text: It's obviously no secret that there is a huge gender gap (in general but also) in how we respond to what celebrities wear. Women's appearances are always subject to critique while men's wardrobes are hardly judged in comparison. One TV show host decided to test that double standard by wearing the same knock-off Burberry suit for a year straight. Not surprisingly, no one said a damn thing. 
   
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   Karl Stefanovic is an Australian TV personality, co-host of Aussie morning news show Today. His co-presenter Lisa Wilkinson constantly faces criticism and generally unsolicited fashion advice from viewers. Frustrated with this, Stefanovic decided he was going to try a little experiment. For one year, save a couple instances, he wore the same exact cheap suit (with a different shirt and tie) just to see if anyone would say anything. Via Sydney Morning Herald: 
   
   "No one has noticed; no one gives a shit," Stefanovic tells Fairfax Media. "But women, they wear the wrong colour and they get pulled up. They say the wrong thing and there's thousands of tweets written about them. "Women are judged much more harshly and keenly for what they do, what they say and what they wear." 
   
   "I've worn the same suit on air for a year – except for a couple of times because of circumstance – to make a point. "I'm judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humour – on how I do my job, basically. Whereas women are quite often judged on what they're wearing or how their hair is ... that's [what I wanted to test]." 
   
   Only his cohost Lisa Wilkinson and another Today member knew about his experiment. As hilarious and interesting as this is, he simply proved something we all already know, the double standard women deal with on a day-to-day basis. 
   
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   Here's hoping he washed that suit at least semi-regularly. ||||| Karl Stefanovic might have been excited to reveal he had been wearing the same suit for a year, but he probably wasn't expecting the tsunami of social media support that comes from tackling sexism head on. 
   
   Stefanovic revealed this weekend he had worn the same outfit every day on air in what became a year-long protest-prank against the double standards his female colleagues face. 
   
   The Today Show host told Fairfax Media he came up with the idea while reflecting on the constant criticism and unsolicited advice received by his co-host Lisa Wilkinson and Samantha Armytage, the host of rival breakfast program Sunrise. 
   
   "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 said. "Women are judged much more harshly and keenly for what they do, what they say and what they wear." 
   
   "I'm judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humour – on how I do my job, basically. Whereas women are quite often judged on what they're wearing or how their hair is ... that's [what I wanted to test]." 
   
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   Stefanovic described the grand total of zero complaints or comments about his navy suit as evidence of the double standards for female presenters, and by extension, all women. 
   
   Almost 24 hours after the story was published, hundreds of tweets and comments were streaming onto social media sites. The vast majority are positive, the streams peppered with the less than glowing responses to the prank. 
   
   Karl Stefanovic has outed himself as a feminist after a year-long prank. 
   
   Brilliant. @karlstefanovic exposes sexism by wearing same suit for a year on @TheTodayShow. No complaints: http://t.co/F54ydMRa95 @Ladyjmo @karlstefanovic I loved this so much! Bloody double standards, well played Karl xx — Mrs Woog (@Woogsworld) November 15, 2014 
   
   Stefanovic's experiment has been picked up globally, covered by news groups such as the BBC, the Irish Independent, the New York Daily News and large American commentary site Jezebel. 
   
   Many in the Australian feminist community have welcomed the prank, describing it as a breakthrough message that translates the issues facing women to huge audiences. 
   
   Author and outspoken feminist commentator Van Badham described Stefanovic's suit prank as part of a growing movement of men making meaningful contributions to feminism. 
   
   "This act is not trivial. It's an example of a genuine human empathy that recognises when conditions are unfair and acts upon it," Ms Badham told Fairfax Media. 
   
   "Yeah, it's a suit. But it's one human being showing another that they have come to empathise with their disadvantage, and this is actually the recognition that exists in the heart of all meaningful social change." 
   
   Facebook's large and robust feminist online community Destroy the Joint's praised Stefanovic for "taking one for team, the team of women" on their Facebook page. The group has more than 48,000 followers, many of whom were debating the merits of his endeavours beneath the original post. 
   
   "Remember when Julia Gillard first started to wear glasses and after an interview with that Karl man, he and Lisa and the other hosts all put on glasses and mocked her. Haven't watched that morning fluff show since then," wrote a Destroy the Joint member. 
   
   "I don't buy it as a victory for feminism either. It is a stunt: the discussion of feminism seems to be locked in superficial terms surrounding whether it is ok to comment on someone's outfit (I think it is) or whether it is ok to comment on their weight (I do not think it is). In the meantime, men and women who need to rely on social security payments are being threatened with horrible spending control in the form of budget cards. This blow to equality in our country is real and it is imminent, I'll be willing to bet Karl hasn't discussed that yet," wrote one community member. ||||| Destroyers, another woman is dead, another victim of violence against women. Our sad record honouring all known deaths in 2017 now stands at 12. 
   
   An unnamed woman (38) was rushed to hospital last Tuesday evening after being stabbed at a unit in Gilberton, South Australia, and sadly died of her injuries two days later on Thursday April 20. An unnamed man (41) believed unrelated but known to the woman, has been charged with her murder. No further details are available at present.... 
   
   http://tinyurl.com/metoxfn 
   
   We extend sincere condolences to family and friends. 
   
   Destroyers, we know there is often speculation in the media about the circumstances of sudden death and we are currently monitoring several deaths, some of which date back over months and years. We try to be accurate in our record, and we will not publish without a high degree of certainty, but we can't know the full circumstances of each death until court cases or coronial hearings are finalised. Police inquiries must necessarily be painstaking and often agonisingly slow, and details can be withheld in order to ensure that justice is served. 
   
   Our yearly registers date back to 2012. We can only record the deaths of which we are made aware – those which merit a mention in police reports and media, and which are confirmed as resulting from violence targeted against women. Destroyers, if you know of any facts which may add detail to our record, please send us a **personal message**. Personal messages only, please – we delete all comment and speculation from our public wall and from comment threads. We have no wish to prejudice the outcome of court proceedings. 
   
   Women from all backgrounds are counted but we make no assumptions about a woman's culture, lifestyle or circumstances. We often do not even know a name: this may be out of respect for cultural traditions, or because of a court order. We add updated information to our 2017 Register as soon as it is received. You can access updated Notes here: 
   
   http://tinyurl.com/mrk59pj 
   
   *Please note:* We do not confine our count to only deaths attributed as domestic or family violence, as we believe all violent deaths targeted against women are the result of societal misogyny. Most of these cases are subject to court proceedings but we do know that in at least 75 per cent of the cases reported from 2012 to 2015, the victim knew her alleged killer. We include women killed by other women (lateral violence). Their relatively small but equally sad number confirms that most violence against women is perpetrated by men. 
   
   ------------------------------------------------------- 
   
   If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. 
   
   In an emergency, call 000. 
   
   For information about local services, download the DAISY app for iPhone and Android
target: – An Aussie TV personality has worn the same suit on-air for a full year, and not because he likes the smell. Karl Stefanovic, a presenter on Australia's morning news show Today, says he kept wearing the blue Burberry knock-off to make a point: "No one has noticed; no one gives a s--t," he says. "But women, they wear the wrong color and they get pulled up. They say the wrong thing and there's thousands of tweets written about them." And Stefanovic has seen co-host Lisa Wilkinson—with whom he's had an admittedly rocky relationship—raked over the coals because her outfit happens to offend a few fans, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Unlike Wilkinson, "I'm judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humor—on how I do my job, basically," Stefanovic says. He was particularly offended when the Telegraph ran old photographs of a female co-host on a rival morning show, dressed in comfortable clothes while running errands. "She's a mate and she was hurt by that," says Stefanovic, who offered her his support. "And I can understand." Hundreds of tweets (mostly favorable) reacted to Stefanovic's well-worn suit, The Age reports, with comments like "I loved this so much! Bloody double standards, well played Karl xx" and "absolutely brilliant stuff." Others, not so much: A member of a feminist Facebook page called the suit experiment "superficial," while an analyst on Jezebel saw nothing new: "As hilarious and interesting as this is, he simply proved something we all already know, the double standard women deal with on a day-to-day basis," Isha Aran writes. (Another recent viral video shows a woman getting 108 catcalls in 10 hours while walking around New York City.)