In case you don't already know, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews finally saw justice this week when her peephole stalker was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Ironically, the news of him getting sent behind bars only rehashed the Google searches of "Erin Andrews naked" or "Erin Andrews peephole."
Her entire career is almost completely overshadowed by an obtrusive, mortifying video that she never consented.
If you Google her, images of her body (that don't include her face) show up. Links to the video, links to articles about the video. Without the ESPN logo, there's really no implication she even has a successful career as a college football sideline reporter.
As a young, female journalist (who also happens to be blonde) currently working in sports, it absolutely terrifies me. If you're not what society deems "good looking," you can kiss air time goodbye (would you see Precious interviewing Tim Tebow during the SEC championship? Probably not). If you are good looking, you end up with photos of your rear end on Google images.
Does that mean I need to get some frequent flyer miles through the McDonald's drive-thru and relinquish my blonde highlights to be taken seriously?
I'm reading veteran reporter Lesley Stahl's autobiography, "Reporting Live" and she talks about joining CBS in the 1970s. Not only did she have to measure up to heavy hitters like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather on a purely professional level, she had to fight her way up the ranks as one of the only women (alongside Connie Chung) in a completely male-dominated field.
She even describes one time when she was put on a panel with other CBS anchors, and the placeholders were listed as "Cronkite," "Rather," "Schieffer," and "female."
In her campaign for equality, Stahl was adamant about wearing her glasses on camera and around the newsroom. Glasses, she insisted, kept her poker face intact. I completely respect that.
I'm not sure what my statement of equity is or would be, but I don't think I need one.
Does this deter me from wanting to work in sports? A little. But thankfully I have a stubborn tendency to tell the odds to suck it.
Sorry Lesley, I'd wear my glasses but they make me look even younger than I already do. Maybe I'll just stick to pant suits, Hillary style.
Thoughts?
3 comments:
I'm not a big Erin Andrews fan but I respect her as a person. I like Heidi Watney and Kathryn Tappen better, but they focus more on specific sports teams as opposed to Erin who covers sports in general. There is a boston based sports blog that I read daily and they are pretty much the epitome of what you are talking about. They are all about who's hotter as opposed to who is the better reporter.
http://boston.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/erin-andrews-stalker-gets-two-years-in-prison-winkwink/
Here we go. This is from the site I was talking about.
Back in the late 70's/early 80's, the number one local tv station, WDSU had a female sportscaster, Ann Simon, who was hassled on air by her crew and peers. While she would give a sportscast on, say, the New Orleans Jazz, the basket ball team, now the Utah Jazz, they would play say, bombs going off in Beirut. This wasn't once in awhile, but every single broadcast. If she tried to interview our football players, the Saints, her mic would get cut-off. This went on and on until I blew a gasket and wrote the president of the company. I sent a copy to the editor, and everyone else I could think of, including Ms. Simon.
The president went on and on in a two page, single spaced letter about how she was the incompetent one and needed to do "ladies' pieces." Her reply? "Thanks, it's hard to do one's job, knowing you are being sabotaged and keep your cool in front of a live camera. I appreciate your support."
You know my several (successful) careers, and being the "first woman" in each. NONE of it was easy, much of it wasn't fun, and being a woman in the workplace, even a successful one, will always, ALWAYS be suspect of any success, no matter how small, and the better looking you are, the worse it is.
And even worse? For a woman who has to be in the public eye, the better looking you are, the more your success is, well, suspect. But if you are going to be in front of a camera, you HAVE to be attractive, male or female, but a handsome sportscaster will never be referred to (apologies to Deborah Norville)as "the sports fox." Damned if ya do and damned if ya don't.
But, YOU GO, GURL! The way has been paved, just try not to break a heel along the road!
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