LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — THV11 Meteorologist Corallys Ortiz moved to the Natural State in December to become a part of the THV11 Weather Team.
Even though she's fairly new to viewers, she says she's already gotten comments and messages about her personal style, including wearing her natural hair on-air. Something that's considered "unprofessional" in some workplaces.
"It's been a journey for me to accept my natural hair," she said.
Ortiz describes herself as Afro-Latina. Her family is from the Dominican Republic.
"I'm kind of representing two communities here, the Hispanic and Black communities," she explained.
Ortiz says a lot of the feedback she gets on her hairstyles are from people thankful to see natural hair represented on TV. But, not all comments are positive.
At a previous television station in Tennessee, she says she began experimenting with different natural styles. She began to get multiple phone calls from one particular viewer who left messages saying her hair was ugly, even using a racial slur to describe how it looked.
Ortiz admits it was frustrating.
"I wouldn't say I was necessarily upset because you have to expect the unexpected when it comes to being a woman of color in general, unfortunately," she said.
She says the fact that people of color change their hairstyles so often is a hard concept for some people to understand. She says the reason for changing styles is different for everyone, but for many including herself, its to protect their natural hair from heat and other types of damage.
"We sometimes wear wigs, weaves...whatever it may be, just to keep it protected over time," Ortiz explained.
She says now that she's grown to accept her natural hair more and take care of it with these protective hairstyles, her hair is a lot more healthy.
But she admits, it's not that easy for everyone. Many workplaces still have rules about what counts as a "professional" hairstyle.
"The norm in the television industry has always been that professional hair is straight, which for a woman of color can be a bit of a struggle," she said.
Through conversation and education, more and more people in news are starting to wear their hair in whatever style they feel, natural or otherwise.
"I'm happy that there's more representation," Ortiz said. "I'm happy to be one of those people who loves to wear my hair proudly in whatever shape and form it may be, whether I decide to have it straight for a little bit or to have my big poufy afro."
"It's just to help the future generations be comfortable with wearing their hair naturally," she said.