Channel 10 presenter Narelda Jacobs has exposed a “humiliating” email sent to her entire newsroom about an outfit she wore on-air Tuesday.
The Australian journalist, who hosts the network’s midday bulletin 10 News First, was reporting on-air at the time the email was sent, where she was wearing a V-neck blouse and a conservative patterned blazer.
Taking to Instagram with a screenshot of an email addressing her clothing, a viewer had sent in their “feedback” to the Ten News group calling Jacobs out for her “inappropriate” look, which they deemed was showing “cleavage”.
“Inappropriate dress sense for reading the news. Cleavage is for the nightclub,” the email read.
Addressing the email, Jacobs began, “Yes, we still receive emails like this.”
“Yes, it went to the entire newsroom,” Jacobs, 48, added.
“Yes, I was on air at the time. Yes, it is intended to shame and humiliate me.
“No, what I’m wearing is not inappropriate but your email sure is.”
Followers rallied around Jacobs in the comment section, with fellow journalists sharing their own examples of sexist criticism.
Dessert Masters judge Melissa Leong wrote, “File under ‘When you really hate yourself, so you decide to email random strangers to tell them.’”
Retired swimmer Giaan Rooney added, “Yep. The number of emails the newsroom used to get attacking everything about my appearance when I was presenting the weather was incredible.”
The Guardian journalist Amy Remeikis recalled how “not that long ago” a woman felt she had to “hide” her nine-year-old son from the TV when she was on-air.
“Because he wanted to know why that woman (me) had ‘sex face’ and what my boobs were,” Remeikis wrote. “Had never seen breasts apparently, but could use the phrase ‘sex face’.”
ABC Radio host Yumi Stynes joked, “How dare you cleavage?” She added, “You look radiant, as usual!!”
Former The Bachelorette star Georgia Love simply wrote, “FFS.”
Comedian Janelle Koenig described the ‘feedback’ as “absolute insanity.”
It comes as the matter of gender-based violence boils over yet again following a spate of attacks against women in Australia, with ingrained misogyny touted as one of the key issues.
Thousands attended rallies in late April calling on the government to make drastic change, after it was reported 28 women had died allegedly at the hands of a male perpetrator since January 1, according to the Counting Dead Women project.
In response to mounting public uproar over leaders’ lack of action against the epidemic, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $925 million investment over five years to help women escape violent relationships, as well as measures to combat “toxic male extremist views about women online”.
That included legislation to outlaw the creation and non-consensual distribution of deepfake – a portmanteau of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’ – porn, and the sharing of sexually-explicit material using technology such as artificial intelligence.
Citing growing fears about the role of online content in “normalising gendered violence”, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced $6.5 million in the upcoming budget would be dedicated to a pilot of “age-assurance technologies” to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content.
“I’m well aware as a parent of myself to two young girls, there is a weight that parents are feeling about how to help their children navigate the online environment,” Ms Rowland told reporters.
“Reducing this exposure to harmful and degrading pornography will better protect the women and children of Australia and we will have more to say about our plans to strengthen online safety.”