Katie Couric: The Symbol of Women’s Empowerment We Are Missing

The white blazer, the legs, the reported botox. Who will she wear tonight? What about next week? What about her hair? When Charles Gibson took over at World News Tonight, did anyone reveal their feelings about his pastiness or the crooked knot in his tie? Didn’t think so. Yet time after time when a female takes the reigns as a CEO of a company, a politician or an evening news anchor, it’s not about the shareholders, constituents or the viewing audience, it’s about the hair.
Putting all of this in perspective, Katie Couric did a great job anchoring the news. She transitioned well. Although the “cute girl next door” will always be there, she held her own behind the desk.
Now I am beginning to sound like the columns and papers that I have despised reading the days and week after Couric made her debut. In a new format for both Couric and CBS, she outperformed and out rated many expectations.

At least mine.

I’ve grown up in the Old Men’s Society known as ABC World News Tonight. To me, the short stint of Elizabeth Vargas as co-anchor recently does not count. World News Tonight is all I really know. But as the majority of America did, I planned on watching Ms. Couric’s debut. Curiosity matched with the idea that September 5th, 2006 history would be made, I tuned into CBS.

The funny thing is, is that I tuned in night after night. I wanted to watch her at Ground Zero for the September 11th anniversary. I wanted to see her emphasize with the young mothers and fathers left to bring up their children alone. She’s been there, she still doing that now. No matter what her paycheck is, that will never bring back the love of her husband or her daughters’ father. I wanted to tune in because I knew she would have this deep and profound connection. You could see her eyes looked tired from the day’s events, most likely from her own tears. She was excellent.

It’s not about the hair or the white blazer folks. It’s the fact that Katie Couric is making history.

Don’t you think that with all the advances women have made for equality that 2006 is much too late for a woman to be anchor of the evening news? Shouldn’t this have happened thirty years ago?

Why did Barbara Walters have to go through hell in order to be a co-anchor? Why did Connie Chung drop off the planet as quickly as she sat down in the chair next to Dan Rather?

The phenomenon is nothing new. Take the Saturday Night Live skit “Weekend Update” with Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin. Each time Curtin would give an editorial, Chase would begin his with “Jane, you ignorant slut.”

In a world where we are to respect our women, do we still see them as ignorant sluts? These women who wore white blazers or had frizzy hair? These women who deserve to be in the anchor chair whether we like it or not?

Katie Couric’s debut was a moment in history to be recognized. Yet seldom do we hear it put that way. The coverage before and after her debut easily showed the true colors of America. It’s not the brains or biography that matter, it’s the “who is she wearing.”

Has the evening news turned into a red carpet? I certainly hope not, because we might find Joan Rivers behind the anchor desk.

Ms. Couric, from young girls to women across the United States, thank you. You have a new fan.