Ann Curry Says NBC Insulted Her Shoes, Grey Hair And Bright Clothing

Curry claims firing was due to hair, fashion choices

Ann Curry, longtime co-host of “Today” on NBC, has stated that her fashion and hair choices have been insulted by her bosses. Curry was fired from her position in a very public way recently.

The news anchor said she did not want to dye her hair to cover the grey or get work on her face to cover her wrinkles because she is proud of her age.

She also said she did not dress like executives wanted her too, claiming they preferred more subdued colors whereas she enjoyed wearing bright clothes.

“One day I wore a multicoloured dress and someone asked if I was trying to be Toucan Sam,” Ann explained. “But I chose it because I thought, this will perk up America. I’m encouraged by my bosses to wear these ridiculously high heel shoes because women say: ‘I love your shoes!’ So if it makes women happy, I’ll wear them. But I’m still going to be me.” She also said, “I’ve tried to wear clogs and flats and it hasn’t gone over very well with my bosses.”

Her shoes were also a problem, she says, adding that she preferred wearing flats and clogs while her bosses preferred high heeled shoes that would appeal to female viewers.

In spite of the criticism, Curry said she hopes to continue working for NBC for many years, but then wants to enter the world of education and become a teacher.

“Of course I want to look my best,” says the 55 year-old. “I eat right, exercise and use skin cream. I try to wear nice clothes. But I don’t want to change the fundamental parts of me because it means changing who I am.” She was trying to change the idea that women aren’t allowed to go grey on TV; “I think showing some gray is authentic…true beauty is a face you have lived in,” she said.

“We constantly punish ourselves with degrading thoughts when we look at ourselves in the mirror,” Ann said of women. “We allow people to treat us poorly, we allow our husbands or boyfriends to get away with things or we have relationships with girlfriends or colleagues who don’t treat us well. We don’t defend ourselves as we would our own children. Women have demanded and gotten better jobs and more power. But the one thing we deserve is a better relationship with ourselves. We waste too much time beating ourselves up. I think at my age of 55, it’s time to stop doing that.”