Chris Bath faced early career choice, in male-dominated news room.
It was either 'bat your eyelids' or swear like one of the boys. Chris Bath speaks frankly of her early career choices.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Chris Bath has given a frank analysis of what it’s like to work in a male-dominated television workplace, telling a Women in Media event she had 2 choices if she wanted to survive.
“You either become a pretty, pretty princess who bats her eyelids and just sits perched on the edge of a seat riveted by everything that every man ever says to you. Or you become a swearing, leaning-back bloke that says ‘no worries’ … That’s what I chose,” she said this week.
Guardian Australia reports Bath said she found it difficult to remain “televisually appealing” after having a child at the age of 34.
“There was nothing like a confidence killer as having leaking breasts, pumping before I went on air, sometimes having them explode. Gross, I know, but true story,” she said.
“Because TV is so hooked into your appearance, I found it really difficult after I had a baby to be televisually appealing.
“I felt pressure to lose weight. I felt pressured to conform to the televisual norm.”
One exec later told he she read the news “like the duchess who smelled a turd.”
“There is always that threat – even though you’re not allowed to talk about it – that you have a use-by date as a woman in television. And that was looming over my head too. And I didn’t believe that was just feminist literature; I’d seen it go on around me.”
12 Responses
Kay McGrath @btq7 has recently been demoted (I won’t start rant) but she gets better with age. I started to take Chris less seriously as Sunday Night got more trashy.
Chris Bath is still around because she is a hard worker. A down to earth, boots n all team player. She deserves all the success that comes her way. Most newsrooms are now dominated now by 20-something female wannabes who are more concerned with the way they look than using correct grammar, getting the facts of the story right and learning the ropes. They are straight out of Uni and know it all. Apologies to those few who are the exception. The older generation are being pushed aside for the ‘appeal’ of the young ones – but who do they appeal to??
@ Dr_ Rudi
Totally agree, have moved around many areas and have watched Chris read news for years now, she still looks as good today, to be honest I think Jim Wilson is actually cloning her, and whilst on the subject of Jim Wilson, as much as a like him and his style, but I can not stand a bar of his sister, proving that one can always choose ones friends(and partners), but one can not choose their Relatives
@ Bullswool
No disrespect to Ita intended, but lets face it ‘ anybody’ and I do mean anybody would look good,sound smart and down to earth, sitting next to that scruffy daggy looking self-opinionated Joe Hilderbrand, even Samantha Armytage could possibly sound smart, down to earth and entertaining.
I was really disappoined they dropped Chris in favour of Mark Ferguson. She is lovely and a great newsreader. Even if they had them both it would be good, and would work well with the one hour format they have now.
But I wish Jim Wilson would call her Chris and not “Bathy”. That really grates. Husband or not it just comes across as bogan and boofy.
Love Bathy and love her down to earth honesty. A classic Mitchell College graduate. And I agree with Dr Rudi, she’s still hot, sorry, ‘televisually appeally!’
Tell Ita Buttrose or Susannah Carr that.
@maxxdude Hahaha! So what are you saying exactly? Are males being discriminated against reading the news and only token appearances to give us the footy results? Gender stereotyping goes both ways, mate! Sometimes, they even let the men do the weather. Could it just be possible that these women are good at their jobs and audiences trust them more than male newsreaders? Just wondering.
If it’s any consolation to Ms Bath, she’s still “televisually appealing” to me.
It’s true this has always been an issue with newsreaders although I see it most obvious on Channel Nine – particularly during their daytime bulletins. Young, pretty female auto-cue readers. I saw the opening of Wide World of Sports the other day with Ken Sutcliffe and a young blonde pretty girl who was as rough as guts as soon as she opened her mouth – gave the impression you need to be a tom-boy to be considered for a presenting role on a sports programme. I have always found this quite amusing.
I really like Chris Bath – 7 news in Sydney has significantly dropped since she was replaced by Mark Ferguson. It astounds me that a network with a leading breakfast program, major TV shows, and generally dominance produces a 6pm news bulletin (in Sydney) which is very weak, and often rates half that of 9 news. Chris needs to be brought back with Mark Ferguson – they worked well together in the MH17 coverage.
I used to like Chris Bath, but since Sunday Night’s turned to trash, she just annoys me. As do other news related personalities on 7, like Sam Armytage, Monique Wright, Simon Reeves, Peter Mitchell, the list goes on. So I don’t watch 7 News programs anymore – I’ve turned on 10. 🙂
Now you need to be female to get a gig on TV as a journalist & expecially as a newsreader.
The breakfast shows & daytime news shows all have female newsreaders. Only Matt Doran on Ten is the only male I can think of.
The 6pm news bulletin is the last bastion of male newsreaders although here in Brisbane Ten has just a single female reading the bulletin with a male doing the sport.
Also look at the current affairs shows they all have female hosts now.
So do women have it so hard or is it now just hard for men to get a gig