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Original poster

AIBU thinking BBC & others should stop advocating stick thin women as presenters?

34 replies

JustWonderingWhether · 10/09/2019 18:34

Just watched 6pm news and weather.... wincing as the weather presenter looked like her teeny weeny sinuous arm muscles would snap live on TV at any moment!!!

I mean it's not good for young girls self image perception thinking this is desirable and what is required t be on TV!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
JustWonderingWhether · 10/09/2019 18:45

???

OP posts:
Samcro · 10/09/2019 18:57

Do you mean they shouldn't employ thin people?

user764329056 · 10/09/2019 20:14

I agree OP, when you consider TV is supposed to add 10lbs to appearance some of these presenters must be so tiny, I think BBC is particularly guilty of this, I know someone who works there and they say it’s a thing

virginpinkmartini · 10/09/2019 20:17

Same with overweight women too then

writersbeenblocked · 10/09/2019 20:17

And here's me thinking that people should be employed for their skill...!

virginpinkmartini · 10/09/2019 20:19

Or how about we just stop reducing people's value to how they look. There are presenters of all shapes and sizes. It's wrong to try and erase individuals because they don't have a body type that you 'agree with'

homertonb · 10/09/2019 20:20

Yabu

MoltoAgitato · 10/09/2019 20:21

To be fair, it’s not like there’s a big line in overweight male presenters either.

thecatneuterer · 11/09/2019 08:53

Good heavens. How rude and stupid. And in any case that presenter isn't 'stick thin', she is normal sized (as in just not overweight). I'm not sure I can think of any presenters who I would consider to be underweight. I can think of quite a few who are a little overweight (although I can't think of any very overweight that's true).

There seems to be a reasonable representation of size (but older women are still underrepresented).

Deathraystare · 11/09/2019 15:35

It was good to see one of the channels has a weather girl/lady/woman/female with a stump where her arm should be (sadly they got some complaints though).

sue51 · 11/09/2019 15:38

Struggling to think of any stick thin presenters.

thecatneuterer · 11/09/2019 15:43

@sue51 I can't think of any either. The only stick thin women I've seen on TV that I can think of have been a couple of the participants in Celebs Go Dating (not the celebs - the 'normal' people) - one this series and a couple in earlier series looked anorexic.

Sparklingbrook · 11/09/2019 15:43

I don't care what size or shape presenters are they just need to be able to do the job. So many can't.

Wildthyme · 11/09/2019 15:45

Why? Do thin women make you feel bad. Do. They threaten you?

CynthiaRothrock · 11/09/2019 16:00

They're too thin, then too fat, then not ethnic enough, then too ethnic, not diverse enough now too diverse. Why the fuck can people not be people?

Presenters picked were obviously bette qualified, should they not have got the job because they are too thin, by your opinion?

I have been discriminated against my whole life because of my size. I am 4ft 11 and weigh 7st.4. I have the body frame of a typical 11 yr old. I have been turned down for jobs based on my height, been called anorexic and bulimic because of my natural build yet i eat like a fucking pig! etc etc.

My sistee on the other hand is 4x thesize of me because of an illness. She has been sneered at in cafes and pubs. She could eat lettuce for a year and not lose a Lb!!

Stop judging people on their looks. You dont know their life or their story!

DoctorAllcome · 11/09/2019 16:05

YABU
People should be hired for their skills and experience, not their body size, type, etc.
Now if BBC had some sort of max weight for its presenters where they were discriminating against heavier people or threatening to fire presenters if they gained weight THEN you’d have a point.
But to just skinny shame a presenter? That is awful.

CreatedBySombra · 11/09/2019 17:00

YABU

One of my friends is a newsreader. On TV she looks incredible, glossy hair, perfect makeup and incredibly slender.

In real life she looks like just another person and I'd guess she's a size 8/10 which certainly isn't on the skinny side of things although I'd probably sacrifice a limb to be that slim

That being said, she's brilliant at her job and very likable on/off camera so I can see why they've employed her (aside from how glamourous they can make her look).

We should not be attacking others based on their appearance irrespective of how it makes you feel about your own.

Hey1256 · 11/09/2019 20:46

YABU, what if wanted no fat people on tv. I don't think that would go down well.

Stop picking on slim people, it's as bad as picking on fat.

Ohflippineck · 11/09/2019 20:50

Expect she was employed for her meteorological knowledge. Doubt if the size of her arms was taken into account.
Nor should it have been, some people are thin, some are fat, some are in between. Are some more worthy of responsible jobs than others, based on their appearance?

AuntieStella · 11/09/2019 20:55

You could always watch presenters such as Louise Minchin instead.

You might decide she's 'too thin' as well, but her body is fit and strong enough to represent GBR internationally in the triathlon

which1 · 11/09/2019 21:01

Louise is my fave BBC Breakfast presenter- she always comes across as very genuine and down to earth. I wonder if she really is but that's my impression.

Pinkblueberry · 11/09/2019 21:03

YABU - you’re the one preoccupied with her weight and making a thing of it. Most people are just watching the news...

WeMustGetOffTheMountain · 11/09/2019 21:08

YABVU.

PinkBuffalo · 11/09/2019 21:15

I don't know which presenter you mean, but if she is doing her job well and is not unwell with disordered eating then is it really promoting a body type? Maybe she is just thin!
My arms are super skinny which i am trying to work on in the gym, but it's a struggle!

Merename · 11/09/2019 21:19

Haha most of these replies are typical MN, it’s like folk just want to disagree and be outraged with whatever the OP says sometimes. That said, I don’t have a tv so have no opinion to share on whether there are many stick thin presenters, but I think the pressures on women in public life to be thinner than average are well documented.