TV Anchor Shatters Stereotypes
By dressing how she wants on-air, journalist Jana Shortal is redefining what it means to look like a TV anchor. đShe spoke with Brut about LGBTQ representation and living authentically.
Gay TV Anchor Shatters Stereotypes
Journalist Jana Shortal is embracing her true self on camera â shattering perceptions of what a TV anchor should look like. Itâs a big change from when she started. Shortal also wasnât publicly out â worried that viewers wouldnât accept her. The majority of women had a certain kind of haircut. Being blonde seemed a pretty good route to go. Earrings, lots of makeup, and then you could just go to any number of department stores and ask for suits that TV news anchors would wear. Jana was able to attain jobs and was able to pursue the career she wanted to pursue. At that time, she didn't realize how much damage she was doing to herself by doing it.
âPeople have told me I'm not supposed to wear âfill in the blankâ my whole life and I'm just not going to listen anymore. I didn't know any gay women on TV. Like, I don't know Rachel Maddow, and I don't know Ellen DeGeneres. And I didn't know anybody beyond that that was openly gay as a female. This was in the early 2000s. It still felt unsafe to me to be that. I thought people wouldn't like me if they knew I was gay. And then at some point, not being yourself, for me, it became unsustainable.â
Shortal came out about her sexuality to family and friends â and discovered the empowerment of living authentically while breaking stereotypes and changing the world around her. The on-air change happened in 2016, when she became a co-anchor for a new show at the NBC affiliate station in Minneapolis. Shortal started wearing her natural curly hair âand dressing how she really wanted to. She shares her inspriing story hoping to increase LGBTQ representation on TV and help others struggling with identity issues.
Brut.
69 comments
Josué C.
05/31/2019 19:01I see puppets
Debbie M.
05/31/2019 11:48So all that matters is how you look.
Debbie K.
05/31/2019 01:09đ Be happy!
Bryan E.
05/31/2019 00:01Goddamned freaks
Cindy S.
05/30/2019 14:39Thank you for your courage! Itâs so important that we be true to ourselves! I love that my wife and I both in our 50âs who have walked through the years of hiding ... no longer hide and itâs because we must have courage be proud and love all those who choose to love us back!
Markee J.
05/29/2019 17:33Grace Lewis
Will G.
05/29/2019 01:13We all love Alton Brown, whatâs the big deal
Christy B.
05/28/2019 11:32I would love to get to know you . You are a true inspiration .. For it ALL
Phil K.
05/27/2019 04:38Now thatâs self confidence!!!! Courage at its finest
Sheila L.
05/26/2019 14:08So many people live lives of pain because they are afraid to show their true selves!! Whatâs wrong with us that we do this to people?!
Tyonna D.
05/26/2019 05:04I hate yall. Like seriously and it's not even my generation("the bad generation") it's all old bitter people
Kate F.
05/25/2019 14:37You are fabulous! As you age, please fight to stay on the air. Women tend to disappear from media if they are past menopause.
Patsy W.
05/24/2019 22:27Thank you!!đ
Donna D.
05/24/2019 18:42Go Jana!!â€ïž
Jolena M.
05/24/2019 12:55This is about representation and that does matter. I'm hearing alot of people complaining here as if we live in a day and age where women aren't constantly hired for the way they present themselves. How often do we ever see a butch presenting women on TV? Almost never. Gender non-conforming people don't get hired for the way they appear. It sucks. It's still a reality. And most women still do feel pressure from every industry or line of work to conform to a ciggender look. Being outwardly open about sexuality through gender expression is important to the LGBTQ+ community bc most of us have been told to hide ourselves indirectly by mainstream news sources and culture that only hire women with a specific look, and this is just one example. This effects straight people too obviously. How many times have you heard a woman say I don't want to get my haircut short bc men will think I'm unattractive or they don't want to be seen as gay? Representation matters people.
Jake V.
05/24/2019 03:12She seems so happy being her "Authentic" self.đ
Kourtney E.
05/24/2019 02:09She could cut glass on that jawline tho đđđđ
Kimberly P.
05/23/2019 23:11She is actually stunning-without all that make up! Good for her, I hope she is an anchor somewhere!
Malaika R.
05/23/2019 21:08Sheâs cute đ€€
Katreena D.
05/23/2019 17:40That's one fugly woman đč