When meteorologist Liberte Chan of KTLA Los Angeles took the stage for her live weather report, she never anticipated that her appearance would be met with sexual harassment. Despite being dressed professionally in a sleeveless dress that exposed some cleavage, viewers still demanded that she cover up while on air – an incredibly embarrassing and degrading demand to ask of any woman working hard to inform the public about changes in weather conditions.
As Chan reported on the weather in her black beaded dress, a backstage figure hastily approached with a sweater; granting her torso much-needed coverage from the scandalized Los Angeles audience.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “You want me to put this on? Why, because it’s cold?”
The anonymous figure off-camera then informed Chan that she must cover herself up due to the station receiving a large number of emails about her attire. It appears as if people in Los Angeles had nothing more pressing than writing in concerning what they deemed an inappropriate outfit worn by the weather girl during the live broadcast.
Chan’s face was a picture of disappointment when she realized that her dress wasn’t suitable for the weather report. Donning an oversized sweater, she lamented “I look like a librarian now.”
After the incident gained nationwide attention, Chan stated that she wasn’t coerced into donning a cardigan sweater. Instead, it was her colleague’s “spontaneous moment” towards her outfit choice during the broadcast which prompted him to do so.
“I was simply playing along with my co-anchors joke,” she said. “I like my bosses and enjoy working with my coworkers. Since talking to my team, I want our viewers to know it was never our intention to offend anyone.”
Chan was particularly incensed by the public’s reaction to her wardrobe selection, wondering why they weren’t concentrating more on the good work she was doing for local journalism instead. All of this feedback about what she chose to wear when reporting live weather felt like a distraction from her otherwise important contributions.
Chris Burrous, the show’s co-anchor, handed his colleague a gray sweater with an outfit that was truly unique. His ensemble consisted of a neatly pressed suit jacket alongside a shirt and tie combo that concealed comfy khaki shorts hidden from the camera lens!
Burrous acknowledged that the sweater episode was “meant in jest, but I see how it seemed.”
Chan said, “I really wasn’t offended. People are kind of spinning it and saying it was sexist. I thought it was just funny.”
While some viewers expressed their disapproval of Chan’s attire, other people defended her right to wear whatever she pleased.
“How rude. She looked fine. Was there a dress code violation? Perhaps, that’s between her and H/R department. But live TV sounds like jealousy at the workplace. I Loved the dress. What was her name? Good looking lady,” one person commented on their Facebook page.
