News anchor often trolled for her weight finds the best way to respond — in her broadcaster's voice

It's strange how obsessed our society is with external beauty that it often ignores the depth, character, and kindness that matter far more. Beauty standards have created unrealistic expectations, largely contributing to insecurity and self-judgment. While a majority of victims, especially women, slip into self-doubt and body dissatisfaction, only a few learn to live life unapologetically. Carissa Codel (@carissacodel), a Missouri morning news anchor, is one of those few who have mastered the art of living a free-spirited life. She realized that nothing could stop the trolls from repeatedly targeting her appearance until she decided to stop giving their cruel comments any weight. So, in response, Codel started a series where she began reading and responding to the trolls in her broadcaster's voice.

While some judged her for her weight, others made weird, flirty comments, sexualizing her appearance. Despite the negativity, Codel manages to always look beyond the cruelty and never lets the judgments get in her way. Comments like "She is thicker than Zoo glass," and "Built for breeding," aren't unusual on her page, but that doesn't crush her confidence; in fact, she gets a good laugh reacting to such absurd mentality. Codel, the news anchor, said she thought about her idea to respond to the hate online when she collected some very spicy viewer comments. "It doesn’t affect me at all. I think that they’re hilarious. I don’t put up the extremely mean ones, but I like the insults that are very creative," she told The New York Post.

Moreover, Codel explained that the mean comments don't bother her family either. The anchor lost 55 pounds over the last three years and often finds it funny how people mock her weight despite her journey. "I find it so funny, like, 'Oh, you think I’m big now, you should have seen me back then,'" she joked. Codel was initially worried about responding to the bad comments because she thought it might take a toll on her reputation as a news anchor. However, she was surprised to see overwhelming support from kind people. "I think they see me as a more genuine person, instead of just a reporter," she added. 

The rise of social media has also given insensitive people the opportunity to spread hatred online. Sitting behind the screens, they act as superior powers who have the right to make heartless comments. In fact, a small-scale survey of nearly 500 students from Bangladesh found that almost half  (42.76%) reported experiencing body shaming online. The study also found that female students reported more negative experiences (37.11%) than the male students (29.14%).

Meanwhile, people loved Codel's confidence and the way she takes a stand for herself against all her trolls. For instance, praising the news anchor,  @thelifeoflenore commented, "You're literally my inspiration. OMG, I want to be able to take comments the way you do and just laugh about them." @tbon2029 said, "I hope people aren't really this rude to you... because honestly, you are absolutely stunning... so gorgeous." Similarly, @emilyroy72 commented, "This makes me sad. You shouldn't have to see this, let alone read it aloud. You are beautiful."

@swoodgoose117 wrote, "It’s crazy how these comments move back and forth between trying to roast her and failing and then to thirsting hard over her." @tiananmensquareha said, "Making fun of haters in this way is probably the most badass thing a newscaster could do lol. Keep 'em coming." Meanwhile,  @whatever_works_man commented, "There is an entire online ecosystem of people who complain viciously about female newscasters' appearances online, and it’s one of those things that makes me distrustful of strangers in public." 

You can follow Carissa Codel (@carissacodel) for news and lifestyle updates. 

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