A pregnant meteorologist has hit back at criticism over her “form-fitting” outfits while she’s on the air.
In a video posted to TikTok earlier this month, Claire Anderson — a meteorologist for Fox 13 in Seattle, Washington — shared a screenshot of an email she received from someone named Kathy.
“Please, PLEASE, pack away the form-fitting dresses until after the baby comes,” Anderson read, noting she was seven months into her pregnancy. “Your mommy bump has gotten so big that your overall appearance distracts from your presentation. Something loose and flowing would be best.”
The critic claimed in the email that since Anderson gives “some of the best presentations on TV,” she deserves “the undistracted attention of the viewers.”
Anderson directly sent a message to the body-shamer, as she responded to the camera: “I appreciate that, but remember we are not supposed to comment on what women wear and look like, especially when we’re pregnant.”
She then showed an image of her broadcast from that day, as she was seen wearing a white, turtleneck dress. Anderson showed another angle of her outfit, before acknowledging that she’s not necessarily changing how she dresses during her pregnancy.
“I don’t know, here’s the thing, she’s still got two months of this,” she said, in response to Kathy’s criticism.
However, the meterologist then sarcastically thanked Kathy in the caption for watching her weather broadcast. “Reminder: Pregnant women do NOT need to hear your thoughts on what we wear or how we should dress!” she wrote.
In the comments of the video, multiple people praised Anderson for showing off her baby bump and hitting back at anyone telling women to avoid doing so.
@callmemetclaire Reminder: Pregnant women do NOT need to hear your thoughts on what we wear or how we should dress! Thanks for watching Kathy! 📺🤰🏼#7monthspregnant #pregnant #tvnews
♬ original sound - Claire Anderson
“When I was pregnant was the first time I really felt comfortable and confident wearing form-fitting clothes. I loved showing off the bump. Keep it up — you look great!” one TikTok user wrote.
“It took me so long to get pregnant I was SO proud of my body. It was BIIIIIIG, even bigger the second time, but I felt so beautiful and happy for me. I love seeing baby bumps,” another agreed.
A third wrote: “My mom always makes judgy comments about pregnant women wearing tight clothing too. I think it’s a generational thing, but I think baby bumps should be shown off.”
Speaking to Today, Anderson said that when she first picked out her white dress, she “didn’t think anything of” it being offensive to viewers. Instead, she was “feeling great” about her appearance before receiving that email.
“I come back, and I see that email, and I was like, ‘Oh man. Like, really? Bad stuff,” she said, recalling her reaction to the email.
Although she’d received similar criticism before, her friends encouraged her to make the now-viral video about Kathy’s message. She further explained that while she’s seen so much conversation encouraging “women to support women” in 2024, she still receives some of “the nastiest emails from women.”
“My message was just like, ‘Guys, remember, we are in a time, in place, in the world, where we don’t need to be commenting on someone’s body unless you think it looks amazing,” Anderson added. “Unless someone asks you how they look, we don’t need to be commenting.”
While she understands that people have different opinions regarding maternity clothes, Anderson said she doesn’t plan on changing who she is just because she’s pregnant.
“We are in a time when we are healthy. We can have kids, and we can work full time. We are... professional women, and we can be sexy, we can look good,” she explained. “Just because we are pregnant does not mean we have to put on frumpy clothes anymore.”
The Independent has contacted Anderson for comment.
