TV traffic reporter Leslie Horton has developed a thick skin over the years because of nasty feedback from viewers, but she unleashed a viral smackdown last week after she says one of them “crossed my line.”
The usually unflappable host, who has been at Global Calgary since 1995, was about to give a live report on the morning show when she decided to read out a message she received during a break.
“I’m just gonna respond to an email that I just got saying, 'Congratulations on your pregnancy. If you’re gonna wear old bus-driver pants, you have to expect emails like this,”’ Horton said.
“So thanks for that,” she responded. "No, I’m not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year. And this is what women of my age look like. So if it is offensive to you, that is unfortunate.
“Think about the emails that you send.”
No, their singular experience invalidates your sweeping generalization. Women body shame all the time. It’s possible to have a discussion about body shaming, toxic masculinity, rape culture, etc without leaning on a cliche statement that ignores that women, as flawed humans with agency, also do bad things.