Although Ginger Zee is the chief meteorologist for ABC News, she still struggles to convince people to listen to her views on climate change. She understood that her Instagram posts featuring her slim body or luscious hair or long legs always got more views and likes than content focused on climate and the weather. Knowing that, she decided to use an alluring image of herself as bait to get people to engage with her views on climate change and make a change to save the planet today.
She captioned the image, “PLEASE READ: Photos of my body, hair, and legs get so many more comments than my important climate stories so HERE — here’s a photo I know will get the attention — NOW, PLEASE KEEP READING: I appreciate all the interaction but I really want you all to HEAR what I’m saying too. DON’T comment on this photo— go click on and WATCH my next post. Learn. Then comment there. I will do whatever it takes for everyone to realize we need to make changes and clean-up our planet— NOW. I post my stories every Friday, and they often get only six comments and very few views. I hope this helps change that.”
The post that she wanted people to pay attention to did not focus on her hair, body, or legs. Instead, it was the latest episode of a program she created to help spread awareness about climate change and how it will change American lives in places like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana – not to mention California and the Pacific Northwest.
“Please watch the latest episode of #ItsNotTooLate – Miami still has more than 100k septic tanks! Toxins from lawn fertilizer and agriculture poison the bay. Please watch and let me know what you think and what you want me to cover next. Watch all the previous segments in my IGTV and watch @abcnewslive every Thursday night for the new story!
“Also — for those asking what they can do even if you don’t live at the coast — your trash (plastic use) and toxins make it into storm drains and groundwater too, everyone needs to reassess what we are leaving behind. For example, a plastic glove or disposable mask on the ground gets pushed into a storm drain, even when inland. It breaks down over time and becomes microplastics that go into our oceans.”
Although Ginger Zee’s bait-and-switch may have upset some social media users, it achieved its purpose of getting people to pay attention.
What do you think about ABC News’s chief meteorologist showing some skin in the name of science?