Wendy’s in Canada took a stand against ageism and dyed their famous redhead’s hair gray in support of CTV News anchor Lisa LaFlamme.
After a 35-year career with the Canadian news network, Bell Media — the conglomerate that owns CTV — ended LaFlamme’s contract. She posted a video on Twitter announcing her departure Aug. 15.
“On June 29th I was informed that Bell Media made a ‘business decision’ to end my contract, bringing to a sudden close my long career with CTV News,” LaFlamme said.
“I was blindsided, and I am still shocked and saddened by Bell Media’s decision.”
Allegedly, the reason behind the sudden end to LaFlamme’s contract was the anchor’s decision to stop dyeing her hair after the pandemic, The Guardian reported. CTV Executive, Mike Melling had asked who approved of the decision to “let Lisa’s hair go grey,” according to The Globe and Mail.
While Bell Media president Wade Oosterman said in a statement that “the termination of Lisa LaFlamme’s contract had nothing to do with age, gender or grey hair,” the company still faced backlash.
Many criticized Bell Media’s decision, and LaFlamme garnered support from many Canadians. On August 25, Wendy’s Canada tweeted a new profile pic changing their mascot’s red pigtails to gray, “Because a star is a star regardless of hair color. #LisaLaFlamme #NewProfilePic”
Wendy’s is not the only company to speak out against Bell Media’s recent decision. Dove Canada launched a new campaign called #KeepTheGrey and tweeted, “Age is beautiful. Women should be able to do it on their own terms without any consequences. Dove is donating $100,000 to Catalyst, a Canadian organization helping build inclusive workspaces for all women.”
Sports Illustrated followed in the footsteps of Dove’s campaign and tweeted a grayscale version of their May issue, which featured 74-year-old model Maye Musk as the cover star.
Statistics show ageism in the workplace is not a new issue.
According to AARP, 66% of workers between 45 and 74 have either seen or experienced ageism at work. Job seekers over 35 say that age is their biggest obstacle to getting hired. Evidence shows older adults’ knowledge and expertise, which are the main predictors of job performance, continue to increase after 80. In fact, entrepreneurs over 40 are three times more likely to have successful companies, according to Harvard Business Review.
Research shows that older adults score higher in detail-oriented tasks, organization, leadership listening and problem-solving, according to AARP.
“Every aspect of job performance gets better as we age,” Peter Cappelli, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources, told AARP.
“I thought the picture might be more mixed, but it isn’t. The juxtaposition between the superior performance of older workers and the discrimination against them in the workplace just really makes no sense.”
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