Daily Mail Australia are no strangers to courting controversy. But this time they may have gotten more than they bargained for, after they targeted presenter and journalist Samantha Armytage’s apparent “giant granny undies”.
A story published over the weekend, said the Sunrise host, was going “make-up free”, and that: “The TV personality’s oversized granny panties showed through the garment with a clearly visible line,” the story said. The words accompanied images of Armytage, as taken by paparazzi as she shopped at Bondi Surf Seafoods.
What a shit rag pic.twitter.com/j2ibNYpSVw
— Anthony B, (@swearyanthony) December 11, 2016
If you’re thinking: how is this a story…that I’m actually reading… with my actual eyeballs?! You are not alone. The kind of underwear a women wears is kind of, well, no ones business but hers. Whether she was wearing “granny undies” or not, shouldn’t be up for public discourse. It’s just weird and creepy AF.
Since the “story” was published, women across Australia have stood in solidarity with Armytage, describing the Daily Mail’s article as both body-shaming, bullying and another example of the media putting women’s bodies up for debate.
Jesus FUCK. @DailyMailAU, is it really a fucking news story that Sam Armytage went to the shops wearing full brief underwear? GET A JOB.
— Clementine Ford (@clementine_ford) December 11, 2016
You know who our underwear should concern? Ourselves. Maaaaaybe our sexual partners, but even then, only when we want.
— Erin Riley (@erinrileyau) December 11, 2016
1. the daily mail should be craterised by orbiting laser guns
2. those are totally normal undies
3. See 1 https://t.co/JvaAFSEyaW— the resident female (@marrowing) December 11, 2016
BuzzFeed News have reported that Armytage has contacted her lawyers regarding the Daily Mail story, “I’m not making any comment as it’s with the lawyers,” Armytage told the news site.
Women at large are pretty damn pissed, and this is far from the first time Daily Mail have stepped over the line, when describing women’s bodies – and men for that matter.
Just months back, in September the publication shamed Australia’s unofficial prince Osher Gunsberg, publishing unflattering images of Osher on the beach, captioned with disgusting text like “Bali belly”.The Bachelor host would go on to call the article “nothing short of bullying”.
Past Big Brother contestant, lifestyle content creator and generally gorgeous human specimen Lisa Clark has spoken out before about the Daily Mail’s tendency to negatively describe women’s bodies.
She spoke to TheVine.com.au about the kind of insulting ways she’s been described by the publication.
“There are too many to mention but it is always a reference to my breasts,” Lisa said.
“There have been mention of being too busty, too leggy, almost wardrobe malfunctions and pretty much anything they can do or say to paint me in an unflattering light.”
Lisa went on to describe how she was psychologically affected by the publication’s onslaught of negative press.
“After they printed close up images of where my dress had broken on the red carpet (after calling me back to get the shot instead of informing me of what had happened) I was trolled so terribly, trolled online that I contemplated suicide,” Lisa said.
“It was the October long weekend, I didn’t leave the house for days and then when I did they were still following me. Reputation is a hard thing to earn back amongst peers and colleagues after images and untrue words are written about you.”
