Virgin Media’s Muireann O’Connell has hit back at a Liveline caller who stirred up a huge debate on air after complaining that female presenters were standing in a “sexually provocative” and “vulgar” way.
The woman told RTE's Katie Hannon, who was standing in for host Joe Duffy on Tuesday, she felt the stance of some female presenters within the broadcaster was ‘unladylike’.
She said: "I am speaking mostly about presenters on current affairs programmes and the news. I'm talking about the nuances of visual presentation, and particularly the way presenters tend to stand.
"You know their posture to me seems exaggerated, contrived, unnatural. They tend to stand with their feet maybe 2ft apart and sometimes swivel on their left hip, and I just think it seems unnatural."
She added: "I think the natural way would probably be the way you would stand normally on a bus or in front of a group of people.
"My background is in teaching, and if I was addressing a group of students, there is no way I would stand with my two feet about 2ft apart.
"I think it's unladylike. I think it lacks decorum."
Asked what she feels would be the correct way to stand, she explained: "Well, I think less distance between your two feet. I think maybe one foot maybe slightly in front of the other I do think it does seem kind of denigrating, debasing, demeaning.
"Now, the PR people who are in charge of this would probably say that it's a powerful kind of a stance, but I just don't like it ".
The caller went on to claim the stance in question had subliminal messaging ‘boarding on vulgar’.
She said: "I'm wondering if there is a PR person who is dealing with the kind of nuances of visual presentation because there is a kind of subliminal messaging there that I've been taught to stand this way rather than what is natural to me."
She added: "I think it could be slightly sexually provocative. I think it's boarding on looking vulgar".
Ireland AM host Muireann O’Connell clapped back at the caller in a video where she demonstrated various poses, poking fun at the comment.
Alongside the clip, she wrote: “Female telly presenters trying to make simply existing be acceptable to liveline listener.”
And fans and followers were quick to get behind the presenter’s witty response, with Sile Seoige saying: “'In the corner, like baby'. Brilliant.”
Another said: “I like the second pose. Always fierce and bold @muireann.o Just the way we love you x”
A third wrote: “When I heard her I thought she was joking you go Muireann life’s to short to be worrying about how people stand.”
Another simply wrote: “Well said Muireann.”
RTE Prime Time presenter Sarah McInerney also clapped back at the comments before her show later that evening, saying: "Lots of breaking news this evening. I hope I remember to stand, eh, narrowly"
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