TV Anchor Responds To Viewer's Attack On Her Weight

daisy7

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Jennifer Livingston, a local news anchor in La Crosse, Wisconsin, responded to a viewer's outrageous attack on her appearance on Tuesday morning.

Livingston recently received an email from a male viewer criticizing her weight. Her husband and fellow news anchor Mike Thompson posted the text to the Facebook page for "WKBT News 8 This Morning."

"I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years," wrote the viewer, who said Livingston was not a "suitable example" for young girls. "I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle."

Livingston addressed her bully on-air Tuesday, prefacing her message by saying that she has received words of support from "hundreds" of people and that the response has been "truly inspiring."

(snip)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/jennifer-livingston-anchor-obesity-letter_n_1932869.html

video at the link. WTG, Jennifer!!!
 
Good for her! It's very easy for someone to make a quick judgement about what they see on the outside....but they have NO IDEA what the background story is...if there is a medical condition or something else going on. Glad she took a stand and called this guy out!
 
I will be the bad guy here....I do not understand why the email was considered bullying, I was actually surprised by how well worded and unattacking the email was written. Obesity is a huge epedimic in the united states and it needs to be addressed. I'm not sure it was entirely appropriate for him to write the email, but if girls are looking to obese people as role models it is a concern, just as girls looking at people with eating disorders as role models.

More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm


I included the eating disorder info because in the video I watched she mentioned it.
 
I bet the jerk who wrote the email is an over weight couch potato.
 
Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others.
 
I feel like sending an email basically saying you should not be an anchor woman because you're over weight is trying to intimidate someone. Which could fall under bullying or just plain being mean.
Over weight girls should be able to look up to her for the fact she has a good career and she is successful and respected.
 
I do consider it bullying to attack (even if only in words) someone due to their physical appearance. Words can be used in an abusive manner and can be just the beginning of bullying.

Yes, obesity is a national epidemic. We do need to promote healthy lifestyles. That's not what this is about though, IMO.

What I find most offensive about the message the woman received is the statement she is not a suitable example for young girls. Why? Because she is not the media's standard of beauty? She doesn't look like a Barbie doll? Because she's not model thin?

She is the best example for young women today, IMO. No one's abilities should be judged based on physical appearance alone. It's an important message all young men and women need to see and it needs to be reinforced often.

Climbing off my soap box now ... JMO, etc., etc.
 
She's not a role model for a healthy weight. She may be an excellent role model in terms of how to be the nicest, kindest, most sincere person in the world, but she is not an example or a role model for a healthy weight, for either gender.

And I say this as someone who is also not a role model for a healthy weight. What I am, though, and perhaps she is too, is a role model for someone currently not a healthy weight, who is trying to change that through diet and exercise.
 
A person can be healthy AND overweight. Just like a person can be thin and be unhealthy.
 
A person can be healthy AND overweight. Just like a person can be thin and be unhealthy.

Based upon her weight alone, I do not consider her a role model that I would want my children to watch and say, "I want to be overweight like her when I grow up." (Note: I'm basing what I said on her weight, alone. I'm sure she's a lovely woman with character traits that any parent would love to have their child emulate.)

Again, I'm overweight, so please don't think I'm some skinny minnie bashing overweight people.

Could she be a role model for how to have a successful career in her chosen field? Absolutely!

Could she be a role model in how to be grace personified? Absolutely!

Could she be a role model in how to be a strong, capable, loving, caring woman? Absolutely!

Is she a role model for a healthy body weight? No.

I would also not consider her a role model for a heathy body weight if she weighed 76 lbs, as a full grown, average-height woman. You're correct, you can be skinny and unhealthy. I believe I read somewhere that extra weight on women before menopause is beneficial in some ways. However, that extra weight after menopause is detrimental (not that she's near menopause...just thought I'd throw that out there.)
 
Based upon her weight alone, I do not consider her a role model that I would want my children to watch and say, "I want to be overweight like her when I grow up." (Note: I'm basing what I said on her weight, alone. I'm sure she's a lovely woman with character traits that any parent would love to have their child emulate.)

Again, I'm overweight, so please don't think I'm some skinny minnie bashing overweight people.

Could she be a role model for how to have a successful career in her chosen field? Absolutely!

Could she be a role model in how to be grace personified? Absolutely!

Could she be a role model in how to be a strong, capable, loving, caring woman? Absolutely!

Is she a role model for a healthy body weight? No.

I would also not consider her a role model for a heathy body weight if she weighed 76 lbs, as a full grown, average-height woman. You're correct, you can be skinny and unhealthy. I believe I read somewhere that extra weight on women before menopause is beneficial in some ways. However, that extra weight after menopause is detrimental (not that she's near menopause...just thought I'd throw that out there.)

I didn't realize news anchors were role models for healthy lives? I would expect someone like Dr. Oz to be fit, don't really care about anyone else on TV.
I also don't use news anchors as role models for my daughter...look they can read! Neat huh?
 
Children should not be using how a person looks to determine their role model value ... seriously.

Are we this shallow, really? Can we not look past someone's weight, skin color, clothing, whatever ... to the REAL person that makes them role model material?

I'm just ..... sad ... at how shallow we have become...
 
I didn't realize news anchors were role models for healthy lives? I would expect someone like Dr. Oz to be fit, don't really care about anyone else on TV.
I also don't use news anchors as role models for my daughter...look they can read! Neat huh?

I was referring, only, to the email writer's comment to the newscaster that she is not a role model with regard to having a healthy body weight. I happen to agree with him on this particular issue. Excess body fat can hide things, like tumors. It's not a slam on being overweight, it's fact.

Thank you.
 
In this day and age of rising obesity levels in young children (and people in general), shouldn't we want them to be as healthy as possible? Shouldn't we want the best possible health for them? How is that shallow?

How can Michelle Obama make all kinds of statements about how important exercise and a healthy body weight are, and she is applauded, but here, it's considered shallow?? Would Michelle Obama consider this newscaster as a poster child for her "healthy weight" campaign? Probably not. Would we call her "shallow?" Probably not.
 
I bet the jerk who wrote the email is an over weight couch potato.
His name is already out as Kenneth W. Krause and he is a lawyer. Jennifer Livingston is the sister of actor Ron Livingston.
http://www.news8000.com/news/VIDEO-Kenneth-W-Krause-responds/-/326/16832838/-/8kc77oz/-/index.html
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/...nnifer_livingston_calling_her_obese_photo.php

Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others.
I do not see a bully any different from a terrorist (Osama bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad Mohammed Atta, Anders Breivik, etc.).

A person can be healthy AND overweight. Just like a person can be thin and be unhealthy.
True that. Really thin people are are usually sick.


Just for the record, I agree obesity is a major public health problem and I do not think Krause is helping in any way.
 
Jennifer Livingston, a local news anchor in La Crosse, Wisconsin, responded to a viewer's outrageous attack on her appearance on Tuesday morning.

Livingston recently received an email from a male viewer criticizing her weight. Her husband and fellow news anchor Mike Thompson posted the text to the Facebook page for "WKBT News 8 This Morning."

"I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years," wrote the viewer, who said Livingston was not a "suitable example" for young girls. "I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle."

Livingston addressed her bully on-air Tuesday, prefacing her message by saying that she has received words of support from "hundreds" of people and that the response has been "truly inspiring."

(snip)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/jennifer-livingston-anchor-obesity-letter_n_1932869.html

video at the link. WTG, Jennifer!!!

(above bbm)
Funny how when it's a sports figure or actor or otherwise famous person not acting in a healthy lifestyle, we're all over them.
 
oh_gal, I do completely understand what you are saying....I don't want you to feel "ganged up on." :)

Ms. Livingston and her husband were on GMA this morning. What they said is pretty much how I feel about the situation. She is actually a very active person and runs in races and has done triathlons. She happens to have some thyroid issues that make losing weight difficult.

This person who wrote the email didn't know any of these things, he simply chose to insult her appearance under the false pretense of acting concerned. Kindess and compassion go a long way in this world and anyone who thinks it's okay to tell a stranger that they're fat is wrong. Just because something is a fact does not mean it needs to be said out loud, especially when saying it could hurt someone.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blog...y-125420053--abc-news-fashion-and-beauty.html
 
I'll agree to disagree on this one.

I read the original email sent. I read it as an attack based soley on her appearance.
The email writer seemed to imply Jennifer's appearance was a detriment to her job performance (i.e. "public personality").

Just as the email writer had a right to state his opinion, Jennifer had a right to respond.

Perhaps by referring to her as a "role model", I worded it too strongly. I do believe her response to the email set a good example for others. By that I'm referring to standing up for herself and not allowing someone to bully her.

As a society we may be becoming much worse than shallow. Intolerance is far worse in my opinion.

All JMO
 
I don't find it to be bullying either. I don't think the email was necessarily nice, but not bullying.

I have a son who was labeled as a bully at a young age and it followed him through many years in school. Not being biased but what the school called 'bullying' never truly fit the bill. He was/is just a class clown with a sarcastic sense of humor who likes to make people laugh.

So, I guess my view on this is a little different. I think people are SO quick to label anything and everything bullying and that's just not the case. And she is a public figure, which opens her up to criticism.
 
I must say though, just because she's a news anchor, doesn't mean she is a role model. Is role model in the job description?
 

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