Breaking Sexism: How News Stations Objectify Their Female Anchors

Fox News has come under fire for its sexism recently, with many female anchors discussing their personal experiences working at a network. Conservative women, who usually eschew the topic of sexism in the media, are finally beginning to speak up against the issue. They were forced to look a certain way on air, and fired for rebuffing top TV executives advances. They were terrorized to be complacent but they’ve been silent for too long. They’ve been told not to complain, because complaining was for liberals. Now, they are finally publicizing the network’s abuse. What do you think of this news? Let us know below.

Fox News. The far-right network has long been known for promoting conservative politics that have been accused of being racist and sexist. But what happens offscreen?

The lawsuit. Recently former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against the president of the network, Roger Ailes. She accused him of firing her because she refused to have sex with him and inflicting “severe and pervasive” sexual harassment against her, according to The Daily Beast.

Dress code. Carlson said Ailes enforced a dress code on her and urged her to wear short skirts and high heels. She also said he would always ask her to “turn around so he could view her posterior, commented repeatedly about her legs.”

She’s not the only one. Diane Dimond gave an interview on the Dana Pretzer Show on Wednesday. Of her experience working at Fox News she said, “There was when I was there. It’s a boys’ shop. You do not complain. You’ve got to wear your skirts short and your heels high, and you’ve got to put lots of makeup on if you’re a woman.”

Force them to be blonde. Her Agenda notes that female reporters on Fox fit a certain aesthetic mold because of their hiring process. Megyn Kelly, Ainsley Earhardt, Courtney Friel, and Anna Beam are all attractive, blonde, young white women. Coincidence?

They asked her to go blonde. Dimond claims a hairdresser for the network asked if she’d like to go blonde. She assumes this came from male co-anchors and upper management.

No pants. Although some women on Fox News don conservative suits and pants, many female anchors claim they’re encouraged to wear skirts. Carlson stated she was not allowed to wear pants for her segment of “Fox and Friends.”

Harassment from co-host. According to Carlson’s statement, her co-host Steve Doocy harassed her on and off air. She said he would “mock her during commercial breaks, shun her off air, refuse to engage with her on air, and belittled her contributions to the show.”

Many other women coming forward. Carlson’s attorney Nancy Erika Smith said that many other women claiming to be victims of Ailes have contacted her. She said to the Daily Beast “There are maybe around 10 women who’ve said, ‘I’ve been a victim, too.’”

An anecdote from his biography affirms this. According to Gabriel Sherman’s biography of Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room, Ailes has been propositioning his employees for decades. Randi Harrison, a female producer, said that when she told Ailes his salary offer was too low he said, “If you agree to have sex with me whenever I want I will add an extra hundred dollars a week.” She left the office in tears.

Inappropriate comments. Another former Fox News employee, who chose to remain anonymous, confessed Ailes once asked her if she was wearing underwear. She said, “It’s happened to me and lots of other women… He’s a disgusting pig who’s been getting away with this shit for 20 years.”

Boys club. Another ex-employee said other television executives cover for Ailes, and are guilty of the same behavior. She told The Daily Beast, “when it comes to this issue, there’s already a conspiracy of silence. The problem is you don’t want to come forward because you don’t want to be personally and professionally destroyed. You don’t want to bring down Roger Ailes’s wrath on your head.”

Not okay. It isn’t just Carlson who has accused the network of sexism. Even Megyn Kelly told Bravo’s Andy Cohen that she’s heard stories similar to hers. She said, “Executives, you need to stop doing that. It’s 2016. It’s time to use your eyes from the front.”

Coming forward. Carlson said in a statement, “I have strived to empower women and girls throughout my entire career. Although this was a difficult step to take, I had to stand up for myself and speak out for all women and the next generation of women in the workplace. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments at Fox News and for keeping our loyal viewers engaged and informed on events and news topics of the day.”

Ailes statement. Ailes denied all wrongdoing. He issued a statement to Fox News, “Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit. Ironically, Fox News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.”