Kristi Gordon, chief meteorologist of Global BC News in Canada, had only one request when she announced her pregnancy in January: for people to be nicer about what she wore this time around.
“It was horrible last time,” she said.
“Last time when I was pregnant and slowly growing, I received emails telling me to ‘cover up’, ‘be more professional’, ‘not wear horizontal stripes’, and how irresponsible I was to be wearing high heels,” Kristin wrote on her blog.
At first, it seemed like her plea worked. She didn’t receive any negative emails for the first few months, and in fact, only received notes of support.
As Kristi’s belly grew, however, things took a turn for the worst. She read some of these messages live on air.
One email called her a “Hussy!”
Another had this to say: “BUY some DECENT clothes and have more respect for the unborn child, you’re not the first pregnant woman. OMG.”
Even then, these emails seemed silly and tame in comparison to what came next.
“A number of people known as ‘The Group’ got together and decided to send me a handwritten letter with no return address.”
The letter read: “Nowhere on North America TV have we seen a weather reader so gross as you. Your front end looks like the Hindenburg and rear end a brick poop (insert swear word here) house. We now turn off Globel (yes, GLOBEL and not Global). Cover up or take time off. The Group”
As much as Kristin wanted to laugh it off, though, she still found herself feeling insecure about her weight.
“I had let this ridiculous letter get to me,” she wrote.
She asked her husband to tell the truth about her weight gain, checked herself out in the mirror, and even started second-guessing her eating habits and workout routine.
“So maybe they were right…should I cover up or take time off?,” she wrote. “No way!”
Since the segment aired on March 26, the outpouring of support for Kristi has been tremendous.
A #KushionsForKristi campaign has been started by the ladies of Curve Communications.
Countless women have also tweeted pictures of their own baby bumps in support.
And even the occasional gentleman.
Kristi’s plight has since raised awareness on the problems faced by women in the media.
Kristi said she has also received messages from tons of women who related to her situation, not just in the media.
She shares the valuable lessons that she has learned from this experience: