DENVER — Newsflash, Becky Ditchfield is pregnant and she recently gained national attention after she responded to some viewers who shared some not-so-nice comments about her belly and clothing choices.
One person said she looked like a “freak with [her] belly sticking out 2 miles.”
You sure about that? Becky decided to fact check that one using good old fashioned math. (And, shocker, her belly is smaller than two miles, unless it's in front of the state of Colorado on a green screen -- in which case it's much larger.)
Another email sent to the entire newsroom said the "tight clothes bulging stomachs, naval popping through, is disgusting." That person went on to say, "worse when they turn sideways" and suggested that she, "be modest."
Friday morning, she was invited to appear on the Today Show. She was wearing a super cute dress with pink stripes, that apparently some people don't like.
"Oddly enough, this is one of the dresses that gets complaints," she told the Today show team.
Dylan Dreyer, a mom and meteorologist for NBC, worked until about a week before her son was born in 2016.
"Some dresses cling," she said. "You have a belly, what are you supposed to do? There's a baby in there."
"I've tried putting on those flowing dresses and I tried it on, and I almost came into work," Becky responded. "And I swear it looked like I was going to be a big cruise ship coming on and taking up half the weather wall. So it's hard to concentrate when all you can hear are fog horns going off in your head. So I just like to wear things that make me feel confident. It's disappointing when you get those emails."
Today Show host Al Roker noted the double standard when it comes to the appearances of men and women. He talked about his weight issues over the years and said he rarely got complaints.
"There's a huge amount of sexism involved here," Roker said. "At my worst, I was far bigger than you ever were pregnant, and nobody complained, or a few people complained."
He also brought up that Becky's pregnancy is considered high-risk, something she has been very open about. She has a rare uterine malformation, and instead of one uterus, has two.
"I'm actually really high-risk of going into labor very early," Becky said. "That puts a lot of stress on me, all of the hormones that go into pregnancy. So the last thing you want to worry about is what you're wearing on TV and what people are thinking about how you look. But it happens, and you just have to get through it the best way that you can."
Becky and members of the newsroom have received many emails and calls offering support of Becky.
"We were shocked to hear of the unkind emails you have had to endure from ignorant people," one couple said Friday morning in an email to the 9NEWS webteam. "They need to get a life of their own and stop hurting others. We support and commend you and wish you all the best."