This newsreader didn’t wear makeup for a week

A newsreader has challenged female beauty standards by choosing not to wear makeup for a whole week on air.

Kamady Rudd, who works for US local news station WZMM, decided to be a “guinea pig in her own experiment” by foregoing makeup for a week of work. 

She explained that her alarm goes off at 2:30am each morning, and she wakes up to put on a full face of makeup - something she describes as a “requirement” for women on TV. 

But when she read a study about how women’s appearances affect how competent people believe they are, she decided to make a change. Writing on Instagram, she explained: 

“This week I didn’t wear any makeup on air. I wanted to see how it would affect my confidence level, and wanted to see if I’d get any negative feedback. 



But the reaction she got was totally unexpected.

“Good news!! Everyone was sweet, supportive and kind!” She explained. “My confidence on air didn’t change, to be honest, I totally forgot about my bare face once my day really began. 

“In conclusion... no makeup (for me) = nothing different.”

Rudd told Glamour that she wasn’t expecting such a positive response. "I expected to get some nice insults, if that makes sense," she said. "The ones like, ‘We love your energy, but you look like you’ve been really tired.' I couldn’t have been more wrong. A woman messaged me on Facebook—she noticed I’d been wearing no makeup for a few days and complimented it."

She admitted that her appearance has been a major factor throughout her career. "I'm proud of the work that I've done thus far in my career,” she said. “Nevertheless, I've still heard from potential bosses and agents that it doesn't matter, perception is everything. It has nothing to do with the quality of my work."

She admitted that her personal experience made her feel confident: "I really wanted to prove to myself that I could cover a story with as much focus on the actual story as normal.”

And while women should never feel like they have to spend hours in hair and makeup for a job, Rudd adds that some choose to - and that’s cool, too.

“It’s all about proving the work we do, and the actions we take, are more important than what we look like. I’m all for makeup, or no makeup. Whatever you want to wear is, and should always be, totally up to you."