Australian journalist Narelda Jacobs, in a striking incident, highlighted persistent challenges faced by women in media after she received an email from a person criticising her attire on the air. Jacobs, a presenter for Channel 10's midday bulletin, shared the startling incident on Instagram with screenshots of the email.
During her live broadcast on Tuesday, Jacobs received an email critiquing her outfit, which the sender deemed "inappropriate" due to showing "cleavage." The email, mistakenly sent to the entire newsroom, read that Jacobs' attire was more suitable for a nightclub than a news broadcast.
“Feedback: Inappropriate dress sense for reading the news. Cleavage is for the nightclubs,” the email with the subject line “Narelda Jacobs. News” read.
Jacobs called out the sender’s attempt to "shame and humiliate" her on air. In response, Jacobs affirmed, "No, what I'm wearing is not inappropriate, but your email sure is."
Her full caption on Instagram says: "Yes, we still receive emails like this. Yes, it went to the entire newsroom. 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."
It went viral and she found support from several women, many journalists as well.
Amy Remeikis from The Guardian recounted her own experiences, highlighting how women in media have historically faced inappropriate commentary.
Australian swimmer and former news anchor wrote in comments: "The number of emails the newsroom used to get attacking everything about my appearance when I was presenting the weather was incredible."
ABC Radio host Yumi Stynes added her voice to the conversation, sarcastically questioning, "How dare you cleavage?"
This incident occurs against a backdrop of heightened awareness of gender-based violence in Australia. Recent protests have called for urgent action, spurred by a series of attacks against women.
The national outcry prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to announce a significant investment aimed at aiding women in escaping violent relationships and addressing toxic online behaviour towards women. This includes measures to combat deepfake pornography and restrict the spread of harmful content online, particularly impacting children.
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