Joy Taylor is making it clear that she will never apologize for being smart, capable, and sexy in her profession.
The sports commentator, who recently parted ways with Fox Sports, joined Kayla Nicole on The Pre-Game podcast, where they dived into the scrutiny Joy’s faced over her appearance on-air. Around the 12-minute mark, Kayla referenced Joy’s now-famous declaration that she will “never apologize for being both smart and sexy on TV,” adding, “If that makes you uncomfortable that is your problem.”
In retrospect, she admitted that she “wasn’t always this way” and explained how important it is “to know where you are in your career, the equity that you have in a certain business, the relationships, the ground that you’ve laid for your skills.” Early on, the 38-year-old admitted that she was “hyperaware” of “coming across too sexy,” in the work space and was worried that others might assume she was “leading” with her looks.
“But I did reach a point in my career where I was like, ‘Look, I’m not trying to create this persona that is not accurate to who I am,’” she admitted. “‘And like, quite frankly, if my body makes you uncomfortable, I don’t know what to f**king tell you.’”
The conversation turned to the double standards that curvier women often face, particularly when it comes to professional attire. “It’s like nothing about what she’s wearing is inappropriate. Her body just bothers you because you’re a creep,” Kayla said. “In your mind, that is what a sexy body looks like and therefore it should be covered to not emphasize what her body looks like.”
Joy echoed the sentiment, explaining how the same outfit could be perceived completely differently depending on body type. “So it looks professional on her [a thinner woman] and it looks unprofessional on me. And also, I’m not an unreasonable person. I’m not popping on television in f**king pasties,” she said.
“Me showing up looking like a professional and doing my job and you thinking I’m sexy…that’s you. I’m not doing anything different than anyone else is doing,” she continued. “I’m not doing anything different than what the men are doing. I’m just hotter.”
Joy has faced this type of scrutiny throughout her career, navigating a male-dominated space where her body has often been unfairly sexualized. Even amid media commentary surrounding her alleged involvement in a scandal with FS1 executive Charlie Dixon, she was reduced to her appearance.
Sports commentator Jason Whitlock notoriously described her as having “peanut butter skin” and “big cans” on multiple occasions, never facing repercussions for his remarks. Joy, however, parted ways with Fox Sports in July after her contract was not renewed.
See Joy Taylor and Kayla Nicole’s conversation about “being sexy” in the workplace above, and their full sit-down below.
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