CTV called LaFlamme’s removal a “business decision”, citing “changing viewership habits”. But claims of ageism and sexism have swirled online since LaFlamme, 58, announced in a video last Monday that she was “blindsided” after discovering in June that Bell Media — the parent company of CTV News — her contract was expiring. . The company said neither age nor gender were factors in LaFlamme’s firing, but some have pointed to the fact that LaFlamme’s ouster comes after she stopped coloring her hair during the COVID-19 pandemic — when salons they were forced to close — and she let her hair go gray. Dove Canada tackles the issue of aging in a new campaign, encouraging women to “keep the gray” and embrace aging. “Women with gray hair are being shut out of the workplace,” the company says in its campaign. “So Dove turns gray.” Dove is encouraging women on social media to gray out their profile picture and says it’s donating $100,000 to Catalyst, a Canadian organization that helps create inclusive workplaces for women. Although Dove does not mention LaFlamme in the campaign, the launch comes after she was fired from CTV News. It is unclear whether the campaign is directly linked to the controversy.
Age is beautiful. Women should be able to do it on their terms, without any consequences. Dove is donating $100,000 to Catalyst, a Canadian organization that helps create inclusive workplaces for all women. Go gray with us, make your profile pic grayscale and #KeepTheGrey pic.twitter.com/SW5X93r4Qj — Dove Canada (@DoveCanada) August 21, 2022
“I AM A SILVER FOX”
It’s a topic that strikes a chord with Nancy Reagan, who spent more than a decade on television starting in the 1980s. “She was the face of the national news network, so for her to leave like that was shocking, not only for her audience, but for me as someone who played that role,” says Regan, a writer and former host of The Live of Five, now known as CTV News at Five, which airs on CTV. Regan also says she can relate to female journalists who have spoken out about viewers commenting on their looks. “When I was on TV, all I heard was my hair,” she recalls. “I’ve heard more people talk about my hair than any story I’ve ever done.” Regan decided to go gray several years ago, partly out of convenience, but also because it makes her feel more authentic. She says she was encouraged when LaFlamme also let her hair go gray. “I have to say I celebrated when I saw Lisa LaFlamme come out silver on air and I consider that silver!” says Reagan. “I’m not an old gray mare. I’m a silver fox and I want every woman with silver hair to have that attitude.”
“THE BACK IS HUGE”
Someone else watching the internet fallout is digital anthropologist Giles Crouch. “The reaction is huge and I think it’s probably bigger than Lisa herself expected, or certainly Bell Media,” says Crouch. “So they say, men are allowed to go gray and they can have a big goodbye, but when it comes to women, they’re not allowed to go gray. And they are not allowed to have as long a goodbye as men do. So they see it as a very sexist view.” As for the new campaign from Dove Canada, Crouch says it’s picking up steam — and fast. “He’s doing really well. The volume of social media shares is significant,” he says. Meanwhile, Regan hopes the campaign will empower women to embrace aging. “Your value is not in the color of your skin, or the color of your eyes, or the color of your hair,” he says. “It sounds weird, but it’s the color of your soul and what you bring to work every day, or to life every day, to the people around you and what kind of light you bring to the world.” Bell Media said in a statement Friday that CTV “regrets” how it communicated LaFlamme’s departure to viewers. The company also announced that an independent, third-party internal workplace review of the Scarborough newsroom will be conducted within the next few weeks. Prior to LaFlamme’s firing, the award-winning journalist had worked at CTV News for 35 years. He had anchored CTV National News since 2011, following the retirement of Lloyd Robertson.
