Australian TV Anchor Wears Same Suit Every Day For A Year To Make A Point, Did It Work?

After noticing that his female co-anchors on Australia’s TODAY morning show would often take flack for their outfits by users on social media, co-host Karl Stefanovic decided to undertake a social experiment.

For one whole year TODAY’s Karl Stefanovic wore the exact same blue suit. Every day on camera he wore the same blue suit to see if anyone would notice.

Before I jump into the nuts and bolts of Karl’s social experiment, also know that he’s the man behind one of the most famous ‘nailed it’ GIFs on the Internet:

But back to his story. From TODAY:

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He revealed the experiment over the weekend, and it quickly went viral: “I’ve worn the same suit on air for a year — except for a couple of times because of circumstance — to make a point,” Stefanovic told Fairfax Media. “I’m judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humor, on how I do my job, basically.

“Women are judged much more harshly and keenly for what they do, what they say and what they wear,” he added.

He noted that his co-host Lisa Wilkinson often hears from viewers critical of whatever she’s wearing, her hair or her accessories.

Wilkinson once received a letter from a viewer telling her to “Get Some Style” (the name of one of the show’s segments), and she replied in part: “Given that I am a journalist — and not a supermodel — it is important that anything I wear allows me to feel comfortable for three and a half hours on set or perhaps outside when we’re on location.”

Stefanovic did change his shirt and ties over the year-long experiment, but otherwise he looked much the same from day to day. “No one has noticed; no one gives a [care],” he said.

As disheartening as this is, I can’t say I’m surprised. Women are the harshest critics of other women. A man would NEVER care about a female TV anchor’s outfit so much that he’d write in to complain. It just wouldn’t happen.

So, he made his point. Nobody noticed that he wore the same suit every day for a year. But what did he accomplish? I’d have to say nothing. People (in general) are assholes, and one man’s social experiment isn’t going to change the thoughts of every TV viewer worldwide. It’s the truth.

But if you’re not of my own thoughts on this social experiment, you can head on over to 9News Australia and watch Karl’s big reveal, and hear him talk about this experiment himself.