Background
On September 5, 2024, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a complaint by Zoia Bazova against the Happy Morning radio show on the same day on Hit FM radio station, hosted by Yulia Karpova, Roman Melnyk, and Ihor Shkliaruk. The recording is available here.
The applicant claims that in part of the show, namely starting from minute 14, the hosts were discussing the women’s “flaws.” The hostess cited three items that the male hosts commented on, one of which was about women’s unshaven legs. “Most of all, I was outraged by the statement that hair on women’s bodies is disgusting, and how one of the male hosts loves hairless women. I should point out that the only hairless human creature is a child, so I consider such statements (especially live on air) to be very dangerous. There were children with me in the car while I was listening to this show. I felt very uncomfortable and disgusted,” said the applicant.
On October 31, 2024, the Commission approached Hit FM radio station (TOV TV and Radio Company Media Market) asking them to provide commentary regarding possible violations of clause 9 (“Facts, judgments and assumptions must be clearly separated from one another”) and 15 (“Nobody can be discriminated on the grounds of their gender”) of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist in the show, and regarding the reasoning provided in the complaint.
On November 5, 2024, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a response from the media outlet, signed by company director Vitalii Drozdov. The letter stated that the hosts of the show discussed a YouTube video, which has no ties to Hit FM, where bloggers expressed a negative opinion of women who don’t shave their legs. The media outlet claims that the hosts expressed a negative attitude to such statements. The letter also says that the management of the radio station has ed to the hosts to ensure that in the future, it would be clearer that such statements do not reflect the position of the radio station and to express the condemnation of any misogynistic content.
Relevant ethical standards
Clause 9 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist: “Facts, judgments and assumptions must be clearly separated from one another. The dissemination of information containing bias or unfounded accusations is unacceptable.”
According to paragraph 15 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, “No one shall be discriminated against on the grounds of sex, language, race, religion, national, regional or social origin or political opinion. Relevant features of a person (group of people) should be indicated only in cases where this information is an essential part of the material. It is necessary to refrain from hints or remarks concerning physical defects or diseases of the person, to avoid use of offensive expressions, profanity.”
Regarding violations of the requirements of the Code, cl. 9 and 15
This Happy Morning show of the Hit FM radio station, aired live on September 5, 2024, raises controversial issues regarding the “standards” of women’s appearance and behavior from men’s viewpoint.
The hostess initiates the conversation, offering “a list of things about women that men find disgusting” and invites her two male co-hosts to share their thoughts. The first stereotype concerns the alleged unattractiveness of women’s unshaven legs for men. The female presenter says, “I found an interesting list, boys, and I decided to check it with you. Things that men consider actually disgusting in women. Is it true or not, is it disgusting or maybe just funny. Women who forget to remove their hair, is it like, ‘ew,’ ‘no’?” She also shares her opinion: “I think now it is a sign of maturity, being emotionally grown-up.”
The co-hosts have different views, with one expressing a tolerance for the natural look, “It’s okay. If there’s hair, that’s normal. It’s natural, you know. It’s okay for me, no disgust,” The other one, however, says, “Okay, I will speak for myself. I love it when girls only have hair on their heads.”Each of the hosts clearly indicates their judgment and emphasizes it is only their opinion.
Next, they discuss two more stereotypes: excessive amounts of makeup, which some men consider unacceptable, and women who drink too much alcohol.
At the end, the hostess makes a sarcastic comment, hinting at common stereotypes, and ironically assumes that an imaginary man would be very annoyed about all these characteristics at once: “Now imagine how this man would be annoyed by a very drunk woman with a lot of hair and extremely heavy makeup,” she sums up.
The show partially makes use of misogynistic themes, though they are sometimes presented in an ironic tone, where the hosts try to distance themselves from stereotypes by debunking them. However, the very concept of “disgusting” qualities related to women’s appearance and behavior can contribute to stereotypes and objectification. In addition, jokes that rely on social expectations to women (such as permissible amounts of alcohol or makeup) are humiliating and may reinforce prejudices.
The show clearly contains sexist content, namely, the discussion of “unacceptable” women’s qualities in terms of men’s alleged expectations and standards. This discussion format supports stereotypes regarding women’s appearance and behavior, suggesting that men can dictate what is “acceptable” or “unacceptable” for women. Phrases like [characteristics] “disgusting to men” reinforce women’s objectification and create an impression that their looks and behavior are supposed to align with men’s expectations.
The ironic commentary of the hostess does not make up for the general sexist tone, since it doesn’t contradict the stereotypes, but rather reinforces them, encouraging the listeners to think about women’s correspondence to certain standards. Discussions of “standards” in makeup, looks, and alcohol consumption not only limits the idea of women’s individuality but also ramps up pressure on women to meet certain social norms.
The word “disgusting” is meant to cause a reaction, since it has a strong negative connotation. This word means something that causes disgust, dislike, or even contempt. Using such harsh characteristics to describe someone’s appearance or behavior can be offensive and hurtful, especially when it comes to things that are highly subjective.
We remind you that in its Statement Regarding Jokes about IDPs in the New Year Issue of Kvartal 95 The Commission noted that it was aware that there is quite a thin line between humor and ridiculing a certain phenomenon, on the one hand, and discrimination and hate speech, on the other hand. Freedom of expression does protect not only positively perceived information or ideas or ones that are considered inoffensive or do not cause public outcry, but also ideas that are offensive, shocking or disturbing. However, in assessing whether certain humor can cause discrimination, it is important to analyze the context of the statement and its reach.
Radio stations with the largest audience must be aware that they have some of the biggest impacts on the formation of public opinion, unlike things like content actively sought out by individuals on online platforms.
As major media outlets with significant resources available for pre-release examination of materials, they have to be especially careful with potential manifestations of discriminatory humor and take all the necessary precautions to avoid discrimination and stereotyping of on air.
Conclusion and recommendations
An entertaining morning show on a radio station can absolutely raise subjects related to social standards and expectations, and such shows do not need to be “sterile.” Discussions about looks, makeup, or standards for alcohol consumption are acceptable, but it is important to refrain from highlighting gendered generalizations, such as “all men” or “all women.” This approach allows for interesting, open discussions without gender stereotypes or misogyny.
The Commission does not deny the media the right to choose the subjects of jokes independently, but urges them to approach the audience’s experiences more cautiously, since humor or satire are used as entertaining content and should not additionally traumatize readers, viewers, or listeners, including children.
In view of the above, taking into account the media outlet’s openness to fixing its own errors, the Commission believes that part of the Happy Morning show of September 5, 2024, on Hit FM radio station, hosted by Yulia Karpova, Roman Melnyk, and Ihor Shkliaruk, does not violate clause 9 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, but does violate the requirements of clause 15, and thus the Commission issues the hosts and the media outlet with a friendly warning.
The Commission recommends that the media, including entertainment radio stations:
- Refrain from creating content that normalizes sexism and misogyny against women;
- Develop and implement systematic measures to create non-discriminatory content on the air, in particular through regular trainings for media workers on issues of non-discrimination and gender equality;
- Implement policies of equality and non-discrimination both in content and in editorial activities. For instance, adapt and adopt the Policy of Gender Equality in the Media Content proposed by the Commission on Journalistic Ethics;
- Keep in mind the media’s crucial role in the formation of media consumption skills and education of the audience, particularly when it comes to fostering tolerance in society.