IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Shop TODAY’s 2024 Travel Gear Awards are here! Save up to 50% off winners

News anchor responds to viewer who complained about her cleavage

"This generation of women, doesn't stand for harassment," Kori Sidaway wrote.
/ Source: TODAY
By Rachel Paula Abrahamson

As a news anchor, Kori Sidaway has received all kinds of criticism from viewers over the years.

“One woman called me just to say it looked like I’d gained 50 pounds,” the journalist for Canada's CHEK News told TODAY Style. “I’m constantly getting messages about my body."

Earlier this week, Sidaway received an email from a person who identified themselves as the “Vancouver Island Cleavage Patrol.”

Attached to the note was a photo of Sidaway delivering the news on Sunday, and a picture of a random woman in a similar shirt but with a dramatic plunge neckline.

“TOO MUCH CLEAVAGE CAN BREAK YOUR NEWS STORY. Don’t let it happen to you,” the troll wrote. “Episode: Sunday Sept. 6. 5-7 PM. Attached are 2 photos. What you think we see and what we actually see. Dress appropriately, it was hard work to get there.”

Though Sidaway usually replies to trolls privately, she responded to this one on Twitter.

“This screenshot was sent to me and my colleagues in an attempt to shame and police my body. Well, I’m taking my power back,” Sidaway wrote on Monday. “To the nameless computer warrior(s) who try to reduce women into an outfit or a body part — this generation of women, doesn’t stand for harassment.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE1xpQuhW64/

Sidaway immediately received support from on-air personalities all over the world — and many shared similar stories.

Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.

“I got an anonymous handwritten letter delivered to my network two weeks ago saying ‘decent men don’t want to see your "low cut tops." It shows poor taste in character. Hope you come to your senses and stick to doing your job.’ I hate to hear it’s happening across Canada,” wrote Camila Gonzalez, a TV host in Toronto.

Tamara Stanners, a former news anchor, noted that in the ‘90s, she “was told to always wear long sleeves” because her bare arms were too provocative.

Sidaway hopes women in her field will continue to speak out rather than internalizing the harassment.

“This problem is so widespread,” she explained. “I keep thinking about the next generation. I don’t want them to go through this. It’s not OK.”

Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.

Rachel Paula Abrahamson

Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram.