Journalist Zarisha Bradley posted a video to show how far she’d come in her career, but it became about something else entirely

When crime reporter Zarisha Bradley posted a video to show how far she’d come in her career, the response was wild and became about something else entirely.

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When crime reporter Zarisha Bradley shared a video to show how far she’d come in her journalism career, the conversation quickly became not about her professional progression but about her weight.

The 26-year-old Brisbane reporter for Nine’s A Current Affair posted a clip on TikTok showing her early days appearing on camera compared to her current work.

In the first clip, you can practically see how much she’s concentrating on doing a great job, and in the second, after years of experience, the seasoned reporter looks more relaxed and confident.

It came across my feed and, as a fellow journalist, it was interesting to watch. Seeing how much someone can improve is inspiring.

Then I read the comments.

Instead of complementing Bradley on her career, people immediately started focusing on her weight.

Particularly men, suggesting the reporter had used a weight loss drug, or making remarks on how she looked thinner.

“You finally lost half your body weight,” one wrote.

“Did you feel pressured to lose weight because of your profession?” another asked.

“Professional and physical glow-up,” someone else remarked.

“What did you do? Happy for you,” another questioned.

Zarisha Bradley, a Brisbane reporter, posted a clip on TikTok showing her career progression. Picture: TikTok/Zarisha Bradley

In the first clip, you can practically see how much she’s concentrating. Picture: TikTok/Zarisha Bradley

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Speaking to news.com.au, Ms Bradley said she’s become an expert at not letting stuff like that get to her.

“Honestly the comments don’t bother me all that much. It’s always the one per cent of sad humans that really are just deflecting their own miserable lives,” she said.

“I usually prefer not to give them any oxygen, but every now and then, I clap back for a bit of fun.”

The crime reporter pointed out that you have to have “thick skin” when you work in media and she does her best to block out the noise.

“You need thick skin being in this industry. I cop it all when confronting crims and dodgy tradies in the flesh, so I can definitely handle a weasel behind a keyboard,” she said.

Pretty much any female journalist who exists publicly will be familiar with having to field unwanted commentary about their physical appearance.

Whether it’s being trolled or sexualised, your body – despite how irrelevant it is to the work you’re doing – becomes part of the conversation.

I can write about anything from business trends, influencer feuds or couples facing a mortgage crisis, and some troll, if not multiple trolls, will comment on my physical appearance and weight.

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The crime reporter said she’s developed a tough skin from working in media. Picture: Instagram/zarisha_bradley

And she’s learned how to deal with gross comments online. Picture: Instagram/zarisha_bradley

Writing about Ms Bradley having to endure body shaming in order to highlight and call out the ridiculous emphasis on weight is both frustrating and exhausting.

But then, not shining a light on how women are treated in the media means we’re ignoring a really painful experience that happens to so many people.

I want to call it out because it is wrong, unfair, and reeks of double standards. I understand that also means bringing further attention to it, but if we’re not pointing the finger at it, then it feels like we’re just accepting it.

The entire point of Ms Bradley’s TikTok, to highlight her incredible career progression, was completely lost because of the hyper-focus on her physical appearance.

Even the comments from people who clearly weren’t trolling her totally missed the point. Some shared that they found her attractive either way or even wrote supportive comments about how she looked before and after losing weight.

Even the well-meaning comments unintentionally did more harm than good.

Pretty much any female journalist who exists publicly has to field unwanted commentary on their physical appearance. Picture: Instagram/zarisha_bradley

That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. Picture: Instagram/zarisha_bradley

Ms Bradley responded to the accusations she had used a weight loss drug, and posted a clip of her chasing someone down the street for a segment for A Current Affair.

“Nah just catching crims and dodgy blokes,” she joked.

She also joked to one troll that they should try “chasing after crims” because it really “sheds the weight”.

Among the commentary on her appearance, there were also those who realised the purpose of the clip and commented on her career development.

“Lots of hard work,” someone praised.

“What a massive difference! Just in your presentation skills, the way you use your hands, your gestures, and your voice projection. So professional. Well done,” someone else complimented.

“Killing it!” another said.

“That’s on being a queen. Look at you, Zarisha. I am so proud of you and love watching you across our screens,” one wrote.

At the end of the day though, the positive comments aren’t enough to drown out the negativity, or the fact that being body-shamed as a female journalist has become the norm – despite it always being the least interesting thing about each and every woman.

Originally published as Journalist Zarisha Bradley posted a video to show how far she’d come in her career, but it became about something else entirely