Kelly Ripa, the #WomanCard and More: Gender News Weekly

Powerful #MoreThanMean Video Exposes Online Harassment of Women in Sports Media

Online harassment is nothing new, and it won't surprise you that many Internet trolls specifically target women. This Tuesday, an incredibly powerful online campaign called #MoreThanMean will take a hard look at the harassment of women in media and presents a call to action, Mashable reports. Starring sports reporters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro, the filmmakers ask real men to read real comments posted online about them to their faces. While the video starts off lightheartedly, as each guy thinks they are there for an adaption of Jimmy Kimmel's "Mean Tweets," it quickly takes a dark turn, exposing the unbelievably vile and heartless comments that women are exposed to on a daily basis. With each new comment, the men become increasingly dumbfounded and uncomfortable, feeling the need to apologize on behalf of their entire gender. The message is simple: If you wouldn't say something to someone's face, don't post it online. Make sure to watch the entire video above.

The #WomanCard and All Its Benefits Goes Viral

In the latest Trump news, the Republican presidential candidate told a crowd on Tuesday night, "Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get five percent of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the woman's card." As Trump does best, the comment obviously spurred outrage from every woman on the Internet, and #womancard was quickly trending on Twitter, as users chimed in sarcastically (and quite hilariously) on what unique rewards their "woman's card" offered them. In my favorite commentary, Washington Post reporter Alexandra Petri writes, "It entitles you to a sizable discount on your earnings everywhere you go (average 21 percent, but can be anywhere from 9 percent to 37 percent, depending on what study you're reading and what edition of the Woman Card you have)." She continues, "Take the Woman Card on the subway with you, put your headphones in, and you are guaranteed a free, lengthy, one-on-one conversation or lecture from a man who will not leave you alone unless you also remembered to bring your I Have A Boyfriend Card (they accept no substitutes)." See more hilarious #womancard tweets below.

Every time I try to play my #womancard, a man has to explain how it works.

— kaya oakes (@kayaoakes) April 27, 2016

Be a card-carrying member of the female persuasion and get your #womancard Today! Amazing benefits included! pic.twitter.com/7ntpH91wau

— Terri - Web Designer (@SocialTerri) April 27, 2016

Tried to use my #womancard at an ATM to pull out a $20—got $15.60 instead.

— Julie Leung (@jleungbooks) April 27, 2016

If I had a dollar for every time I've used the #womancard I'd have about 77 cents by now.

— jenn lindeman (@icandyart) April 28, 2016

Sexist Treatment of Kelly Ripa?

Many have reported on ABC/Disney's mismanagement of morning TV star Kelly Ripa, who returned to "Live! With Kelly and Michael" on Tuesday after protesting the network's decision to not loop her into conversations surrounding cohost Michael Strahan's departure. Ripa was told that Strahan would be leaving the show for "Good Morning America" mere minutes before the official announcement. Some have asked a crucial question: Would this botched situation have happened if Ripa were a man? It's not like mistreatment hasn't happened to other female talent, one Timereporter pointed out, referencing Ann Curry, Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Connie Chung and Christiane Amanpour -- "women who have been ignored, mocked, or sometimes forced off their own shows by overwhelmingly male executives." While sexism may not have been a factor in Ripa's case, it's hard to ignore the optics: Men are the majority of network executives and executive producers on morning television (and the TV business as a whole). "When you put Ripa's treatment in broad context, an ugly pattern emerges of an industry in which female TV power brokers are taken for granted or outright disrespected," Time's Eliana Dockterman concludes. That includes coverage of the controversy, others argue, calling out media outlets and commentators who were quick to label Ripa a "diva." Check out CNN's coverage of the controversy below.

"Dads Don't Babysit" T-Shirt Goes Viral, Combats Parenting Stereotypes

The National At-Home Dad Network has a message for the rest of the world: "Dads Don't Babysit. It's Called Parenting." After posting a picture of its newest T-shirt, which aims to break down outdated stereotypes about fatherhood, the image quickly went viral, spurring online discussion about dads' experiences when they are in public looking after their children. Some of the comments dads face include:

• "Aww, it's so nice of you to babysit and give mom a break."
• "I guess you got stuck with the kids today."
• "I can tell you've dressed the baby today."

This stems from out-of-date notions of parenting, Al Ferguson from The Dad Network told BBC: "The modern dad is more active in [his] family life than [he was] historically. It's out of date to assume the mom is the primary caregiver." According to the Pew Research Center, the number of stay-at-home dads is on the rise: Fathers now make up 16 percent of primary caregivers.

More Headlines This Week

Meet the Venture Capitalist Whom Venture Capitalists Love to Hate

Why Deutsch Hired Two White, Male CCOs

Sexism In Ads to be Investigated by ASA Amid Growing Debate on Equality Issues

It's Time for Marketing's "Token Women" to Shatter the Glass Holding Others Down

This Ad Agency Wants to Flush North Carolina's Anti-LGBT Law

5 Ways Historically Male Brands are Now Reaching Out to Women

The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated bloggers.