James Spann Defends Coworker Against Facebook Body-Shamer

James Spann was not having it this morning.

The iconic local weatherman clapped back against a Facebook user who left an inappropriate comment about fellow meteorologist Taylor Sarallo's figure.

Sarallo was first to call out the comment, which asked whether she was pregnant, given the commenter's perception of her recent weight gain. She omitted the user's name to write a quick aside on her own Facebook page:

"I, like many, gained weight during the pandemic (hello stress!) and I'm also working with doctors to figure out some medical stuff," she wrote Friday morning. "I will be sure to let y'all know when I am expecting!!"

While the research is slim, women are found to generally experience more outward issues regarding their weight than men are. According to an article from Obesity Action, Rebecca M. Puhl and Kelly King claim that "women seem to experience higher levels of weight stigmatization than men, even at lower levels of excess weight."

"[W]omen report weight discrimination at lower levels of excess weight than men," the article read. "... Women whose bodies deviate, even slightly, from physical beauty standards may be vulnerable to weight stigmatization."

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The article added that such discrimination can lead to women experiencing issues with "poorer body image, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and a range of unhealthy eating behaviors, including binge eating."

Spann, however, was not about to let this commenter get away with the remark. He took to Twitter to quote tweet Sarallo's initial post, calling out the inappropriate nature of such an observation.

"I think we all know this question is never appropriate," Spann wrote. "Please think before you post a comment on Facebook; my post last night from a person in Perry County showing a nice country scene got totally out of hand, and many were blocked. Consider kindness and empathy."

The posts garnered significant support from viewers and colleagues alike as users flooded the comments with kind words for Sarallo and Spann. Sarallo popped onto Facebook again later in the day to express her gratitude.

"We are all humans. At the very core, we are all the same," she wrote. "We are all struggling and coping with things internally, externally or both. Compassion and empathy towards others go such a long way."

Sarallo and Spann urge Facebook commenters to remember a very simple rule: think before you type.