Imagine if these standards were applied to men who are programmers. Instead we can dress however poorly we want, bad grooming is basically celebrated.
News is a product like any other. If the way anchors look and dress are correlated with the number of viewers and the station's bottom line, what are we supposed to do in a capitalist society? Pretend there is no value in aesthetics or provocative imagery?
I bet if programmers dressing provocatively was positively correlated with increased profits, we'd see some low-key encouragement on programmer attire.
I still think it's bullshit for women, but I can see a case for wanting sexy people in front of a camera. If looks didn't factor into anchors careers in any way whatsoever (for both men and women), I am willing to bet over half of current news anchors would never have become anchors in the first place.
However, I do think if stations want their anchors to be glorified models then they need to be upfront about it from the get-go so all people are aware of the requirements and stipulations of the careers/jobs they are pursuing.
You know, it seems bullshit arguments like this are probably coming from the same line of the emasculating messaging generally present. Nobody wants any more dick? Fine. The obnoxious man hating liberals who scream inequality can't have any more spawn to further their nonsensical agenda.
Meanwhile, maybe we can have male reporters wear thongs. Would that make the author happier? Then they'd say male reporters were being lewd hairy creeps. Maybe we have a dog or Microsoft Clippy read the news? Fuck you people. You're the reason society is slowly eroding and everyone is becoming needy whining pussies. Go rub some dirt in it. Learn to stand up for what really matters. See things for what they are and not what you want them to be. And most of all, maybe don't report on non-issues. You should be ashamed to be a reporter.