‘Too cleavage’: viewer complaint about reporter outfit angers

A television host has responded to a viewer who criticized her outfit for showing “too much cleavage.”

Canadian journalist Kori Sidaway took to Twitter to share an email she received complaining about a long-sleeved white T-shirt she wore to break the news on Sunday, September 6.

The unidentified bystander tore strips off Sidaway, telling him to “dress appropriately.”

But Sidaway publicly criticized its sender for “body shaming”, sharing the email online where hundreds have joined in support, calling it “rude” and “disgusting.”

The email began with aggressive capital letters, stating: “TOO MUCH DIVISION CAN BREAK YOUR NEWS.”

Then the writer switched to the normal font and added, “Don’t let it happen to you.”

The sender also attached two photos, one showing Sidaway head-on at the drafting table, wearing the garment they were having trouble with, with no offensive cleavage in sight.

The other was from an unknown woman, not Sidaway, who was wearing a similar white blouse with a much bolder cut, displaying a quantity of spicy meat.

“What you think we see and what we actually see,” the email read.

She then added that she had worked hard to get to where she was in her career, so it was important that she “dress appropriately.” The sender then signed: “Vancouver Island Cleavage Patrol.”

However, Sidaway, who works for CHEK News in Victoria, called the email, criticizing its sender for “embarrassing her.”

“This screenshot was sent to me and my colleagues in an attempt to shame and police my body. Well, I am regaining my power,” he wrote on Twitter.

“For the nameless computer warriors trying to reduce women to an outfit or a body part, this generation of women can’t stand harassment.”

The tweet quickly attracted a lot of attention, mainly from women who shared their own “bullying” stories and criticized the person who sent the email to Sidaway.

“WHAT. This is incredibly rude, inappropriate and disgusting,” commented another news reporter.

“People are rude. It is very disrespectful for someone to send this to others,” agreed another.

“This is flagrant sexual harassment. I’m sorry this happened to you. You are a total professional,” said another.

One wrote: “That kind of ‘shame’ is pathetic and says a lot more about the ‘shameful’ than it does the ‘shameful’. Perhaps those who are easily offended by the female form should just stop watching the news.”

Others noted that “you can’t really see any cleavage” when she was presenting, adding that it “shows where this guy’s eyes go when he watches the damn news.”

“The lid is beautiful and there was nothing wrong with it. Critics of the keyboard should be quiet because no one cares about its outdated ideas or sexist opinions,” said another.

Some men joined Sidaway, saying that women shouldn’t have to worry about what a man thinks.

“For my part, I think women should wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and not have to worry about a man saying it’s too much or too little,” wrote one guy.

“Women journalists are not there to be looked at with their eyes, we are there to do our work. End point,” said another.

Since then, the email has gone viral and been shared around the world, and Sidaway wrote on Twitter in a separate tweet that he was not expecting the large amount of support.

“Well this blew up. Thank you all for sharing your own stories and kind words,” he wrote.

He also added that the problem of women being ashamed of the body “is so widespread” that he hopes it can be overcome for the next generation.

“I don’t want them to go through this. It’s not okay.”