after seeing the newsreaders dancing on CIN, am wondering if you need to be a size 10 to read the news

[ssd]

they all looked great, but jesus talk about skinny

dont they eat?

and they all have a bunch of kids too

jesus

A woman gets the expertise in the job. You don't just turn up as a news reader on the BBC. You work in the corporation from the start, school or graduation, or in local tv. So you don't get some really talented 40 YO size 18 newsreader turning up from nowhere.

Successful women do tend to have strong self disipline. However you can always find exceptions to the rule, and there is simply no point in identifying each one to try and disprove the obvious.

Picking apart other womens Appearnece, experience, expertise and hinting they got to the level they did on their looks is pretty bloody mysoginistic if you ask me.

I think that a double standard that penalises women in the public eye fits into institutional 'misogyny' in my book.

So people on here watch the TV and see no disparity in the ages, attractiveness or levels of grooming required for male and female presenters. Missed the BBC getting into hot water for dropping female presenters once they hit a certain age. Genuinely think the men we see on these programs are as attractive as the women, are held to the same grooming standards etc.

That's interesting.

Who has said these women got their jobs based on their looks? I'm sure they are all professional and hardworking journalists.

It's still a bit of a coincidence they're all young (ish), thin and attractive, isn't it? Funny how no older, fatter or less attractive women were talented enough in their journalistic abilities to secure these roles.

Maybe older, fatter and less attractive women are a bit thick and lack drive?

It's always a possibility.

Fortunately no such correlation holds back older, fatter and less attractive men. Phew!

They are not young or attractive! Groomed yes. Thin yes. That's not the same. Tbh you are making odd assumptions and putting words into the mouth of others based on what you want to argue about, not what's actually being said so further discussion seems futile.

There is obviously a bias towards attractive, young females on TV whilst men carry on until their dotage, craggy as they like.
That is appalling.

But so are the posts on here calling other women lollipop heads and whatever else.

And yes, it's all misogyny.

"A woman gets the expertise in the job. You don't just turn up as a news reader on the BBC. You work in the corporation from the start, school or graduation, or in local tv. So you don't get some really talented 40 YO size 18 newsreader turning up from nowhere."

No. But there don't seemnto be any really talented size 18 20 year old reporters on local tv either. Or an really talented size 18 30 year old news readers. So there aren't going to be any really talented 40 year old size 18 nesreaders, are there?!!

serenity you think the the average female newsreader in the UK is old and ugly?

PLease note I said young (ish).

Serenity, women do tend to have an earlier use by date on TV it has to be said.

Not young, no. 36 isn't young. Not ugly, of course all newsreaders look different but collectively I don't think they're attractive compared to, well, attractive people. Ordinary looking mostly.

I think it's the same across all media probably - certainly hollywood actresses notice their work vanishing around the 35/40 mark while their male counterparts carry on strong, with younger and younger leading ladies.

Today I watched a bit of power snooker and was a bit at the arrangements - each player being accompanied out by a young woman in tight clothes etc. It's just a bit odd - teh whole "women as ornamentation" thing.

These women who read the news have to be able to do the reading and the interviewing and so on and they also need to look ornamental as that is a role of women. Men are not required to look ornamental (generally). And it's as simple as that really.

I'm not denying there is sexism in tv. I just don't think those women are in their jobs because they are young beautiful and thin. I think thin is a byproduct of the type of people they are. I think young is because it's bloody hard in that industry to hav a family (yes- sexist) so many women fall out the workplace. In terms ofthose women deemed too old to be on tv at all- yes, it a fucking disgrace. But tv, like say music- is a young persons game. That does ring true for men, although maybe not as noticeably or commonly.

sardine you comments are excellent and have saved me writing them.

Serenity you have just said these women are not young and now you say they are young.

And I don't think anyone has implied that these women are not excellent at their jobs, professional and so on. I'm not sure which posts you got that from.

Ooh closs

Actually serenity some of the older women got fired, they didn't leave because they chose to. Moira stewart, Arlene philips

But there don't seemnto be any really talented size 18 20 year old reporters on local tv either. Or an really talented size 18 30 year old news readers. So there aren't going to be any really talented 40 year old size 18 nesreaders, are there?!!

That goes for men as well as women though, so maybe the BBC are fattist instead of misogynistic.

"Being bitchy about women being slim is just as bad as being bitchy about women being fat.
My adult daughter is a healthy size 8 and 5'9", despite having had two children, and is just naturally very slim. She gets really pissed off with comments about how thin she is, no one feels nearly as comfortable telling a fat woman how fat she is yet fat women actually have to do something to get fat.
Can we women not just appreciate each other fat or thin?"

I agree. I have always been slim. I hate being called skinny - it is an insult not a compliment. For the record I didn't think any of the newsreaders were skinny. They were slim and all have nice fugures. I don't know why you think they are skinny, unless it was meant as a jealous, bitchy comment.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=skinny&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&biw=1024&bih=605&tbm=isch&tbnid=my8FcRoW1GlRIM:&imgrefurl=www.jokesfeed.com/miss-skinny-2011-believe-or-not/&docid=d6Bz-HHIdQgBmM&imgurl=www.jokesfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/miss-skinny-2011.jpg&w=400&h=544&ei=OfLHTo6XKYay8gOP_PBf&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=644&vpy=141&dur=891&hovh=262&hovw=192&tx=85&ty=133&sig=105401916888973458967&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=84&start=0&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this is what I would call skinny, not <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=cin+newsreaders+dancers&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&biw=1024&bih=605&tbm=isch&tbnid=EcjwVRH-jfd8lM:&imgrefurl=www.metro.co.uk/tv/881908-bbc-newsreader-sophie-raworth-does-strictly-come-dancing&docid=GtgkdrZ3ZFrtgM&imgurl=img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/16/article-1321455580962-0ED1ACCF00000578-766949_466x603.jpg&w=466&h=603&ei=cvLHTsOmF8_48QO958iBAQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=690&sig=105401916888973458967&page=1&tbnh=128&tbnw=79&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0&tx=34&ty=59" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this

Here:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346089/Miriam-OReilly-wins-Countryfile-ageism-claim-discrimination-BBC.html

Sorry it's a link to the Daily Mail. Note the crack about her needing Botox for her wrinkles from the producer (if the mail haven't subbed it out). They hate the BBC more than they hate uppity feminist type older women who won't piss off and die when they are pushing 50, that's the only reason they ran it at all.

(and breathe...)

I am amazed and fucking horrified that people on here think it's a coincidence that female telly presenters/newsreaders are all rather slim beautiful etc. Of course it's fucking misogyny.

Journalism is extremely sexist and most newsrooms have their complements of older men and young women. Radio and newspapers are a bit better and of course there are lots of non-eye candy bloody good women journalists. But they are not on the prime time tv screens.

And it is hard to combine parenthood and journalism because of the hours and presenteeism culture.

They are fucking awful about maternity leave/flexible working. Hence the older men younger women who haven't had children yet workforce.

For all of you who think this is a coincidence, no it isn't.

We should be a lot more worried than we are that this is not changing. It has a little (when I started there were no women sports reporters, there are now), but not nearly enough.

I have been a journalist for nearly 30 years, and it makes me very sad (and fucking cross as well).

Moira stuart still works for the BBC. But still again, exceptions. For every woman who clung on and worked her tits off and sacrificed a lot 20 more quit well before that because that sacrifice was too great. Like many high powered industries.
I have a number of friends in tv, used to do some running myself when i was at uni. It is a young persons game- shit pay, hours etc. But serious news is read by serious people. They are not young. You will NEVER see a 21 YO Reading the news at 10. Is that ageism too then? You don't need to be a journalist to read the news, not that you couldn't be at that age anyway.

That woman is a bit more than skinny, bunbaker. She is skeletal.