#16. Sharyl Attkisson

The Ultimate 50

16. Sharyl Attkisson

2008 Update

Sharyl hasn't needed to adjust her hair much since our last update. The length may have varied a bit, but the basic style and solid hold remained -- such as in this early 2008 interview for the CBS Evening News.

But on an evening in late March, Sharyl was outside on Capitol Hill as a wind kicked up during a live report. At first it appeared her Super-style would simply blow backwards, off the face. She had used this trick so many times before, to keep a perfect record of undefeated hair. And she had escaped what seemed like sure defeat so often -- so couldn't it happen again?

But the wind apparently shifted direction a bit -- with this shocking result. The hair plopped badly across Sharyl's face. Not once, but twice. She had to hold her right hand up for several seconds, to keep it from happening a third time. It was a stunning ending to what we consider a tremendously long run of strong-holding, impressive-looking styles. We still admire her journalistic work, and her well-prepared looks.

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2006 Update

We're happy to say we were wrong about Sharyl leaving full-time television work. She's now the Capitol Hill correspondent for CBS News, and her hair still looks great. This vidcap from Labor Day 2006 shows a medium-short look with a bit of wave added on her right side, followed by round-brushing to create a delicate-looking style which held flawlessly outside.

When Sharyl anchored the CBS Evening News one weekend in August, the right side appeared flatter. But a side view of that key area revealed the hair was curled back a bit; we assume spray was added to lock in the style.

In a 2005 Super-Hair Q&A; interview, Sharyl admitted her hair blew into her eyes while reporting on the 2005 Presidential inaugural. We saw some of the coverage, and noticed the style was weakened by wind -- but we've never seen pictures confirming its collapse. We still consider her unbeaten until we see it for ourselves. You can check hundreds of Attkisson's videos at the CBS News web site (now FREE, and allowing Windows Media Players).

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2004 Update

Attkisson may be making a transition away from full-time TV. She still appears in investigative reports for CBS, but she also heads a business called "News Style Services" in Washington and has co-written an instructional book for journalism students. Yet her hair remains daringly undefeated. This vid-cap from early 2004 shows a small group of bangs slightly off-line -- but still strongly holding.

This view from June 2004 shows the style Attkisson likely prefers, with both sides securely behind her ears. But in the Northern Plains, she had a report in 2003 so windblown that strands jumped somehow around her left eye. We even did a Cutting-Edge Hair News poll about it, but divided Hair Fans leaned toward her hair still being unbeaten.

A big Attkisson supporter is the overseer of TWWL: The Women We Love. You can find four years of pictures of her there.

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2002 Update

In a recent online chat, a Hair Fan asked us what on earth (OK, not an exact translation) Sharyl's trying to do with her hair these days. The best way we can describe her current style is something a bit shorter than this photo. She has a set of short layers which can take several appearances - sometimes round-brushed in a well-groomed wave, sometimes loose with messy-looking bangs.

Sharyl's had several extremely close calls with her hair this year. The closest of all came after a Maryland tornado, when a leftover breeze made her style seriously blow. But a shot from the back never showed us her eyes - and she masterfully tossed her head to the right at the start of a live report, providing just enough security just long enough to keep the hair from falling across her face.

And what a pleasant surprise we had when this photo landed in our e-mail! This is Sharyl's senior photo from high school, along Florida's west coast. It's the closest we've come to finding pictures of her with long hair. The CNN years had hair just as thick, only straighter -- and it appears the strands are every bit as strong.

Attkisson doesn't seem to have any online fan clubs. Your best hope for seeing her hair under pressure may come from checking the CBS News web site and watching video of her reports. (You'll need RealOne to view them, so have your credit card ready.)

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