‘Women are not paper dolls’
HEATHER UNRUH: TV newswomen shouldn’t have to dress provocatively
In June I did something liberating — I cleaned out my closet and took armfuls of bright colored, body contour dresses to a local consignment store and said good riddance!
I have not worn one since.
Why does anyone think that it’s a good idea to wear cocktail attire to work when your job is to deliver the news? How can viewers be expected to take you seriously with cleavage showing while you’re covering a hard-hitting story or tragedy?
I feel certain that the idea to have women broadcasters dress more provocatively was not conceived by a woman and, in my opinion, not by a true journalist. Many women I know in the business have serious concerns that their credibility is being eroded, and legitimately so.
Clearly my comments to New England Living TV touched a nerve as social media lit up. It wasn’t breaking news by any means, but I’m glad to have said what everyone else was thinking.
Let’s start a loud and proud conversation, like the dialogue surrounding equal pay. Women are not paper dolls. It is insulting to both journalists and viewers to suggest that ratings are won because an anchor or reporter on one channel is sexier than the one on the next. For too long we have remained silent while the pendulum swung in the wrong direction — and I for one hope it will swing back. The widely held belief that sex sells tarnishes the integrity that smart women contribute to newscasts.
I think people are beginning to recognize that women are treated differently in a lot of professions, but I think it’s very visible when you’re talking about broadcast news because it’s happening right in front of your eyes.
Rather than being applauded for their talents and their journalistic abilities, women are being encouraged to show off other assets, and that makes me uncomfortable.
It’s changed a lot from when I first got in the news and I was wearing a tweed blazer.
I would say women who got into the business because they were journalists at heart are less than thrilled about this movement to put us in tight-fitting dresses and bright colors to gain viewership. That’s not what we got into the business for. We got into the business to really delve into important stories.
This is not an issue that is unique to Boston — women who are journalists are beginning to feel like window dressing. It’s no secret that executives are looking for a certain type of image. If you change the channel to any local or network news now, you will see women who look like carbon copies of each other.
And frankly, I think it’s insulting to viewers’ intelligence to suggest that what a woman is wearing, and whether or not it is provocative, will have any impact on if they choose to watch.
It is this former newscaster’s opinion that content, trust and credibility are a station’s real assets.