to wonder why the female co-presenter on Countdown has to dress like a stripper

[hamtastrophe]

Just that.

Is this 2013? Just utterly depressing.

Ah but he has the freedom to grow old on tv. She does not.

fluffyraggies

red gin for me please LesBOF.

Agreed AF

Rachel thingy does not dress like a stripper. ipso facto this is an invalid question.

Next?

She is trying to distract everyone from her eyes. Have you noticed they go off in different directions, like Kate Moss's? who also uses the stripper technique of dress

There was a bit of a tangent earlier on the thread about always seeing older men on TV and never older women. How the older female newsreaders were all pensioned off a few years ago (well done Chris Evans in bringing back Moira Stuart for his Radio 2 breakfast show). A lot of older female actresses have been complaing a lot lately that there are so few good roles - let alone presenting jobs - for older female actresses unless you are Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren. Both of those can still be very glam and sexy.

AIBU is full of women simply waiting to pounce on people and twist their words, thus putting them down, it is sport for them

Some people post in more than one board...

It might have also have been better if the OP has asked "Are women on television (and IRL) expected to reveal more flesh than men? If so, why?" rather than targetting an individual.

As a mathematician I like the message she gives - that you can be sexy and good at maths. I grew up in the days of "Saved by the bell" etc where the girl who was good at maths always always had glasses (usually held together by masking tape), buck teeth and spoke in a weird monotone.

Another thought - being good at maths - particularly that type of mental arithmetic - is something you are generally born with. Remaing a size 10 past the age of 25 is something most people have to work hard at. Why is the genetic thing the one that we are supposed to be admiring?

"I don't think she seems 'very much empowered' at all, I think that if she was genuinely empowered she would make different choices."

I get what you mean, but at the same time saying "she wouldn't wear that if she was empowered" edges into territory of telling women what they should wear.

Ideally we should all be able to dress however we like without being treated negatively for it or being told we have to dress certain ways to achieve anything. She should be as free to "dress like a stripper" as she is to wear a business suit, or just something casual. Because we are all more than just our clothes.

And I think that's the problem with addressing it at a specific person, it reads like a judgement on her rather than society. Talking in general terms reads less like an attack.

I think it is totally possible to be empowered while dressing in a "sexy" way, because it's about so much more than that. And it does come across as offensive when it is suggested that someone couldn't possibly have picked their own outfit.

Having said all that, the way women are expected to look in the media, is horrific and reduces us to nothing more than mannequins. I just don't see that all women refusing to dress that way will necessarily help matters if it isn't what the women want.

It wasn't actually all that long ago that to "achieve" as a woman you needed to be modest/ladylike, and if you dared dress sexy/slutty you were seen as worthless. I know you weren't saying that she was worthless for dressing that way, but it did read as though you were saying she'd be almost worth more if she dressed more modestly.

Great post, MOG. My thoughts exactly.

We call her Oh-no-what-is-she-wearing

Typical conversation between my Mum and I.......

"hey Mum, did you see what Oh-no-what-is-she-wearing was wearing today? "

"yes Doodles, I don't believe Oh-no-what-is-she-wearing would be able to sit down in that dress, let alone breathe"

I don't see a problem with it as long as she is comfortable. I don't think it is 'telling' your daughter anything - Unless you tell her that it is. You tell your daughter she is free to wear anything she wants to, without fear of being branded a 'stripper'. Oh wait... She doesn't.

Have just read the rest of the thread OP, And my god your views are patronizing and insulting.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=RFo&sa=X&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&biw=1600&bih=707&tbm=isch&tbnid=oPodW51wdqNXcM:&imgrefurl=www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a384515/countdown-features-the-word-minge-picture.html&docid=rWx2S6DUzLG2QM&imgurl=i1.cdnds.net/12/22/300x225/minge_countdown_2.JPG&w=300&h=225&ei=leT9UI2PIY-q0AWr7IHYDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1155&vpy=243&dur=976&hovh=180&hovw=240&tx=105&ty=63&sig=102766803047920523511&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=198&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:22,s:0,i:220" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sorry, couldn't resist

Well dress sense is pretty subjective so it's up to her really. To be honest I have more of an issue with women constantly and publically berating and making bitchy comments about other women. I teach my daughter to never judge anyone, regardless of gender, on what they wear.

What do you expect her to wear? A fucking cardigan?

I watched that show since I was a child but lost interest when Rachel came along. It is not just what she looks like but also the fact that she seems unable to solve a lot of the trickier maths problems compared to Carol. There have been times when I have got them without trying and I am not even being paid to concentrate of them. I think she is too wrapped up in her own sex-appeal to give the show the dedication and love it deserves. Whatever people may think of Carol, she had that in bucket loads.

FWIW, I don't think she dresses correctly for her body type and she is too voluptuous to wear those outfits without being compared to a stripper as she is big-boned - Lara Lewington could wear the same things and nobody would bat an eyelid.

It may well be that the fact that she is an Essex girl born and bred in Southend has informed her choices far more than the fact that she has been to Oxford. It may be her way of saying 'I have always been trashy and made it anyway - why should I change?'

Bloody hell, it's like whack-a-mole here, only with snobs instead of moles.

I went to see countdown being filmed - Carol had a man with a clipboard helping during the maths question

My DD is 2 and loves Countdown so we watch it most days (yes, I have a two year old who loves shouting "consonant!").

To be honest, I think she looks worse when she wears those horrible curtain dresses that are more modest. She has a fantastic figure so why the hell not, though. I can understand what the OP is saying but she IS a double first maths graduate and I would imagine that would be the first consideration when giving her the job.

Also if you've ever seen her on 8 out of 10 Cats, she wears far MORE make-up when she isn't on there. She also comes across as very funny and articulate.

YANBU. Inappropriate and why?? You don't get male presenters having to dress in the same way! Even for Sky sports presenting, or weather presenting, women seem to have to swear tight clothing showing off their boobs! And don't get me started on Holly W et al. on saturday nights ;-)

Surely without knowing why she dresses that way, we really shouldn't comment. E.g. Is that her style and how she likes to dress for work, if so then she shouldn't be criticised.

Is she told to dress like that to "sex" it up? If so, that's a disgrace.

I don't even get the concept of proving intelligent women can be attractive too - like this somehow adds value to their intelligence.

OP YANBU

I made a very big mistake looking at that fan page. I could weep. She is a disgrace for encouraging it. It's not light-hearted fun, it's choca block full of vile misogyny.