Pembroke Park – Betty Davis, Local 10 News’ chief certified meteorologist, often gets compliments on the beauty of her hair. But recently a Local 10 News viewer used Facebook to criticize her hair.
The message: “Please DO NOT WEAR THAT OUTFIT ON TV AGAIN!!!!!” the message read. “You look awful, and you need to do something about that hair it’s too much for your face, we know it’s not all yours, so please, please either get less or get it shorter.
“Please take this as constructive criticism.”
It is not uncommon for women who work in television to be the victim of insults related to their physical appearance. Men who work at Local 10 News rarely get these messages.
Davis’ response to the viewer: “Hi [viewer] …thanks so much for your kind message. Have a blessed day.”
While Davis was getting the message, a Canadian mayor announced on Facebook that he had been wearing the same dark blue suit to every council meeting for the past 15 months.
His reasoning: He wanted to highlight double standards between men and women in the workplace.
“I actually think it’s a significant issue, as it demonstrates in some ways, the fact that there are different standards for men vs. women, that there are hidden barriers to women entering some professions, including elected office,” Stewart wrote in a Facebook post. “And if we truly want our democratic institutions to reflect society, we need to open our eyes to those differences.”
Stewart began wearing the same suit after he noticed that while he could pack a suit and a few shirts for out-of-town legislative sessions, his female colleagues couldn’t.
“They needed to pack a suitcase, lest they be caught wearing the same outfit twice in a week. Seriously?” he wrote. “Go ahead and laugh, guys, but I suspect there are more than a few women nodding in agreement.”
Laurie Jennings, a Local 10 News anchor, is one of those women nodding her head. Jennings keeps track of the clothes she wears in a booklet to ensure that outfits don’t get repeated too close to another.
The one time Jennings broke her rule about the length of time between outfits, she got a message from a viewer who suggested the station pay her more so she could buy new clothes.
Local 10 News’ Janine Stanwood, an anchor and reporter, said she has received her share of critical messages.
Stanwood said she keeps a handwritten letter from a viewer commenting on her appearance at her desk. It’s “kind of funny,” she said.
“You have to take it in stride,” Stanwood said. The handwritten note was from a viewer who "doesn’t like my forehead.”
Stanwood said that with a few exceptions her response is typically along the lines of “thanks for watching” Local 10 News.
“I am who I am, forehead and all,” Stanwood said. “We have an important job to do, we take the work seriously but you can’t take yourself too seriously.”
Stanwood’s co-anchor Victor Oquendo said that during his entire career on television he has never gotten a comment about his appearance. He has been working at Local 10 News for about six years.
“Not one person has said I didn’t like that tie or I didn’t like that jacket,” Oquendo said. “Meanwhile every woman I have worked with has been through that at some point or another.”
Oquendo remembers when Australian anchor Karl Stefanovic wore the same suit for a year. He did so to draw attention to the double standard. His female co-anchor was criticized over her clothes all the time. No one noticed him.
" I'm judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humor – on how I do my job, basically," Stefanovic said during an interview with Fairfax News Media in Australia.
"Whereas women are quite often judged on what they're wearing or how their hair is."
Davis may have been judged on her appearance, but she has a good sense of humor about the situation.
“It takes a minute to decide that you’re going to go online and send someone a message,” she said. “But that means she’s a really big fan.”