Stop Policing Women’s Bodies

Carrie Duncan is a popular meteorologist with Mississippi news channel WLOX. And right now should be a happy time for her as she’s getting ready to head back into the studio after welcoming her baby boy in December.

But instead, she’s greeted with a heinous email from an internet troll criticizing her post-baby body. “You will not live to see your children grow if you do not get rid of that horrid gut and huge arms,” says the unnamed critic, who is apparently a physician?

“You are an embarrassment to yourself and all the viewers of WLOX on the Gulf Coast. It has gotten so bad that my husband will not watch the news when you are giving the forecast because he finds your appearance repulsive,” she continues.

Oh no! Your husband won’t watch the weather because the meteorologist doesn’t get him all hot and bothered?! Turns out I’ve been watching the news wrong all these years. I didn’t know it was supposed to be a sensual activity. Hell, I get my weather from a cute app that tells me nice things, like, “It’s been a hot day. You deserve a nice glass of iced tea!”

Also, let’s not even get into how sick to my stomach it makes me that a woman would write an email this savage to another woman … like we don’t get enough of that shit from men and the media already? Also, why are you upset that your husband isn’t admittedly drooling over another woman? Like, I’m not naive.

Obviously a man isn’t going to stop ever looking at other women once he gets married. But he can stop being that vocal about it! I’m not about to encourage him so much that if the girl he’s wet-dreaming about gains weight I’m going to threaten her until she’s stereotypically “hot” again.

That aside, this woman has straight up just accomplished magic with her body. Her vagine just pushed out a living, breathing human person and this angry weather watcher is going to have the nerve to threaten her because she’s not some arbitrary weight that she’s decided is “best.” Nope.

We’re not having that here. We’re over it. Not to mention – and this is important, guys, so pay attention – weight is not an indicator of health. Being “skinny” does not mean that a person is healthy, and being “fat” does not mean that a person “will not live to see their children grow.” This is a dangerous myth and you need to forget it.

Duncan admitted in her Facebook post that she wasn’t happy with her weight. “I am tired a lot and not getting much sleep and eating poorly. I know this. I want to do better, and I know I will,” she wrote. And I’m not going to knock anyone for wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. But she should never have had to address that. That’s her body and her business. The only thing she owes her audience is the weather forecast.

Luckily, she addressed that at the end of her post as well, writing, “Here’s the thing, if you don’t like something/someone on tv, change the channel. Please STOP WITH THE HATE!” Preach, girl!

We all need to be better. (And leave pregnant women/new moms alone for God’s sake!)