Stephen Colbert: interviewing men and women

Recently I watched some interviews from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Among the interviewees on the same night were Nicki Minaj (singer) and Ronny Chieng (actor). As it happens so often on talk shows the focus of men and women's interviews follows a similar pattern in which the man's interview is non-sexualized, whereas the woman's is and more often than not focuses on her looks. In this episode Colbert and Chieng discussed Chieng's origins, the places he has lived, his recent movie, Hollywood and the 1%. Minaj's interview on the other hand focused on her sex life, her looks and flirting with Colbert, as well as the cover of her new album, in which she appears topless and practically nude.

Although this post focuses solely on one episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this double standard is a pattern that can readily be observed on many talk shows. Women are still objectified, sexualized interviewees, whereas men are treated as people who are not simply one-dimensional. 

© 2018 Alline Cormier