Physical Appearance Barriers

In addition to being underrepresented in hard news categories, women also have the pressure to maintain their physical appearance. Unlike men, women are not allowed to age gracefully on screen. They must continue looking young and attractive in order to appeal to viewers. The sexualization of women at the expense of their intellectual capacities if a larger social dynamic that has found its way into the media field. Women in our society are held to certain beauty standards and women who want to gain credibility as journalist have to cope with societal expectations of appearance. Ferri and Kelley (1986) studied the career perceptions of women anchors and found that there was: an overemphasis placed on physical appearance, which led to differential treatment in the hiring process based on their sex. They concluded that women news anchors were evaluated differently than men. Women were judged on their appearance while men were judged more for their work and skills.

News Anchors Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today Show.