A woman has taken to social media to call out the "disgusting" treatment of female reporters while working out in the field.
Sharing the unsettling moment to Twitter, Spectrum News 1 reporter Brianna Hamblin was preparing for a TV broadcast from Rochester, New York. However, with the camera rolling and Hamblin waiting for her report to begin, she was approached by two men making unsolicited comments about her appearance.
One can be heard saying she looks "nice", and the other went on to say she was "beautiful as hell".
Looking uncomfortable by the comments, Hamblin did her best to ignore the men and responded with a swift "thank you", as she begins to look at her cell phone.
However, her attempts to not engage with the second man were not received, and instead, he continued to disrupt her and ask why she was on television. Hamblin jokingly responded that he should "go find a TV and watch Spectrum News" - but this prompted him to make yet another inappropriate comment.
"See that’s why I can’t be left alone with a Black woman," he said - adding a racial slur referring to individuals who are of mixed African and European descent.
In an attempt to bring the unwanted conversation to an end, Hamblin told the man: "All right, we are done here. Have a great rest of your day". But the man did not take the hint, and instead said: "You are sexy as f***".
Sharing the clip to Twitter, Hamblin wrote alongside it: "Being hit on and harassed as a woman, especially as a woman reporter out in the field, happens so often you learn how to roll with it or ignore it. This time it happened to be recorded only seconds before my hit. There are A LOT of things wrong with this."
She added in subsequent tweets: "The audacity of the things men say to me never ceases to amaze me. What makes you think women want to be talked to that way? In no way is this endearing. It’s uncomfortable. It’s gross."
"Being a Black woman in this industry has its own headaches, but talking down on one group of women to “praise” another group is NEVER okay. It just shows you have a disgusting fetish based on stereotypes, which is just as racist," she added.
After amassing over 4.9 million views on the social media platform, Hamblin has received an outpouring of support - with many other reporters and journalists speaking out against her treatment.
Fox4 reporter Lynnanne Nguyen replied to the video saying: "To everyone surprised at this behavior, I promise you this does not shock a single female reporter. Happens to us all the time."
And ESPN reporter Jenna Laine commented: "Women are well aware of the harassment other women face in the field. But not everyone recognizes that Black women can be targeted and put in an even more vulnerable position.
"We must exercise more vigilance as colleagues. We must do a better job of looking out."
CBS meteorologist Andrew Baglini even went on to decalre: "If I was a woman, I would have been out of this industry a looooong time ago. I've seen, read, and heard some of the things you deal with, but I'm guessing I only know 5% of it. But that 5% is enough to drive me away. You're way stronger than I am. Sorry doesn't begin to cut it."
