KGW-TV anchor Maggie Vespa in 2019.
One of the major differences between women and men is that women are far more likely to be judged on their appearance rather than their character or abilities.
"Men as well as women tend to establish the worth of individual women primarily by the way their body looks, research shows," Naomi Ellemers, Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today. "We do not do this when we evaluate men."
Ellemers believes that this tendency to judge a woman solely on her looks causes them to be seen as an object rather than a person. "As a result of focusing on their outwardly visible features, we are tempted to overlook their inner states, ignore markers of their intentions, beliefs, and desires, and less likely to empathize with their plight," Ellemers continued.
Women in the spotlight are constantly judged more for their appearance than for their performance in their field. Tennis star Serena Williams once won the French Open, yet much of the press focused more on what she wore on the court than on her victory. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been repeatedly criticized throughout her political career for her clothing and hairstyles rather than her accomplishments.
Maggie Vespa, a news anchor at KGW-TV in 2019, was criticized by a male viewer for how she dressed, and she brilliantly turned the incident into an opportunity to highlight the double standards women face.
"Just wanted to let you know that the clothes you've been wearing, especially those crazy pants that ride half way up your torso, are not cool looking, in any way!," Jeffrey, a male viewer, wrote to Vespa on Facebook. "You're way too pretty to look so foolish."
The next day, he sent her another message: "OMG, you really looked uncomfortably tonight. Try dressing like a normal woman. Doesn't KGW pay you enough for a wardrobe makeover?"
Vespa posted about the emails on social media and received hundreds of responses, so she carved out a few minutes on the newscast to address the situation.
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"Let's just get this out of the way at the top, okay? This is dumb. We know that," Vespa responded. "These are my pants. I like them. I bought them."
Vespa said the harassment "hit a nerve" with people on social media who used it as an opportunity to discuss "the pressure women obviously face, especially those in the public eye to embody the epitome of physical attractiveness at all times."
"If we don't, it's somehow seen as a sign that we're less credible or less capable and, by and large, guys don't have to deal with this," she continued. "As my awesome male coworkers can and have attested to."
Vespa then showed photos of five different pairs of high-waisted pants she wore in the week following Jeffrey's messages. Her colleagues joined in as well, donning their own high-waisted pants to show their support.
Maggie Vespa in 2019.via KGW-TV / YouTube
Vespa then brilliantly transformed the harassment into an empowering message.
"Our goal here is to send a message, to women, to girls, to everyone: Dress how you want, look how you want, and if anyone tries to make you feel less than because of that, that's their problem, not yours," she said. "There's no one way for a normal woman to look or be."
This article originally appeared six years ago.