Patterico's Pontifications

11/21/2010

I Denounce These Sexy, er… I Mean Sexist Pictures of Meghan Kelly

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 12:23 pm



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Mediaite’s Frances Martel has a post denouncing the recent GQ photos and article about Fox News anchor Meghan Kelly:

Megyn Kelly Feeds The Beast Of Objectification, Strips Down For GQ

It’s no secret that Fox News’ Megyn Kelly is a bit of a sex symbol– her America Live desk would probably not be made of glass if that weren’t the case. But this week she’s taken a leap from the coy to the boldly forward with a sexy photo shoot in GQ in celebration of being named one of 2010’s premier media personalities, and the results lie somewhere between the impressively attractive and the uncomfortable superficial.

Under the headline “She Reports, We Decided She’s Hot” (seriously), Kelly appears wearing a severely low-cut dress and staring rather lasciviously into the camera. She’s not showing any more than the average starlet– and looks much better than many of those– but is wearing a shockingly little amount of clothing for a newscaster on a national network. But she can pull it off, and barely looks like the sweet, giggly Kelly most tune in to see– in fact, she looks a bit like what we would have imagined healthy, pre-drugs Lindsay Lohan would have looked like at age 26 when she was 18 (for those counting, Kelly is 40 as of this Thursday). And she does no harm in selling her product, so long as the quality of her work is unaffected.

Well, I think this calls for an examination of the photographic evidence, right?

Yes, completely awful.  I in no way support such displays.  Nope, not at all.

Mediaite goes on:

But there’s still something strangely uncomfortable about the idea that an anchor who seems to want to be taken seriously will strip down for an easy attention-grab, and that really isn’t Kelly’s fault.

Um, wait, not her fault?  I mean I am sorry but is there a gun to her head just off camera?  She is in the middle of pulling down one strap on her dress looking like she is about to jump out of the photo and tackle us, in the best way possible.  Whatever one thinks of all of this, yes, she is 100% responsible.  Indeed, it seems a little (dare I say) sexist to so quickly excuse Meghan Kelly from responsibility for all of this  Not that I am really upset about the whole thing, but let’s not pretend she is an innocent little girl who has no idea what is happening, okay?

Look, here is the reality.  Yes, I am sure Meghan Kelly’s hotness helps her ratings.  But she also is bright and an ace cross-examiner, which makes for a lot of good television.  That three together is why she has done so well.  And GQ chose to highlight the issue that all of its readers, including liberals who hate Fox news could agree on: she is hot.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

51 Responses to “I Denounce These Sexy, er… I Mean Sexist Pictures of Meghan Kelly”

  1. 1) Meghan Kelly is not “giggly.” She’s a hard-nosed journalist whose looks certainly didn’t hurt in placing her behind her (glass) desk, but it’s her abilities that keep her there.

    2) She’s human, and most human women I know who are 40 next Thursday (Happy Thanksgiving, Meghan) who look like her are going to maybe splurge a little and show off that she’s still got her youthful figure.

    3) 40? Really? Dayam!

    Pious Agnostic (f24095)

  2. Thank GOD for American Exceptionalism!!!

    reff (b43ea5)

  3. I cannot be expected to make any kind of informed evaluation with just one photograph.

    daleyrocks (940075)

  4. Pious

    Well, the original post had a reference which i think linked to an incident where she couldn’t stop laughing about something or other. But yeah, she isn’t supper giggly, its more like she has a very normal sense of humor.

    Aaron Worthing (b8e056)

  5. ‘Sfunny, I heartily endorse them 😉

    Bob Reed (5f2db5)

  6. Maybe the second definition fit,s but Frances fails
    the first test of Rule 5, no one is actually going
    to read her commentary,

    narciso (82637e)

  7. I seem to recall some murmerings a couple years ago that Ms.Kelly (prior to her current marriage, and her return to her maiden name) was participating in some extra-curricular activities with a prominant DC Bureau Chief.
    If true: Well Done, Brit!

    AD-RtR/OS! (1f4eec)

  8. Is there a way to stick up for the Ms. Kelly’s reputation while at the same time high-fiving Brit Hume?

    I think I pulled a muscle in my back.

    Pious Agnostic (f24095)

  9. As the late Jim Healy–a fixture on sports radio in Los Angeles—used to say: “Is ittt truuuue!! that Meghan Kelly is pregnant with her second child and has or soon will hit the big Four Oh!

    Well she’s an attractive woman; she’s smart, and she’s tough enough to take no guff from Bill O’Reilly, who likes to bloviate over his guests.
    Frankly O’Reilly is one taco shy of a combination plate on some points. And he will bluff and bluster his way over the top of guests if they will let him. Meghan doesn’t. So kudos to her for that. And she’s also easy on the eyes.

    Mike Myers (0e06a9)

  10. I’m a fairly mainstream conservative, I like to think. But O’Reilly and Hannity just make me cringe.

    Kelly, however: well, she makes me feel different.

    Pious Agnostic (f24095)

  11. Please, you are sexist pigs. Real women look like Bella Abzug, Rosie O’Donnell or Ellen Degeneres. Tell the truth, you know Ann Coulter is mannish and way too thin. And you’d all love to snuggle up to luscious, thoughtful and sensitive liberals on the order of Janeanne Garofolo, Randi Rhodes and Rachle Maddow. I’m surprised no one files a lawsuit against Faux news for hiring eye candy women for their network.
    btw, Lis Wiehl of Fox is also a best selling fiction author. You may try also googling lis wiehl cleavage.

    Calypso Louie Farrakhan (798aba)

  12. PA is getting one of Chrissie’s Tingles!

    On a serious note:
    MK is one smart legal-eagle.

    AD-RtR/OS! (1f4eec)

  13. If anyone is looking for me today, I’ll be in my bunk.

    Old Coot (f73cf0)

  14. @11

    Ann Coulter could eat a sammich, but I assure you it’s not her figure that attracts conservative attention.

    I hear that Bella Abzug was really something before electricity.

    Pious Agnostic (f24095)

  15. Aaron, my take on Frances Martel’s post was that she was not denouncing the photos of Ms. Kelly but rather journalist Greg Veis, whom she claims,

    …deliberately makes the crux of his piece that she is “hot,” and that people watch her because she is “hot” and not because she is a good reporter

    In reading the linked interview with her, it was a lightweight interview in a tight format that seemed limited in the length of answers but certainly not seem to denigrate her as a reporter nor only focus on her sex appeal. IMO, in the short piece, Ms. Kelly came off confident and seemingly good-natured.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  16. If Tom Edison had ever met Bella Abzug, he would have never invented the electric light.

    AD-RtR/OS! (1f4eec)

  17. The linked GQ piece is, overall, as Dana says, “tight” and fairly good. If I were the subject I would feel positive and happy. She comes across as sharp, and thus I feel that GQ dealt fairly with her.

    The pictures don’t hurt.

    Pious Agnostic (f24095)

  18. In light of this,

    But there’s still something strangely uncomfortable about the idea that an anchor who seems to want to be taken seriously will strip down for an easy attention-grab, and that really isn’t Kelly’s fault.

    …the more it makes me question where Martel’s analysis of Couric is at? After all, doesn’t Martel want us to take Couric seriously as a journalist, too?

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  19. Hey, I called it way back in the aftermath of the election!

    JVW (9bed62)

  20. Rachel MadCow could not be reached for comment.

    I am going to say nothing about this one, other than she is a lovely hot sexy smart sharp woman.

    JD (bd7f43)

  21. You can tell she is honest because of all the freckles.

    NCC (4e0dda)

  22. The earliest photo I could find of that most delightful newsperson Helen Thomas was with JFK. I know LBJ used to slip into beds of lady staff; wonder if he hit on Helen or maybe she looked too much like him?
    Interesting to see how people age. I going to check out Maureen Dean from the Watergate era. I know John Dean looks like crap now.

    Calypso Louie Farrakhan (798aba)

  23. I think the rumor of a Brit Hume affair is bogus.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  24. DRJ – I believe you are correct, although Katie Couric’s rise through the ranks was supposedly aided by some extracurricular activities in Florida.

    daleyrocks (940075)

  25. Yeah. We heard so much from the press when conservatives women were called whores, witches, sluts, etc. during the last election cycle.

    pat (f1bffe)

  26. pat: You left “hoochie” off the list, a misogynist term often used by a beloved commenter on this blog to describe a conservative woman.

    Old Coot (f73cf0)

  27. GQ: There were rumors about you two. He was
    psyched that people thought you were
    sleeping together, apparently.

    Kelly: I think Brit knew how preposterous it was to anyone with two nickels in between their ears. The first thing he said at his retirement
    dinner — this big affair down in D.C. with Vice President Cheney, Fred Thompson, Brian Williams was “I haven’t been this honored since that rumor about me having an affair with Megyn Kelly went around.”

    Not the comment of a guilty conscience I wouldn’t think, but rather one who found it so ridiculous as to be humorous.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  28. I saw her giggle only once: when she interviewed Gene $immons. $immons kissed her hand, and eyef***** her so bad she actually squealed. So, yeah…giggled and squealed. Other than that, pretty good interview while $immons sold his insurance product.

    TimesDisliker (32062b)

  29. shouldn’t there be some text to go with the picture in this post?

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  30. And she held her own with Howard Stern of all people, sometime back, She extraordinarily attractive, but no doubt, equally faithful and incisive an interviewer. O’reilly is quite embarrassing, never more when they face off, on a point of law and/or principle.

    narciso (82637e)

  31. she’s definitely squeezing the girls to achieve maximum boobage

    I see nothing wrong with this, of course

    Is she a smart girl who’s hot? Or a hot girl who’s smart?

    The Right has all the hot women

    Jones (72b0ed)

  32. and O’Reilly is a buffoon

    Jones (72b0ed)

  33. Aaron: Please do not so fast conclude that Megyn objectifies herself. You don’t know. Maybe she is putting the strap up.

    Robert Morris (70d054)

  34. Megyn Kelly is the object of my (no-really-I’m-not-a-stalker-but) serious crush because she is indeed a phenomenally attractive woman — whose attractions include, but are very far from limited to, the physical.

    Megyn Kelly is my hero because she’s smart, articulate, and absolutely fearless in the performance of her job.

    Beldar (85e89d)

  35. You get to the heart of the matter, Beldar, her skill at eviscerating a hapless rival is a little
    exhilerating

    narciso (82637e)

  36. Her birthday was last Thursday, the 18th(my Little Guy’s and Mickey Mouse’s birthdays too). She’s pregnant with her 2nd baby, due in April.

    My husband is so sweet he says the pic above is what he sees when he looks at me. I told him he needs new glasses if that’s the case.

    I sure as hell wouldn’t mind looking like Megyn Kelly, that’s for sure.

    kimsch (2ce939)

  37. I think she is beautiful, but that isn’t an especially good face picture for her.

    It’s interesting to compare and contrast this shot to the shots of Rachel Maddow when she is looking very boyish- purposefully.

    I guess I don’t see how that is substantially different than this picture of Kelly. Basically both pictures are feeding a fantasy, right?
    Is it some kind of sexism to think the newsperson who is female – as-a-sexy- woman is stupid, whereas the female – as-a -young-boy is smart?

    MayBee (138edc)

  38. If Kelly is 4 months pregnant as kimsch said, when was this photo taken?

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  39. Had to have been in the summer. She just outed herself last week. She has a prominent baby bump right now. They may also have photoshopped her a little. That waist is really small – especially for a mother of a one year old child.

    kimsch (2ce939)

  40. MayBee is trying to make my eyes bleed.

    JD (bd7f43)

  41. Honestly who do they have on the other side, maybe Lara Logan, who if CBS were smart, they would replace Couric with, she’s a liberal with sense
    enough to understand what we’re facing in Afghanistan and the Near East,

    narciso (82637e)

  42. Ha, JD!

    Really, I think it’s fascinating that Maddow, the masculine liberal, is by default smart and non controversial. Where Kelly is feminine/conservative and therefore dumb and too sexy. It says something about our culture.

    Also, I oinder if a man as femininely gay as Maddow is masculinely lesbian would be accepted in our news culture. I don’t think so.

    MayBee (138edc)

  43. I wonder. Sorry

    MayBee (138edc)

  44. She’s supposed to be a Rhodes Scholar, but she’s ignorant about a great many aspects of the subject
    she’s supposed to be familiar with, well that’s how
    she brings in the ratings on Air America TV

    narciso (82637e)

  45. Freckles rule!!!!!

    Icy Texan (51f81a)

  46. Megyn is hot, she choose to have those pictures taken to prove her hotness. Also, she’s smart as a whip and can take Kirsten what’s her liberal head in a fight. Next.

    I’m also thinking she’d like her name spelled correctly in a post about her hotness. Just saying…

    Vivian Louise (05aded)

  47. Good thing for Ayn Rand that looks were not such an emphasized asset in her time or we may have missed out on some excellent books.

    VOR2 (8e6b90)

  48. I hear the next spread – in the name of political balance – is going to be Rachel Maddow.

    JEA (2a1ff2)

  49. Conservative women are really beautiful.

    Hey, the left can tantalize us with pictures of Napolitano, Gloria Allred and Whoopi going through the TSA feel up.

    Puke!

    JoeS (0d5386)

  50. What is Martels problem with sexy women?

    SGT Ted (5d10ae)

  51. I’ve been thinking back on that interview Megyn Kelly did with Gene $immons. Wow, she was really sexy with the giggling and flirting. Here is a link to the interview, and a still where she allows $immons to kiss her hand. Nice work, if you can get it!

    TimesDisliker (505854)


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