on social media; but this time with a slightly different flare.

I have watched Tamron on TV for quite a while as a correspondent for NBC News and NBC’s Today show so I am used to seeing her with her short coif, usually straightened and slightly bumped.

I never for one second considered if Tamron was relaxed or even natural for that matter, I took her hair for granted as most of do when we are mostly interested in what the journalist actually has to say.

I read Curly Nikki’s piece on the reveal and was intrigued by Tamron’s statement about being a little envious of her white co-workers who can just wake up in the morning and come right to work. Essentially they could chose to wear their hair naturally and it is seen as entirely appropriate or professional.

Many of us know exactly what she meant having been through similar situations; after all natural hair is not as “accepted” as straight hair is in a professional environment despite the strides we have made in the natural hair community.

However when it comes to hair, even her white colleagues can’t just wake up and jump in front of the camera, they have a little work to do as well. They have magic people in those trailers and prep rooms with their silicone sprays, heat tools and makeup brushes who make them camera ready. Still they have it easier than the average naturalista.

The thing is standards of beauty are changing especially in the area of the arts versus on Wall Street where acceptance is a little slower. We think Tamron could definitely pull off the natural look on the air if she wanted to, she looked absolutely flawless in Africa and her viewing audience would appreciate that.

What is really different about Tamron’s reveal is that she chose a very special place to do it. We can’t tell you how many African women we hear from daily dealing with accepting their natural hair.

We read stories about babies getting permed before they are two years old, and women wearing weaves* and braids until their hair is literally falling out, all simply because they don’t know how to care for their own hair.

We are super excited about the type of work she may have done in Africa which I’m sure we will find out in due course. That reveal is probably just the beginning; let’s wait for some amazing journalism, with natural hair smack dab at the center. Tick Tock…