AIBU to be bothered by the way female presenters dress?

[Justwrong68]

I was just watching Good Morning Britain and it seems ridiculous that the male presenters stick to their male uniform whereas the females, particularly Susanna and Kate wear very tight, colourful dresses that really emphasise their body shapes. The contrast is stark, I don’t understand it and it’s certainly distracting!

What now?

You think some random bunch of men are making them wear those clothes?

I absolutley do not think Drs who specialise in treating cancer are tottering about in heels and tiny skirts or employed because they are "attractive"

Women use their bodies to get ahead and somehow men get all the blame.

Way bigger things to worry about that are going in our world, really what does it matter about a dress / outfit being worn by a TV presenter, I guess as long as they've not got their bits out it's all ok. Men wear suits on TV to present (mostly) it's just how it is, no big deal really.

This doesn't bother me per se, but it does bother me when it's a woman sports journalist and they're done up to the nines with hair and make up and high heels. They look ridiculous teetering onto a football/rugby pitch amongst everyone else who are generally quite casually dressed. Some smart/casual trousers and flat shoes would be much more appropriate.

Use their bodies, or just happen to have a body?

Yes, YABU to be even mildly bothered by this.

I think what they wear is their choice. The presenters are given a clothing allowance.

So, unless there is a dress code that reads 'show off your bust and hips', then what exactly is the problem?

Whenever I catch these programmes I am in awe of how good the female presenters look. Damn right if I was on TV every day I would want to show off my figure - especially if I was working hard to maintain it!

I think the people commenting that the OP is being silly and that these women dress as they please are very naive.

Of course there is a double standard when it comes to what female presenters and their male colleagues are expected to wear/look like.

I always find it very silly and sad when these women wear ridiculously high heels and tight clothes.

The focus for male journalists, politicians and TV presenters is intelligence, skills, experience, wit...with women who do these jobs their appearance will be scrutinised and criticised and their age will be a big factor as to whether they keep their jobs on TV.

Crikey some people are obtuse. You don't have to be worried your husband is getting aroused by Carol doing the weather, or believe that these women are putting on the dresses and heels at gunpoint, to note that it's at the very least a bit interesting that virtually all the women doing this job are wearing fitted dresses and heels to do the same job a man is doing wearing a suit and tie.

I do also think the women's dresses are usually fairly sexless while being incredibly gendered at the same time - they're more mother-of-the-bride than anything a lot of the time. But they do fairly consistently present an image of what it is to be a woman in that job compared to what it is to be a man.

Also, of course, pretty interesting that the pairs are almost invariably male-female, as though to echo and reinforce that as the norm for a pair of adults.

I see people have no idea how social pressure and expectations and norms work - we call it patriarchy not because some man is sitting in an office making laws about how women behave but because the social set up favors men and considers women in many cases more like jewels than humans

just look at trump and other powerful men how they display their trophy brides. Can you visualise the husband of any powerful woman? Are they displayed? Traded in for a young model. Mr May? Do you know if Truss is even married ?

women enforce the patriarchal norms just as much as men

it’s dehumanising to women to be valued for your breeding capacity- like a cow at an agricultural show

I’m hoping you mean that you think someone at itv is forcing women to dress that way, but not the men?
it’s possible but I doubt it.
i am hoping everyone is wearing what makes them feel good. If they are being forced to dress like that you’d hope they’d speak up.

I think we just need to look at Holly Willoughby and Amanda Holden to know that's not the case. Same job, same show, very different attire.

Good, we are half way there. Next bit isn’t hard: why do you think it’s okay to require those things of female journalists, then?

Logically if you were so beautiful it could open any door for you, then you might want to do something better than GMB? That would explain why the presenters are good looking but not beauties of the age?

What about smart but very ugly people, how many of them make it? Kemi, Starmer, Blair, Cameron, Thatcher, Sunak, Truss, May even Bojo. we can debate their intellect but none of them are/were notably ugly.

So fatuous to say ‘it’s their choice!’ when it’s practically every visible woman in that career. We’re missing all the brilliant women who happen to be no more pretty than Jeremy Paxman, or who want to wear smart but plain clothes to work. We’ll lose most of the women currently on TV before their male peers, to radio or obscurity, whereas many of the men can step into a grey haired and venerable role. It’s not a good thing for any woman if the women who can conform to particular standards of looks and dress are the ONLY ones allowed to do a particular role.

Sounds like you are advertising the idea of a UK Volunteer Brigade for the Taliban. It won't catch on.
We are talking about Television, it is governed by being visual, because that is what attracts people. It is Not radio which is about sound. It is about entertainment. They bring something different to us. That is the purpose of the industry.

Who cares?

It's television. People like to see attractive, stylish women. Women on television like to look attractive. It's life.

What would you say to your daughter if she was a crack journalist with awards who wanted to become a tv journalist and present one of these shows, but failed her interview for not being conventionally attractive enough?

Yes, this. It's just natural human nature and I don't see it as a big deal tbh.

I wouldn't say they were wearing skintight dresses with boobs and bum on show

Yes brightly coloured, and flattering but a quick good shows more shirt dresses/suits. High necklines. Women have boobs, those boobs will show.

I also think a suit is designed to make men more attractive, it shows a stereotypically attractive male "figure" (broad shoulders, coming in at the waist). The suits are just as tight as Kate garroways dress.

Yes there obviously is an expectation that women should look a certain way, but you also have to be careful that you aren't expecting the female body to be hidden. Women's bodies are curved, they have breasts and hips and arses. I'm not seeing overly tight clothing, just the shape of a womans body in a dress. The male suit is equally tight but you don't find the sight of a male arse to be "distracting"

"Natural human nature" to want to be able to walk with more difficulty and completely unable to run. Of course. But only natural human nature for women, of course.

Yeah but nobody ever says 'that suit looks great on you, really shows off your figure,' do they? Or, 'did you see that suit Charlie Stayt was wearing? Bit mutton dressed as lamb wasn't it?' Or, 'someone needs to tell Charlie Stayt that suit doesn't fit him, he's bulging out everywhere, so unflattering'

You know, a lot of women like wearing heels. And can do so without finding difficulty with walking.

Not all jobs are open to all people. Some people aren't clever enough, physically fit enough, attractive enough, don't have the right personality type, have chronic illnesses or disabilities etc etc. Life isn't fair.

My daughter in that scenario is clearly very talented and accomplished already so there will be plenty of other opportunities.

So despite clearly being the best person for the job, you’d be happy for her to be excluded because she doesn’t have an attractive enough body or face.

I think I’d be ashamed to have admitted that on a public forum, tbh.