74% of Tellwut Respondents Feel It’s Alright for Female News Anchors To Display Bare Arms

Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell made headlines last week when she said on Twitter that female news anchors who display their bare arms on air, lack the gravitas and credibility of their male counterparts. Campbell says, “I am struck by how many women on television news wear sleeveless dresses- often when sitting with suited men. I have always felt it was demeaning to the women and this suggests that I am right. Bare arms undermine credibility and gravitas!” She referenced as support an essay by American speaking coach Nick Morgan, who asserts in a blog post that "if you show up in front of us with skin exposed, we're going to think about your body." With almost 2,500 weighing in on the topic, a little more than a quarter of the Tellwut online survey community agreed with Campbell’s point of view, while the other 74% disagreed entirely. Tellwutter’s were quick to comment, with many referencing former First Lady Michelle Obama, who frequently wore sleeveless dresses. Tellwut member NMCB said, “Michelle Obama our former First Lady wore sleeveless outfits and I doubt she would have in order to demean herself.” Interestingly, Campbell failed to see the connection. She said that Mrs. Obama was not presenting the news; though considering that she was attending events to large groups of people on behalf of the White House and speaking about world affairs on a global platform, it is difficult to understand why Campbell would say this was different. Another Tellwut survey taker pointed out, “This from a woman who posed with a judge's gown on a hanger in front of her while her bare shoulders are there for all to see. (I happened to have liked that photo, btw). It seems a bit hypocritical.” A similar sentiment was said to her on Twitter, Campbell responded, “"Photo was art — juxtaposition of bare shoulders (femininity) and legal robes — (male dominated power structure)." One could argue that picking your wardrobe is a form of every day art, and therefore the sleeveless women on the news have the same stance as Ms. Campbell during her above mentioned 1993 photo shoot. Tellwut member Zyni muses, “Maybe the guy who wrote the blog (that KC referenced) has a thing for arms? I think most guys can restrain themselves when women go sleeveless. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, anyway.” Another member throws shade, citing jealousy as the reason Campbell made her tweet, “Sounds to me like Ms. Campbell is a woman who cannot wear sleeveless tops/dresses because of floppy underarms.” Maybe Campbell would be better served debating the right to bear arms versus women baring arms.