Is it really that bad to say someone is sexy?

WHY has it become such a no-no to say how good a woman looks without thinking it's some kind of sexist affront? It's just a compliment. End of story, writes Melissa Hoyer.

DON'T know about you, but why has it become such a no-no to simply say how good or even sexy someone happens to look?

I'm talking you and me here, not models and celebs and actors whose job often requires having some kind of pleasing aesthetic.

There just seem to be so many faux feminists out there attempting to garner collective outrage, as soon as anyone dares to comment on how 'nice' or dare I say 'sexy' someone looks.

I reckon some of these FFs are purely expressing an opinion in order to garner the troops in a show of united indignation. Oh, and to draw attention to themselves perhaps?

My god, you better not wolf-whistle or smile at anyone, or you may be caught out by the Personality Police.

And before The Collective start clutching their pearls and bashing on their Twitter handles, a lighthearted comment about how good, hell, even sexy someone may happen to look is NOT always a case of sexually objectifying a woman or a men.

Can't it just be taken for what it usually is? A pure acknowledgment that "hey, you look great today". End of story.

Why can't we just say "hey, what a sexy dress" or "your hair is looking hot" (or whatever GEN X, Y or Z lingo you choose to speak) without thinking it is some kind of sexist affront?

It's just a bloody nice compliment for god's sake.

Tracy Spicer makes a point about the vanity of women, by stripping off during a TEDx talk. Picture: Supplied

Talking about how 'sexy' someone is has simply become taboo.

Major TV peeps and even very minor ones (this writer included) have stripped off our work make-up war paint on live TV and even journo Tracey Spicer gave her recent TEDx talk about the amount of time lost in productivity because of the artificial expectations placed on women to look good.

Throw in the Strippergate furore over Sunrise's Kochie allegedly "demeaning" his co-host, Sam Armytage and opinionated appropriateness (we're all over the 'PC' term) is just getting way out of hand.

We'll all become very beige, angry and grey excuses for humans as soon as we can't say or do something vaguely complimentary or fun about someone without collective outrage ensuing.

Why can't we all just 'be' and 'get on'?

Get on with our lives. And our jobs. And our relationships. And our make-up brushes. And our hairdressers, without constantly having the discrimination, sexist, misogynist argument thrown into the equation.

Sam Armytage took a stand against feminists who criticised her co-host David Koch. Picture: Channel Seven

Of course there have been an endless stream of females who were and are still at the forefront of advancing the 'cause' of women (I loathe even having to say that) but the most credible and authentic are those don't bang on about it. Or try to form an angry conga line of FFs.

Women who are doing what they do well are being acknowledged accordingly for it.

To me, that is proof enough that we all, as a human collective, should just get on with it. Whether it's parenting. Or working in an office. Or stripping.

What are so very often just lighthearted quips made to each other - obviously magnified when made by TV hosts - are often being blown out of proportion.

The Sam Armytage affair and the accusation she was part of some sexist and degrading Sunrise website segment by was just plainly misguided.

I know Sam Armytage and there is no hope in hell she would have allowed anyone, let alone her co-host David Koch wrestle her into a corner of embarrassment or indignation.

And the same, no question, would be said about the Today Show's Lisa Wilkinson and her co-host Karl Stefanovic.

Lisa, too, would never allow herself to be party to a TV bloke making a fool of her.

Hoyer says Lisa Wilkinson would not stand for sexism in the workplace. Picture: Channel Nine

Sure, there will always be those in life who cross the sleazy line (we've all had ones who unsettle your comfort zone) but decency and common sense should dictate how far most of us go as far as appropriate, complimentary language goes.

Anyone with an ounce of good manners, integrity and that thing called dignity knows how to behave.

So what is wrong with a little fun and a compliment?

And as for this Sisterhood scenario? Don't know about you, but there is nothing worse than 'The Sisterhood' (another tedious term) ganging up on blokes, well, just because they think they can.

I see more diehard 'Sisterhood' members pitting themselves up against each other much more than they do so with men.

We just need to all do what we do, and do it as well as we can.

And if someone says to you 'gee you look sexy', for god sake, just take it as a compliment and step away from the keyboard before alerting the Twittersphere.

What do you think? Leave a comment below or continue the conversation on Twitter @melissahoyer | @newscomauhq