In the era of Trump and #MeToo, journalism has played an expansive and imperative role. From Ronan Farrow's #MeToo exposés to the battle between CNN and Fox, the truth has become a hot commodity. In the midst of all of this, sexual harassment in the newsroom is coming to light—beginning with Matt Lauer's removal from the Today Show after evidence of mistreatment of female colleagues surfaced.

What many fail to realize is just how difficult it continues to be for women to even get into the newsroom in the first place. According to a report from NPR in 2017, newsrooms continue to be male-dominated. And the percentage of female journalists is predominantly white, with hispanic, black, and asian women struggling the most to have their voices heard.

Have you ever noticed that the majority of mainstream broadcast news anchors and correspondents are white women? And the few women of minorities do not wear their natural hair? It is a phenomenon that seems to span decades.

I am a journalism student who first tried a broadcast news show on campus this past semester. I am multiethnic (half hispanic and half white), and I have red curly hair. I have worn my natural hair on the air sometimes, and the oddity of this had never occured to me until I began to analyze what professional news anchors wore and how they style their hair. I acknowledge that women of color must have it a lot more difficult than myself—ethnic women, so it seems, are often pressured to straighten their hair.

My theory on this? That women of color and minorities feel pressured to fit into a white-dominated industry. I know I certainly feel this pressure. Women have been denied job positions for box braids, dreadlocks, and simply having curly hair. The myth of "natural hair" not being "professional" is still being perpetuated, and in my opinion, is ridiculous. Professionalism a work ethic, an education, a drive for success, and NOT a hairstyle.

Take Hoda Kotb of The Today Show for example. I have been watching that show since childhood, as have many people in my generation. The bubbly personalities of the hosts, the celebrity interviews and musical guests were always entertaining. Hoda Kotb also happens to be Egyptian. She has even poked fun at her natural hair on the air before. Why does she feel compelled to have sleek, straight hair every day? Because she has reached a high position of power and fame in the broadcast sphere, one that is dominated by white anchors, including her cohost.

So what do I expect when I graduate in three-and-a-half years from now? Despite the major setbacks caused by the spread of Trump's ideologies, women are making gains in the journalism field, and socially, natural hair is becoming increasingly embraced—but it seems that on the air, straight hair is still the way to go as it is still deemed a more professional look. We as a society have to acknowledge how increasingly diverse this country has become, and that should be reflected in the people we see onscreen.