Women Are Pretty Damn Pissed With The Daily Mail Bullying Samantha Armytage

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Daily Mail Australia are no strangers to courting controversy. But this time they may have gotten more than they bargained for, after they targeted presenter and journalist Samantha Armytage’s apparent “giant granny undies”.

A story published over the weekend, said the Sunrise host, was going “make-up free”, and that: “The TV personality’s oversized granny panties showed through the garment with a clearly visible line,” the story said. The words accompanied images of Armytage, as taken by paparazzi as she shopped at Bondi Surf Seafoods.

If you’re thinking: how is this a story…that I’m actually reading… with my actual eyeballs?! You are not alone. The kind of underwear a women wears is kind of, well, no ones business but hers. Whether she was wearing “granny undies” or not, shouldn’t be up for public discourse. It’s just weird and creepy AF.

Since the “story” was published, women across Australia have stood in solidarity with Armytage, describing the Daily Mail’s article as both body-shaming, bullying and another example of the media putting women’s bodies up for debate.

BuzzFeed News have reported that Armytage has contacted her lawyers regarding the Daily Mail story, “I’m not making any comment as it’s with the lawyers,” Armytage told the news site.

Women at large are pretty damn pissed, and this is far from the first time Daily Mail have stepped over the line, when describing women’s bodies – and men for that matter.

Just months back, in September the publication shamed Australia’s unofficial prince Osher Gunsberg, publishing unflattering images of Osher on the beach, captioned with disgusting text like “Bali belly”.The Bachelor host would go on to call the article “nothing short of bullying”.

Past Big Brother contestant, lifestyle content creator and generally gorgeous human specimen Lisa Clark has spoken out before about the Daily Mail’s tendency to negatively describe women’s bodies.

She spoke to TheVine.com.au about the kind of insulting ways she’s been described by the publication.

“There are too many to mention but it is always a reference to my breasts,” Lisa said.

An open letter to @dailymailau As I read the article you wrote this morning, tears streamed down my face, I felt powerless to respond to your constant negative articles about me and then I remembered that I am a strong woman and that I had a platform where I could turn your constant negative body shaming articles about me into a positive, so here it is. I am proud of everything I have achieved in my 30 years on this earth, I will no longer sit quiet while you rip my dignity from me. As someone who suffered from an eating disorder in my teens reading your articles about my body take me back to the years of self hate, self abuse and self harm. While my friends were attending university and celebrating at schoolies, I was fighting for my life from an illness that ravaged my body. I have healed since those years and I am bloody proud of how far I have come with the promotion of self love and self appreciation. I don't promote diet teas, diet shakes or alike because I pride myself on promoting a positive body image for my young followers, some of which have reached out to me to talk about their issues with Cyber bullying and body image after I spoke out about an article Daily Mail wrote about me a year ago that caused me to be trolled across all of my media platforms. I take the time to write back to each and everyone of these girls that contact me because I have been them, unsure, insecure but now at 30 I have found my stride, come into my own and I refuse to have the faceless, nameless "journalists" from the Daily Mail writing awful, untrue things about me online. I have every right to wear a feminine neckline, I have every right to attend a premier and not have to fear that the next day the Daily Mail will defame everything I am by trying to body shame me. I don't use my body as a commodity, I use my brain surely this should be applauded. I will not sit here quietly while you continue your hateful smear campaign. I am proud of my curvy body which is pretty much only a vessel to one day carry my child. Shame on you @dailymailau

A post shared by Lisa Clark ⚡️ (@iamlisaclark) on

“There have been mention of being too busty, too leggy, almost wardrobe malfunctions and pretty much anything they can do or say to paint me in an unflattering light.”

Lisa went on to describe how she was psychologically affected by the publication’s onslaught of negative press.

“After they printed close up images of where my dress had broken on the red carpet (after calling me back to get the shot instead of informing me of what had happened) I was trolled so terribly, trolled online that I contemplated suicide,” Lisa said.

“It was the October long weekend, I didn’t leave the house for days and then when I did they were still following me. Reputation is a hard thing to earn back amongst peers and colleagues after images and untrue words are written about you.”