A first impression lasts a lifetime. Changing a person’s perception is often the most difficult thing to overcome. But in America, it can be done. Jason Giambi and Michael Vick are proof.
Even though we judge books by covers and people by appearance, if we are invited, we read the inside.
But there are still people like Craig Sager. Sager wears the crown in the kingdom of First Impressions Gone Wrong. The man struts the sidelines on TNT and takes a lot of heat for his apparel. Rightfully so. When the camera turns on he is often staring into the lens wearing a red jacket, a stripped shirt and blue pants. With an orange tie.
Players offer fashion tips during most post-game interviews. Kevin Garnett has offered to burn his suit. Shaq told Sager one suit was, “hori-awful.”
No person, at first glance, would cite him as a credible source of information. Except perhaps Peewee Herman.
He looks more like a used car salesman than a journalist. His tone could be serious, but his clothes still scream shtick. Every report is overshadowed by his addiction to audacity. And he has no plan to change.
He is a billboard first and a journalist second.
Ines Sainz is no different, sorry America. She looks like she just left Kappa Kappa Gamma on a Thursday night. And then she steps in front of a camera.
No person, at first glance, would cite her as a credible source of information.
The former Miss Universe contestant is also known for audacious attire. She wore a bra and see-through t-shirt to cover a Dallas Mavericks game. She often struts along the sidelines in tight white jeans and more cleavage than a handful of quartz. Google Images tells Ines Sainz quickly. She sold herself as a sex symbol first and a reporter second.
She is a billboard first and a journalist second.
And as billboards, both Sager and Sainz are asking for the attention. Inviting it. Both positive and negative.
Only, Sainz takes it one step further.
The Association for Women in Sports Media can cry foul and try to prove an injustice until they have spent every penny. They can claim she was harassed and disrespected as a woman. But it’s all for naught. They are picking the wrong fight. This isn’t about harassment, it’s about respect.
And respect is a two-way street.
What level of respect did she give the New York Jets organization by dressing in such a manner? Where was her respect for fellow media members when she proposed to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady – in a wedding dress, no less – during a 2008 pre-Super Bowl media gathering?
Really, Sainz lost all credibility, in a general sense, when she made that first impression on America, proposing to Tom Brady.
Her actions said, please don’t take me seriously. Please don’t respect me. I don’t respect you. And since then has done nothing to prove otherwise.
Condoning disrespect is never appropriate. In both cases. What the Jets’ players did was excessive.
It’s unnecessary for the New York Jets players to be “hooting and hollering” and throwing repeated passes in her direction. And an apology is necessary. But it is no different than telling Sager to burn a suit. Or booing his choice of apparel.
It’s unnecessary but not unexpected. A billboard often garners a certain level of attention. That’s the point.
Truly, if Sainz wanted the jeers to stop, she wouldn’t meander the Meadowlands in clothing she would also wear to a bar on a Friday night. But she doesn’t plan on changing.
She chooses to be a billboard. She chooses to attract attention to her assets rather than her skills.
Too bad really, because America loves to entertain the idea of change when given a chance.
Dress the way you’d like to be treated. Every job has a dress code even if it isn’t printed in an employee handbook. If you get harassed for wearing the clothing you like to wear on the public transit, I feel bad, that shouldn’t happen. But if you get treated differently because of your clothing, image or attire at work, I don’t feel bad for you. In almost every case, someone is cutting you a check. Does that person think what you’re wearing is acceptable for the service your providing?
Dress the way you’d like to be treated. Every job has a dress code even if it isn’t printed in an employee handbook. If you get harassed for wearing the clothing you like to wear on the public transit, I feel bad, that shouldn’t happen. But if you get treated differently because of your clothing, image or attire at work, I don’t feel bad for you. In almost every case, someone is cutting you a check. Does that person think what you’re wearing is acceptable for the service your providing?
Absolutely! The double standard is ridiculous. The equal rights pendulum in many (not all) cases has swung to the opposite extreme. For sure, make it equal. But leave it at that.
Absolutely! The double standard is ridiculous. The equal rights pendulum in many (not all) cases has swung to the opposite extreme. For sure, make it equal. But leave it at that.
Excellent job Nick. I like your take, that is a great message to everyone, men and women. Candice had a good article on the subject as well. It is unfortunate, because things like this make it extremely hard for women working in male dominated environments to have the opportunity to be taken seriously, or even accepted. Hopefully more people have your views!
Excellent job Nick. I like your take, that is a great message to everyone, men and women. Candice had a good article on the subject as well. It is unfortunate, because things like this make it extremely hard for women working in male dominated environments to have the opportunity to be taken seriously, or even accepted. Hopefully more people have your views!
Thanks for the comments, guys! Much appreciated. An Mike, I hope all is well for you. Been a LONG time since I’ve seen you.
Thanks for the comments, guys! Much appreciated. An Mike, I hope all is well for you. Been a LONG time since I’ve seen you.
I saw this story while I was working and couldn’t help but begin to think about it. As professional journalists, we dress to fit the occasion. I’ve worn jeans out to the farm. I’ve worn slacks to city council. And I’ve also been caught in a khaki skirt and sandals in the middle of a hay field. As women, especially, our clothing and makeup choices garner a certain amount of scrutiny — mostly by other women. When we choose incorrectly — straying outside of the accepted social norm — we are subtly or not-so-subtly pushed back into alignment with the norm. Jeggings: Not OK.
It’s like when you were a kid and you picked your nose in public. Somebody made fun of you and that’s when you realized that it wasn’t ok. As for Sainz, she knows it’s outside of the societal norm to wear her sorostitute chic to a football game. She’s going to do it anyway. It’s getting her lots of attention.
I saw this story while I was working and couldn’t help but begin to think about it. As professional journalists, we dress to fit the occasion. I’ve worn jeans out to the farm. I’ve worn slacks to city council. And I’ve also been caught in a khaki skirt and sandals in the middle of a hay field. As women, especially, our clothing and makeup choices garner a certain amount of scrutiny — mostly by other women. When we choose incorrectly — straying outside of the accepted social norm — we are subtly or not-so-subtly pushed back into alignment with the norm. Jeggings: Not OK.
It’s like when you were a kid and you picked your nose in public. Somebody made fun of you and that’s when you realized that it wasn’t ok. As for Sainz, she knows it’s outside of the societal norm to wear her sorostitute chic to a football game. She’s going to do it anyway. It’s getting her lots of attention.