NFL sideline reporter Pam Oliver would like us all to know that she's good at her job, and that will remain her primary concern.
Each week Pam is subject to relentless scrutiny about her hair, but she told Philly.com that she finds the social media firestorm surrounding her appearance laughable: “It’s the psychology of it that I want to understand. It’s comical. This whole thing is just comical.”
Pam says she does not have time spend perfecting her hair and makeup because she spends all her pre-game time preparing for interviews.
“No, I wish it were so easy. It’s a process. I do my own hair and makeup – insert joke here. I’m up early. I’m at the stadium about 4 hours before the game, just going over some last-minute stuff and then waiting for some players to come out, which is generally 2 hours before the game...
You’re out there, trying a to catch players, get some last-minute stuff, get your reports turned around quickly, and I may or may not have time to put on lip gloss or powder my face. I know TV is a visual medium, but there are times when you kind of hope that people are listening to what you’re saying as opposed to judging you if a strand of hair is not in place or if you have only got one eye lined or something.”
Pam goes on to decry the obvious sexism in the critiquing of women's appearances.
“It’s just not even close. A guy can wear the same tie every other week and it’s not even an issue. But if a woman is on and a strand of hair is out of place or if there’s a little piece of something in your hair, people go crazy. It’s always been that way. It’s never going to change. Men get away with a lot more than a woman can.”
Pam may have a point. And black viewers in particular should know that she suffers a different type of scrutiny than fellow reporter Erin Andrews because of the hostility that accompanies any choice a Black woman makes with her hair.
What do you think of Pam's comments?
Related:
How to Embrace the Reality of Your Kinky HairKinks and Kanekalon: How Weave Reveals the Success of the Natural Hair Movement
Shaming Young Black Girls: Tiana Parker's "Presentability" and the Policing of Black Identity
Kimberly Foster is the Founder and Editor of COLOURES. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster
