Occasionally you will come across a story that will leave you in such a state of confusion and bewilderment that you will truly question it’s authenticity. This story is exactly that, you have been warned.
A man in NZ was recently watching TV when he saw something on his screen that repulsed him so much that he felt compelled to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to express his disgust. You see, while he was chilling on the couch minding his own business a PREGNANT sports reported appeared on his screen. I know, shocking right? Not only was she pregnant to twins, but she dared to offend the viewers with her embarrassing stomach!
I kid you not people! 69-year-old New Zealander John Rook actually wrote to TV Guide, using his own REAL name to complain that Jenny-May Coffin, a sports presenter for TVNZ, was allowed to continue to do her job despite the fact that she was pregnant.
“Who is responsible for allowing a sports presenter in a very pregnant state to remain on screen?” he asked. “I have no problem with seeing pregnant women in normal situations or places, but to have them remain on TV in a state which I feel is embarrassing and an eyesore? It’s time to replace them. So please, TVNZ, open your eyes and show some common sense. As for the presenters themselves, I wish them all the best for their new arrivals.”
John A Rook
(Lower Hutt)”
Coffin took to Facebook to respond to the letter in a most eloquent and classy way:
“As a heavily pregnant woman I struggle with my own demons about my body changing shape, but I choose to stay in front of the camera to encourage others to be proud of the job that we are doing — creating life,” Coffin wrote in response to the Rook’s letter.
Fortunately, most of the world is completely sane and showed overwhelmingly support of Coffin and her right to continue working.
Even as I’m writing this, I can’t believe a man (who has kids of his own) would describe a pregnant woman on TV as an eyesore. I mean what exactly is the offensive part? Is it the ballooning stomach that is GROWING two humans inside? Is it the fact that you believe a woman should be hidden away until her belly is flat again?
Rook didn’t stop there. He wanted to know when pregnant reporters were required to stop working in front of the camera:
“We’ve gone through childbirth, and it’s the best thing on Earth,” he said. “All I wanted to know was, who was responsible at TVNZ and at what stage they should stop presenting onscreen?”
To which the network responded:
“We’re thrilled for Jenny-May. TVNZ is fully supportive of women working during pregnancy and supports their return to work,” a spokesperson for the network told the New Zealand Herald. “Like a lot of Kiwi women, Jenny-May is working during her pregnancy. She’s not the first and she won’t be the last member of our news team to do so.”
What do you think? Should there be a cut off period for pregnant woman being in front of the camera. I personally think women have it hard enough on TV- they are either too old, too fat, too ugly and now they have to deal with viewers thinking they’re too pregnant?! Enough already!
