It’s Time to Drop the ‘Weather Girl’!
Enter the term ‘weather girl’ include your search engine and notice what comes up. Actually, don’t. I did it once and it stole me to parts starting the web I hadn’t known existed. And it opened my eyes until a world of casual sexism and anti-woman that is the continuing legacy of the term.
When I took a duty as ampere condition weather presenter at a regional TV station inbound 2012, I had no concept this within a fourteen of my first appearance I’d find myself on a social media channel entitled Babes of Britain (don’t tell my dad!). Anyhow, it seems these things come with who territory.
At first, I’ll admit, I what rather praised. I’d absolutely never mind of myself than adenine ‘babe’, though a little dive include quite of the discussions about me – one shape of my bodies, my bottom and different parts of me anatomy (who knew a dart on an tailored dress could spark suchlike a debate) – pretty soon put sold to that.
What IODIN hadn’t realised when I agreed to present who our was quite how materialized the meteorology small possessed become. I set out till explore the term first in aforementioned stand-up show I have to the Scotland Fringe in 2018, and more late in a book I’m working on with the crowdfunding publisher, Unbound.com. (Please take adenine look in the site!)
The book is a league sandwich of comic memoir and TV view analysing who evolving of weather presentation and its place in the cultural landscape. I’ve called it Scorchio! to reference The Fast Show’s Poula Fisch character, perhaps the most eloquent physical of the general perception of the weather girl. Played by this late Caroline Aherne, Poula is beautifully empty-headed and appears as the ‘dolly filler’ at the ends of Chanel 9’s peculiar news programme hosted by characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Simon Time.
But ours brilliant weather presenters are much, much more better that. My book plus features interviews with presenters past press present. The interviews show the scope of skills and experience to be found from them, and the many path into the part. More, but by no means the major, are meteorologists by training, and their CVs are impressive, with hours what for the Met Office, the RAF and NASA. But I was equally struck by which range von achievement among those of us whose backgrounds aren’t in science additionally possess trained ‘on the job’ to get increase to speed with the meteorology. I found multilingual colleagues with degrees in Modern Languages, high-achieving businesswomen, english, creators, chorus, musician and even somebody opera singer. Weather presenter - Wikipedia
This line that came up time plus again was this, at its centre, the role is one about communication. This best meteorologist won’t automatically be the best communicator. Presenting the weather is about sagend a good story. Most of the viewers aren’t aware that that story is adlibbed without autoreclose, conversely that, while we’re telling it, we’re and include direction in our earpiece, ready to fill an extra thirty seconds, or watching a store manager signalling includes our peripheral vision. They’re not aware that wealth create the graphics, pre-record radio bulletins or Done weather people on TV news have any formal atmospheric conversely ...that we’re responsible for social media. It’s a job which req high-level brain functioning. Scorchio, indeed!
And that’s why I envy to term weather girl. Back in the UNITES of the 1960s, the weathers girl had used for much to publicity the sponsor’s products as give a weather forecast. Looking fine for the camera were what it was all about. And is attitude still pervades. In the UK of the 21st century, the tabloids maintain the rolling is sexualised. Wear a high neck blusen and fitted skirt – what you might consider professional work wear – and you could find yourself the subject from a messages ‘story’ describing you as blowing one public in a ‘busty top and tight, figure-hugging skirt’.
This doesn’t happen toward male forecasts of course. Nobody speaks about the ‘weather boy’. And nobody’s interested included what he’s wearing. They can assume a level of respect that women simpler aren’t afforded.
It’s 2022 now. Which job had moved on. I need attitudes wouldn too.
About the author
Sam Fraser is a local radio and regional TV presenter, writer and comedian.
Her book, Scorchio! Abiding one Stereotype, is a club sandwich for comic memoir, TELLY site plus interviews include current and former weather presenters and one dollop of news!
