Stereotypes about women can still be seen in regional and national media despite the predominant media discourse connected to the war. Such publications appear, neglecting the fact that no one can be discriminated against according to Ukrainian legislation.
Some sites focus on women’s appearance rather than what they do or say. For example, there is a headline on the TSN.ua website: “Ruslana in minishorts and a bulletproof vest came to the front and ran into hate: “Where are the pants?” The media refers to a video where the singer appealed to NATO to provide Ukraine with F 16 aircraft as soon as possible. The editors of the site, as well as some social media users, were more interested in Ruslana’s appearance than in what she said.
On July 25, lawyer Klym Bratkivskyi wrote a post on Facebook with discriminatory statements. In his opinion, Lesia Hasidzhak cannot be the head of the Holodomor Museum because of her appearance.
Stereotypes about women are different. Not only about clothes and looks, but about age (ageism), about career success. The latter thought is only thanks to a man, not a woman’s achievements. There are still inappropriate statements about road accidents, as if it happened because the car driver was a woman.
On the “Gordon’s Boulevard” website, the appearance is also evaluated: “Zelenska’s new image. The first lady of Ukraine chose a suit from a Ukrainian manufacturer for a meeting with the wife of the president of South Korea. Photo”. The primary information is the outfit, not the meeting.