The two faces of body shaming: the case study of Hunziker — Botteri
Michelle Hunziker is an Italian anchorwoman and showgirl who leads the popular ironic tv program Striscia la Notizia. In these last weeks, Hunziker has criticized the RAI — the Italian national public broadcasting company — correspondent Giovanna Botteri due to her appearance. The authors of the program find hilarious Botteri’s messy hair or the absence of makeup.
Giovanna Botteri is an Italian journalist who bravely covered the fall of the Soviet Union and the Balkan conflicts. She reported the carnage of Markale and the carnage of Srebrenica. She has been in Algeria, South of Africa, Iran and Albania, where she covered the rebellion of Valona in 1997, then she documented the war in Kosovo and she entered Péc with the Italian army in 1999. After being the Italian correspondent in the U.S.A., now she is in China where she is reporting Coronavirus.
Botteri is a victim of body shaming by the authors of Striscia la Notizia and thanks to the voice of Michelle Hunziker. Hunziker should be more aware of the theme in relation to her foundation Doppia Difesa, which aim is to fight discrimination and violence against women.
Michelle Hunziker has replied to critics from her Instagram profile where she has defined the body-shaming accuses as fake news. This is not only incorrect, but it also demonstrates her incapability to take the theme seriously.
The Italian Professional Association of Journalist has declared its support to Botteri, who has replied:
“Here in Pechino I watch to Bbc, considered one of the best and most trusted broadcast in the world.
Its female journalists are young, old, white, brown, yellow and black. Beautiful and ugly, skinny and overweight. With wrinkles, big bottom, noses and ears. There is one who conduces weather forecast without an arm.
And nobody says anything, from home, people listen to them. Because that’s the only thing that they expect from a journalist”.
In the following hours hashtags #Hunziker and #bodyshaming trended on Twitter Italy. Many users have attached Hunziker using her nationally famous campaign of Roberta — and underwear campaign — which showed her B side. The critics have compared the anchorwoman to a sex toy.
It’s a paradox that in order to defend Botteri from body shaming this users body shame on Hunziker. It’s just the other side of the moon.
In other words, if you are beautiful or if you have recurred to plastic surgery you are not considered to be intelligent or a leader. According to this, there is a study published by Leah Sheppard from Washington State University and Stephanie Johnson from Boulder’s Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. The study has revealed that female manager that looks pleasant are judged less trustable, less sincere, and less capable of.
Women should be free to live their bodies as they prefer to, without being judged competent or not on the base on their choices.
