A Canadian journalist came under fire for a dress she wore on air and is getting a lot of support
A Canadian journalist is receiving a lot of support online after a viewer reached out and called the outfit she was wearing on air “inappropriate” and “almost annoying.”
Tess van Straaten, news personality for CHEK News in Victoria, BC, shared a complaint received from a viewer on Twitter about a sleeveless dress she wore during a weather forecast.
In the email, the viewer wrote that it was “inappropriate” for the journalist to “wear sleeveless tops in winter to report on the weather.”
“In my opinion, you should wear a suit jacket and look more professional like other newscasters around the world,” said the email that Van Straaten said was sent to the entire newsroom.
“Sorry for the negative comment, but it’s almost annoying to see what she’s wearing,” he continued.
The BC journalist decided to share the complaint via Twitter writing: “This is what women in broadcasting still sadly face in 2023… You think my dress is ‘almost annoying’?”
Van Straaten tells Narcity this is the second email he’s received from a viewer about her bare arms in the past year, the previous one he received while reporting during a heat wave.
“Unfortunately, it’s all too common for women in broadcasting and the public to receive emails about how they look, whether it’s a negative comment [over] her clothes, her hair, or even her weight, and male colleagues rarely get messages like this.”
She says she used to ignore this type of “superficial criticism” like the one she tweeted, but decided to start reporting it a few years ago.
“I’ve been in broadcasting for over 20 years, and I would have thought things would be better now,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it seems to be worse than ever. That’s why I decided to tweet the email. It wasn’t because my feelings were hurt, it was because people need to realize that it’s not okay to tell women how they should look or dress.” .”
After sharing the email online, Van Straaten received a lot of support from both viewers and other journalists.
By Monday, the tweet had been viewed more than 500,000 times and had more than 1,000 comments.
Many people expressed their support for Van Straaten.
CTV News Vancouver host Keri Adams tweeted that “arms showing shouldn’t even be part of the conversation.”
Van Straaten’s CHEK colleague Kori Sidaway mocked the email, writing: “This just in: women have arms!”
NYPD blue Actress Sharon Lawrence also weighed in on the complaint, writing: “This person can’t even spell so let’s not worry about the ignorant, nervous nightmares out there.”
Someone else posted a the Simpson GIF pointing out the nonsense of the complaint.
One Twitter user jokingly asked Van Straaten to dress warmer next time to “empathize with our suffering” in reference to the freezing temperatures we have to deal with outside.
Van Straaten says she’s “completely blown away” by the outpouring of support she received for her tweet.
“The supportive comments have warmed my heart, and the funny ones have made me laugh, and the overwhelmingly positive response has helped restore my faith in humanity.”
The BC announcer is the latest journalist to call out a viewer via email he received about his appearance.
On December 10, CTV Calgary anchor kathy lee publicly shared a complaint from a viewer that he received. The complaint stemmed from the fact that she was “very pregnant” on the air.