Melanie Lawson has been in the news biz for a while now. And just like most on-air personalities, the morning show host developed something of a "look" she maintained as she climbed the corporate ladder. Part of that style involved wearing a wig — which she affectionately named Michelle Obama — and dutifully wore on camera each and every day. When it came to her natural hair, that was something she only let others see on weekends — until this week, that is.
As she recently shared in a personal essay on News4Jax, Lawson finally ditched her wig in favor of wearing her natural locks on camera for the first time in 14 years. And she says she did it to teach her daughter about self-love and to remind others "you always have a choice."
Lawson, like many women, has had a tumultuous relationship with her hair since as far back as she can remember.
Her first "hair embarrassment," as she calls it, happened when she was 8 years old, though she remembers it as if it was yesterday.
"My neighbor knocked on the door to ask if I could come out to play," she wrote in her essay. "I knew I couldn’t because my mom had just washed my hair and the process to turn my kinky, thick afro into silky, loose curls would take hours. I answered the door — with a towel wrapped around my embarrassing locks — to let him know I was busy."
At some point during this exchange, she agreed to show him her natural hair, and asked him to "promise not to laugh." But despite his agreement, the young boy burst into hysterics the moment she removed the towel, and his piercing laughter at her expense still stings to this day.
Through the years, she struggled to "tame" it, sitting for lengthy perms and chemical treatments and anything that would make it look straight.
"I’ve had different versions of the original Jheri curl, a chemical process that gave my hair a loose curl with lots of activator, liquid grease, and 'perms' that actually made my hair straight with a harsh chemical that burned my scalp at times and left open sores on my head," she wrote. "It was just part of the experience — the more burn, the straighter the hair, so it was worth it."
None of that changed when she entered the television business — in fact, it only got worse. Because if you thought being a woman in the entertainment industry was hard, try being a black woman in the entertainment industry.
"The undercurrent has always been, ‘Black television anchors can wear their natural hair, but good luck finding a job,’" Lawson recently told Yahoo Finance. "Otherwise you’re seen as a renegade.”
When she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2005, even perms and relaxer treatments weren't enough to keep her hair straight. So she got a wig.
Lawson was embarrassed by it, she told Yahoo Lifestyle, and her friends even told her they hated it. But she was determined to get thick, long, straight hair.
But life — and mommyhood — caught up with her, she shared, and ultimately it was her 4-year-old daughter who compelled her to take a good, hard look in the mirror, and finally love herself.
“Recently, I picked her up from school and I happened to be wearing my wig,” Lawson told Yahoo. “She started yelling, ‘Mommy, take off your wig!’ and everyone stared. It was embarrassing.”
That twinge of embarrassment stirred something within her, but the moment that came next is what moved her to ditch the wig for good.
"I want straight hair like you," Lawson remembers her daughter saying. And that's when she knew it was time to say goodbye to Michelle for good.
On Tuesday, Lawson showed up to film in her natural hair, and she received a flood of compliments from viewers everywhere.
"I knew that today was going to be a big day," Lawson wrote in her essay, "[But] I had no idea how big. The text messages, emails, social media messages and random phone calls have been overwhelming. What a blessing to have the support and love of a community that seems to get it."
Her daughter has been inspired by the transformation too, and recently told her, "Mommy, you have free hair! We’re twins and best friends."
Most of all, though, she says Tuesday wasn't just a big day for her, but it was big "for everyone who once believed they didn’t have a choice."
"Who knew that it would resonate with so many people," she recently shared on air, "just making the choice to be myself?"
Indeed, it did. Shortly after sharing the news on Facebook, Lawson's page received a flurry of positive comments from fans who were all rooting for her.
"Girl you look amazing!!" wrote one user. "I love your natural hair!! It’s perfect!!"
"You are an absolute beauty … Inside and out," wrote another. "I look forward to watching Channel 4 news every morning just to see what you are wearing… [You] always brighten my morning."
"You made a statement for all," wrote another woman.
In the end, by ditching her wig and embracing her natural beauty, Lawson hopes she's showing other women — and her daughter — that they have more power over their own self-worth than they realize.
And that truly is a beautiful thing to see.
