Local News Anchor Body Shamed by Viewer

Ever heard of the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me?” Well, this unfortunate story is putting that theory to the test.

Local broadcaster Lindsay Iadeluca of NBC10 received a phone call over the weekend from an upset viewer. Come to find out, this viewer was not upset over Lindsay’s reporting, but rather, her appearance. Instead of crumbling, Lindsay took the high road and is taking this opportunity to spread a message of self-love, the importance of body acceptance, and the power of self-confidence.

Lindsay received an email that was a voicemail transcription from an unknown person. As she read the email, her jaw dropped.

“I had to read it over three times because I could not believe what I was reading,” she said. While she picked her jaw up from the floor, she was forced to read a belligerent email from a Mike Cyronak, saying things like “You look horrendous”, and “I don't know if you have mirrors in your house but please look in the mirror..”

Read the entire message below:

I got a chance to speak with Lindsay, and here is what she had to say:

Maddie Levine: What was your initial reaction?

Lindsay Iadeluca: My jaw dropped because I got it in my email before I even heard it. I had to read it over three times because I could not even believe what I was reading.

ML: I saw in one of your social media posts that you discovered it was actually a woman who left you this message, and you felt it was “almost worse” that it came from a woman. Why do you feel that it’s worse?

LI: Find me a woman who hasn’t had another woman comment about their body, because I haven’t. It hurts hearing it from a man, but you would think that a woman would think twice about degrading another woman. It blows my mind that in 2020, especially with everything going on, people still feel the need to degrade others for how they look.

ML: What made you want to share this with the world?

LI: Something inside of me just clicked. I have this platform as a broadcaster and I’m going to use it. It wasn’t about shaming this woman. It’s about making sure that we humanize our news people and remind viewers that we have feelings, and so that other women can see this incident and know that no one is perfect. I want this to be a learning experience. I hope people think twice before criticizing and I hope that women think twice before criticizing themselves.

ML: Have you heard from the woman since?

LI: She called again the next day, but the nighttime producer picked up. The woman was yelling and not making much sense, and then hung up.

ML: What would you like to say to anyone who may be dealing with bullies? Because let's face it, this woman is a bully.

LI: I want to tell them that they’re beautiful. No one is better at being you than you. Other people don’t define your worth. The sooner you can come at peace with that, your life will be better.

Lindsay decided to share the audio of this voicemail, accumulating over 20,000 views on Twitter:

Lindsay went on to share with me that she has dealt with body shaming her entire life. She was often called fat as a kid, and now in her adult years, is accused of “trying to be like Kim K.” In this judgmental world, it feels like there is no winning. But Lindsay has put a strong focus on mental health and enjoys spreading that message to her viewers, friends, and family.

Lindsay has been my idol for quite some time. She is a friend, a coworker, and mentor for me, and seeing the way she chose to handle this situation has inspired me to be kinder to myself and to those around me. The strength she has shown over the past few days illustrates the power of what self-love can do.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.