Popular Mississippi newscaster has message for viewer who commented on ‘offensive’ looks
Mississippi newscaster Maggie Wade is taking the high road after a viewer sent her an email commenting on her “offensive” looks.
Wade, an evening anchor for WLBT-TV in Jackson, published her response to the viewer’s comments in a Facebook post Wednesday, in hopes that it would serve as a “learning opportunity.”
“I must admit there are days that I don’t like the way I look,” she wrote. “I have bad hair days and yes I struggle with my weight. I am not getting perms as often because I want to keep my hair healthy. But when will people learn it is never positive or constructive to body shame another person. We are all beautiful and unique in our own way.”
Wade said she received the email at work Wednesday and decided to share it online. In it, an unnamed viewer criticized her hair, her weight and her on-air wardrobe.
The viewer started off praising the newscaster’s looks in the early 1990s but claimed her appearance has been on a “rapid decline year after year.”
“I want you to know that your hair looks terrible and your weight gain is offensive,” the person wrote. “You used to look like someone that my daughter used to strive to be like. So I’m asking you to please take more time with your hair, try to loose some weight and consider what you wear. You do impact a large number of women.”
Rather than lashing out, Wade politely put the viewer in their place.
“While I don’t think it is constructive or positive to body shame any woman, you have a right to your opinion and I respect that,” Wade wrote in response to the email. “In this day and time women choose many ways to wear their hair, it does not define who we are. My goal each day is to look professional, and pray that each viewer will focus more on the information than what I’m wearing, my weight or how I wear my hair.”
“It is my hope that you will tell your daughter that I am proud of who I am and what God has blessed me with,” she added.
Wade also mentioned her work in the community and her efforts to remind young people that they are beautiful “no matter the size, what they wear or how society tries to identify or label them.”
The newscaster’s handling of the vitriol drew praise from thousands of WLBT viewers who commended Wade for her bravery. Editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey was among those who voiced support for Wade, even sketching her a black-and-white doodle in hopes of lifting her spirits after the stinging comments.
“I haven’t met a person who is kinder and gives more back to the community than Maggie Wade,” Ramsey wrote on Facebook. “She is the gold standard for a media celebrity (and human beings in general).”
Wade admitted she was “hurt” by the viewer’s comments but said she felt encouraged by the kind words from fans, friends and her WLBT family.