What to wear is a consideration for many working people to varying degrees. There are, however, quite a few restrictions for Broadcast Meteorologists and so a gem of a dress is worthy of some social media hype.
Women and weather - what is hitting the headlines, yes a dress. I'm going with it as I quite like the idea of “All the weather ladies, all the weather ladies” grouping together on Facebook to share clothing solutions for quite a tricky presentation space.
For weather girls, weather ladies, TV Meteorologists, broadcast meteorologists, weather presenters, weather forecasters; what to wear is important and they have been sharing a real gem in the US in a Facebook group.
There is the look, the colour, the cost and the practicality of your outfit to consider.
Colour
No green. That's not too much of a hardship usually, but occasionally I do grab something and then remember Oh, can't wear that. Most Chroma Keys are green, mine is at STV. Sometimes they are blue and nowadays some broadcasts are done in front of a video screen so the colour doesn't matter. If you were to stand in front of a green chroma key in a green top, your body would disappear and your head would float about in front of the map. Hilarious in itself, but not ideal when giving a weather forecast.
The Look
When I worked at BBC we had training about clothing and guidance about colours that suited us personally, what not to wear and what did work. Never wear houndstooth pattern, it jumps with the TV signal. White can look quite harsh, linen will always look creased. The colours bit was very interesting as it applied outside the studio as well. I suit browns and bold colours, not grey or pastels. It wasn't quite like doing the colour seasons thing where you are winter colours or 'a spring', but similar.
Practicality
You have to be able to move your arms freely. You should represent your Channel, in terms of decency and coverage. BBC did for many years require a jacket, I did hear of a crop top and pierced belly button on show from the other side and of course there was the famed Norwegian Weather performed naked. Newsreaders have other clothing issues from sitting down, but weather presenters are standing, so have to make sure their full length shot is all fine. We've all done broadcasts in our jeans at the weekend when it's just a head and shoulder shot. Polo necks don't really work as the microphone is then too near to your mouth. Then there is the mic and audio pack. A jacket with belted trousers is much easier. The two hefty pacs can clip onto a belt, be hidden by the jacket and you can easily feed the mic up the front and ear piece lead up your back.
In a dress, it's like a game of Twister in the dressing room.. I have a leg strap, made of Velcro and stretchy material. Both pacs slot into this and I walk about the newsroom like an electronically tagged prisoner with a HDC, However, the line of my dress looks good, no big bulky bulge at the back of my hip. Top tip to newbies, always turn it off or to mute when you leave the studio. The gallery can still hear what you say and that may include when you pop to the loo!
Cost
When I worked at the BBC Weather centre you did get a monthly allowance specifically for clothes. This was a delight for the women who could easily pick-up items each month and slightly change a outfit by adding a top of their own underneath a work jacket. The men found it much harder to start with, having to fork out for a few whole suits, but in the end it was okay with just new ties or shirts. Nowadays, with cut backs and often freelance presenters rather than staff, the cost of clothing is more of a concern. Which is why the American presenters will have been so delighted with the $23 dress. which looks so great on screen. That's £15!
And so the Reddit collage of all the women wearing the same dress in many different colours. Not available in the UK. Women in many professions get comments about their outfits or hairstyle or shoes, often obliterating their actual work. Some of the letters (real paper letters) sent into BBC were outrageous, especially with their comments about pregnant weather ladies. Who knows what snipes bounce swiftly over the internet nowadays on social media in the blink of an eye. So a dress that looks smart, yet glamorous and flattering, costs little and works colour wise is great and worth sharing about. For those presenters who are on 5 days a week, finding many different outfits is tricky. For men, maybe not so much as Karl Stefanovic of Australia's Channel Nine's Today programme highlighted when he wore the same suit for a year and nobody noticed.
What ever you wear, you should not distract too much from the weather map, there is an important message to tell and we are part of News.
