A Canadian News Anchor Was Shamed By A Viewer For Showing Cleavage. Her Response To It Is Savage AF
Woman to woman, or actually woman to anyone who is reading this, do you remember the first time you were made to feel horrible and indecent for wearing something that up until then felt absolutely comfortable to you? The first time you were made to feel sexualised for your choice of clothes? The women reading this probably more than a couple of things running through their head because this has happened to us. On the other hand, the men, I assume, are drawing a blank. Does that even happen?
That is because while men get a free pass to wear anything (or even literally nothing)without offending anyone, women have to constantly be kept in check, in case they wear something that shows even a inch of their skin. Would you imagine the catastrophe a little cleavage, or showing of the skin or a bra-strap would unleash on the world? Because we certainly can’t and neither could a Canadian news anchor who recently slammed a viewer for trying to police her for what she wore.
During her usual show on the news channel CHEK News in Victoria, Kori Sidaway was presenting the daily news to her viewers, when she was picked on for one of the most frustratingly annoying thing ever – her cleavage. Donning a fine, white V-neck top that allowed for a cleavage (which mind you, she was okay with) and which we think looked pretty perfect, wasn’t taken to particularly well by a viewer and was so fantastically upset that they wrote an email to her about her poor choice in fashion for the screen.
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The email started with a passive aggressive message, typed in all caps that read, “TOO MUCH CLEAVAGE CAN BREAK YOUR NEWS STORY.” It further continued to read, “Don’t let it happen to you,” adding a picture of the news anchor and another one of a woman showing cleavage in a white top. The message that then reprimanded the woman and asked her to “dress appropriately” was signed off by an alleged ‘Vancouver Island Cleavage Patrol’.
Clearly, the pandemic has created an abundance of time for people having nothing better to do than patrol someone else’s wardrobe. Not to forget, a person will always and only see what they want to, regardless of a woman wearing a deep neck top or a fully covered gown.
This screenshot was sent to me and my colleagues in an attempt to shame and police my body. Well, I’m taking my power back.
To the nameless computer warrior(s) who try to reduce women into an outfit or a body part — this generation of women, doesn’t stand for harassment👩🏼🤝👩🏻✌🏻 pic.twitter.com/fgGySbVTYy
— Kori Sidaway (@korisidaway) September 7, 2020
So wrong. And to think I was going to send you a message complementing on the beautiful necklace that you were wearing. Some people just suck. So sorry you had to be subjected to this kind of hatred. You are beautiful, and professional!
— crazymom191 (@crazymom191) September 7, 2020
Thank you for speaking out. This crappy behaviour needs to be shut down as soon as possible. I'm sorry you have to deal with this. And thank you for the awesome job you do @CHEK_News
— Jerry Cooper 🇺🇦 (@_hugoagogo) September 7, 2020
Good for you for speaking out about an experience all too common for female broadcasters. As a TV journalist, I've been criticized for not matching up to how people "think" women on TV should look. I've been called ugly, 'not feminine enough', etc. It is never acceptable.
— Heidi (@HeidiPdot) September 7, 2020
I have a friend who works as an on air meteorologist in the states and some of the emails and messages that she gets to her invoices are appalling. I don't understand why viewers think that they have the right to police what women wear on air. I'm sorry this happened to you.
— Julia (@josinchuk_wx) September 7, 2020
However, Kori wasn’t having any of it, and chose to shut down the body-shamer with a message that was more than apt – You don’t get to decide what a woman wears and you sure as hell don’t get to shame her for anything she chooses to go with. She took a screenshot of the appalling email, quickly posting it on twitter with a strong caption that read, “This screenshot was sent to me and my colleagues in an attempt to shame and police my body. Well, I’m taking my power back. To the nameless computer warrior(s) who try to reduce women into an outfit or a body part, this generation of women, doesn’t stand for harassment.”
Within minutes as her post went viral, and several women came to the fore not just to defend Kori, but also to share their own stories, where they too had been told what would be appropriate for them to wear by others. Several instances of body-shaming, social harassment and pointless moral policing were uncovered, all from women who dared to dress the way they like.
Meanwhile, her post opened a bigger dialogue among women for why are they still reduced to and judged by how deep or short their clothes are. One would expect that at least now women might be exempted from the unsolicited high-handedness of men, but perhaps there is still a lot of growing up to do for the society, that can’t look beyond what a person is sporting. But until then, women are done taking the blame. As Kori said, we are taking our power back.
