Steph Mcgovern: how not to succeed in business

​Image: Steph McGovern dressed for success.

BBC presenter Steph McGovern: I'd be paid more if I was 'posher'
‘There are a lot of women who do a similar job to me who are paid a hell of a lot more... who are a lot posher than me’
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One can't always blame a lack of advancement on sexism or, in the alleged case of Steph McGovern, classism. Sometimes, it's simply a failure to acquire the appropriate skills.

I agree that media salaries are probably insane, but I wouldn't give two cents for the example being set by this lamenting woman. She's a prime object lesson for my disappointment at how the public education systems and the media are allowing the English language to be gradually degraded into virtual illiteracy.

It's clear McGovern is doing all she can think of in attempts to improve her situation. She has re-created her appearance a dozen times -- short hair, medium length hair, long hair, short skirts (photos above), skin-tight dresses (photo at left), tons of makeup and bare shoulder, no makeup and covered shoulder (photos below) -- but, sadly, none of this has helped her achieve her pay-level objective.

So now she wants a cap on the amount being paid simply because she isn't being paid it.

Meanwhile, she's overlooking what seems obvious to me.

I find it bemusing that she has a job at all in an environment where a good command of the written and spoken word is -- or once was -- essential.

The chances are great that it isn't her "regional accent" holding her back, but more likely her atrocious grammar.

In the first two statements attributed to McGovern (above) there are multiple grammatical errors that reveal her lack of knowledge of her own language.  Here they are corrected:

"I'd be paid more if I were more posh."
"There are many women who do a job similar to mine who are paid (no cussword needed) a great deal more ... who are much more posh than I"

I don't know about you, but when I was in the working world I accepted that it was my responsibility to acquire the skills necessary to meet the standards expected for a particular job.

Rather than sneering at the "privately educated" who are paid more than she is, maybe McGovern could consider what specifically they might have that she's lacking. I suggest it's a much better command of English, which any fool can achieve on her own time -- if not too lazy, jealous and self-pitying, that is.

McGovern rationalizes that: “A lot of people who talk to me in the street [and] say they like me on telly are people from ethnic minorities, because we’re often from a similar socio-economic background.” No doubt the BBC recognizes this as well. She's attracted a certain following that keeps her in a certain niche with no room to expand.

She fails to see, however, that although she herself has now risen above some limitations of her upbringing, she is inadvertently helping to keep her fans down by setting a poor example of what to strive for. She needs to see that it's not her accent holding her back, but more likely her atrocious grammar!

Be a missionary, Steph. You don't need a "private education" you need a public one. It would require a bit of humility, but what do you have to lose?  Find an English tutor and publicly demonstrate to your fans that one very good way to rise above one's perceived social status is with a decent grasp of the language.

All images are of the same person: Steph McGovern trying to get ahead in the business.

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