It was a letter that Global B.C.'s Kristi Gordon couldn't shake.
Handwritten, unsigned and unaddressed, the writer urged the then visibly pregnant senior meteorologist to cease being on-air immediately, referring to her growing body as "gross," and comparing it to the "Hindenburg," among other negative characterizations.
No stranger to viewer feedback, the veteran broadcaster had heard it all; however in this case found herself troubled by the writer's view on both a personal and societal level.
Gordon decided to discuss the letter with her co-workers as part of a post-Global BC News Hour web-only segment, called News Hour Plus, which offers audience members a glimpse behind the scenes as well as a chance to experience the on-air hosts in a more conversational atmosphere. The resulting conversation, had between Gordon and supportive peers Squire Barnes and Robin Stickley (filling in for regular anchor Chris Gailus that evening), immediately went viral. Posted in March 2015, the video, News Hour Plus: Kristi Gordon Deals with a Hater, currently has logged millions of views.
"At the time I mentioned that yes, we're not listening, but to be honest, I went home that night after getting the letter and I double-checked myself in the mirror to make sure that my butt wasn't too big and asked my husband, 'Am I not seeing it? Am I getting too big for television? Should I get off TV? Am I really looking disgusting. . . . or do I just look like a normal pregnancy?'" recalls the North Vancouver married mother to two boys, ages four and six months.
"You start to second guess yourself even if you think you're the most confident person and you can handle it," she adds.
Gordon is set to offer further insight into her experiences with body shaming and how it made her feel at an upcoming free panel discussion kicking off Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Feb. 1-7, presented by the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign. Gordon will be among the panelists at Interrupting the Stigma: Putting an End to Size-Shaming, Saturday, Jan. 30 at UBC Robson Square's Main Lecture Theatre in Vancouver from noon to 1:30 p.m. Other panelists include: Tyson Busby, who recovered from an eating disorder after living with one for seven years; Caitlin O'Reilly, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia whose current research priorities are in eating disorders treatment and reducing weight stigma in health care; and Ali Eberhardt, a registered dietitian who, since 2011, has worked with the Looking Glass Foundation and in the Provincial Adult Tertiary Specialized Eating Disorders Program. The panel will be moderated by registered clinical counsellor CaraLynne McLean who specializes in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders, and is a member of the North Shore Education Committee for the Prevention of Eating Disorders.
While Gordon doesn't have any experiences with an eating disorder, she's lending her voice to the event as a public figure who experienced weight stigma. "What I bring to the table for this discussion is my experience with body shaming and bullying from that side of things," she says.
Looking back, Gordon realized she had experienced similar body shaming four years prior during her first pregnancy, albeit on a smaller scale as she had been on a different show at the time.
"People have a tendency to write in and complain sometimes. But it was more so when I was pregnant, I would get quite a few letters. And at the time, I told people at work here and there, but for the most part I didn't tell anyone. I was a bit ashamed I guess and hurt by them. But again, you're not in this industry unless you can handle that kind of thing. You have to be strong and confident otherwise you just wouldn't get anything done," she says.
So, Gordon plugged along, doing her best to ignore the nasty comments and move forward.
After announcing her second pregnancy on air at three months, Gordon realized she was apprehensive. Further discussing the news, again in a News Hour Plus segment with her co-workers, she mentioned something along the lines of, "be kind to me this time as I go through pregnancy," and for the first time officially referenced the hurtful feedback she had previously received.
Following the announcement Gordon was pleased as she didn't receive any negative comments for a while, however as soon as she started to show, everything changed. "The amount of emails grew with my belly," she says.
Receiving the nasty handwritten letter was her breaking point. "It was so mean: 'Your front end looks like the Hindenburg. Your rear end looks like a brick shithouse. Have some respect for your unborn child and get off TV. You're the worst weather presenter.' Just mean."
Gordon was incredulous.
As the video segment on the letter continued to increase in views, reaching countless people around the world, the conversation continued. While of course some people had more negative things to say, the majority of the responses Gordon received were positive. For example, she heard from teachers in China who had used the example as a means of teaching their students about gender inequality.
"As much as there is this weight stigma out there, a lot of people care and want to help," she says.
"One of the things that came out of this is the conversation of weight stigma, size stigma and how image is presented. And these days on social media, it's a whole different beast," she adds.
While magazines have long been criticized for presenting a specific look of models, the emergence of social media, whether it be Instagram or Twitter, sees users continually bombarded with pictures of perfectly styled, coiffed and made up individuals. "It's not real life, real life happens in between all of those images," says Gordon.
"That type of an image or that type of a person and what they're portraying I think does a disservice to women. I think that we need to start to be more real, and I say that, but I think we are starting to be more real," she adds.
Gordon is inspired by the many people working to turn the tide, referencing various voices on Twitter and mommy blogs that are showcasing the realities of womanhood, weight and body image, as well as a similar movement among youths.
North Vancouver's Sioned Dyer is pleased with the work undertaken by the PEDAW campaign, calling those involved's efforts incredibly valuable. Acting as a spokeswoman this year, she first heard of the initiative through Family Services of the North Shore, which supported her in her own recovery from an eating disorder many years ago. "I just think their efforts with education and prevention and really supporting anyone who struggles with their body image and self-worth, not only individuals who are struggling with eating disorders but young people in particular who face a lot of media messaging, telling them they need to look a certain way to be accepted. Their work around that is something that I really appreciate," says Dyer, 31.
The PEDAW campaign is a province-wide effort to raise awareness around prevention and early intervention of eating disorders as well as media literacy, resiliency, building healthy body image and self-esteem. Jessie's Legacy Eating Disorders Prevention Program at Family Services of the North Shore leads the initiative in collaboration with Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, Looking Glass Foundation, St. Paul's Specialized Adult Eating Disorder Program, B.C. Children's Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Healthy Minds, Healthy Campuses and Project True.
Saturday's panel is just one of the many events and initiatives being presented by the PEDAW campaign during Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Examples of other initiatives include the #Purple4PEDAW event, Feb. 5, a day designed to bring awareness to eating disorders. Various landmarks across the province will turn purple, like BC Place, as well as on the North Shore, both the City (trees in Civic Plaza) and District of North Vancouver (District Hall) will follow suit. Community members are encouraged to wear purple and show their support for the campaign via social media.
For free tickets to Interrupting the Stigma: Putting an End to Size-Shaming, visit pedawpanel.eventbrite.ca. For more information on the PEDAW campaign, visit jessieslegacy.com.
