Speaking of dirty laundry, as a woman in the media, it has long saddened me that while we delight in covering public issues of overt sexism – possibly the hottest topic in media over the last twelve months – the media itself can be every bit as guilty of treating women entirely differently to men.Īnd in terms of our audience, the cliché is so often true – it is women who can turn out to be a woman’s harshest critic.Īfter sharing several emails she’d received, demonstrating her very point, she continues:Īnd at the risk of overdoing it, I can’t resist delving into the mailbag one last time and sharing this email that popped up in the Today Show inbox one recent morning when Georgie Gardner and I were co-hosting the show: On women being judged on their appearance, and supporting other women: I kid you not – even in preparing for tonight’s lecture, the most common question I was asked was not “What are you going to say?”, but “What are you going to wear?”Īnd when you’re a woman doing breakfast TV, you quickly learn the sad truth, that what you wear can sometimes generate a bigger reaction than even any political interview you ever do. I also have to wonder, if in today’s image-conscious, camera-ready, Facebook-fabulous world, if that raw, still far-from-formed young woman with fear in her eyes and just a pure passion for working in magazines – would get that same break, today?īecause today’s media landscape, particularly for women, is one now so focused on the glossy and the glamorous it often eclipses and undermines everything else. It’s hard because I am immediately reminded of the sheer terror I felt at being handed such a huge responsibility as the editorship of Dolly at such a ludicrously young age. and not just because of that yellow novelty jumper. Now, it’s actually really hard for me to look at these pictures. On her promotion to editor of Dolly at 21: Meanwhile, some highlights from the transcript. A gifted communicator, it effortlessly demonstrates why Lisa has enjoyed so much success in the world of media. Not only is it a powerful and completely engaging speech focusing on issues that really matter, Lisa delivers it with barely a glance at her notes. If you don’t get to watch it, know this: Lisa’s amazing. I took 43 minutes and watched Lisa’s speech and feel very bloody glad for the privilege. Not surprisingly, she did so in a super eloquent, humble and funny way. Lisa’s speech got a fair chunk of media attention as she named the realities for women working in media, the unfortunate truth of women being judged on their appearance and then laid down an incredible call to action. This is when I sat up and really started paying attention to what Lisa be saying. Lisa’s also a Mumma to three teenage kids and married to columnist and ex-Wallaby (you know, football), Peter Fitzsimmons.Īn extraordinary career (already!) by anyone standards, it was therefore little surprise that last year Lisa was invited to give the prestigious Andrew Olle Media Lecture an event established in 1996 by the presenters and staff of 702 ABC Sydney in memory of their college Andrew Olle who died of a brain tumour. Lisa and Karl sporting cricket-style moustaches Not surprisingly, she went onto become International Editor-In-Chief. After four years, at twenty five (what were the rest of us doing at 25!?) she was moved to Cleo where she saw the magazine become the highest selling lifestyle magazine per capita IN THE WORLD. Within a couple of years, at the tender age of 21, Lisa became the youngest ever editor of the magazine. Lisa Wilkinson began her career in magazines, answering an ad to work at Dolly in her late teens. I am glad to admit I was supremely wrong! (Both about Lisa and to be thinking like that at all really… so very few of amongst us are one dimensional!)
I have to confess, until recently, I thought Lisa Wilkinson was just *wince* another attractive, smiley, tv host, without any other feathers in her cap. Today’s subject, Lisa Wilkinson, fits that bill. Regular readers would gather by now that we love a feature on super successful lady things who are breaking the mould in the very finest of ways.