One of the coolest things about being a woman who is somewhat in the public eye is receiving messages from total strangers about all the things that are wrong with me. I’ve gotten emails, tweets, and comments about all sorts of things random people think I should fix, like my speaking voice, my language, my ability to do my job, my intellect, the way I dress, the things I like to eat, my parenting skills, my overall “lack of femininity,” and my general audacity to express my personal thoughts and opinions. Apparently people are under the impression that if they send a lady a nasty message, she will change everything about herself to conform to strangers’ standards of womanhood. Seems reasonable.

　　Tracy Hinson of news station KSDK in St. Louis, Missouri, has two bachelor’s degrees: one in journalism, and one in meteorology. She holds a seal from the National Weather Association. She reports the weekend weather for Today In St. Louis, and is an on-air reporter during the week, because Tracy seems like a goddamn machine. But the most important thing for everyone to know about Tracy is that she has a normal amount of tummy and doesn’t wear a girdle. Unfortunately for those in the greater St. Louis area who are so outraged to the point where they need to send her messages about that, Tracy DGAF:

　　Tracy’s official biography does not only make note of her degrees and career accomplishments, but also her love of macaroni and cheese. (She even has a mac and cheese blog.) Tracy is not here to apologize for liking food, nor should she. The official tagline of The Takeout is “Food is Delicious,” and this website is written and run entirely by women—women who love beer, bar food, pastries, hot dogs, candy, and so, so much more. These women are some of the smartest, most talented people I know, which is fantastic because I’ve been told that I’m an “illiterate hack” and a “waste of space.” Can you imagine how much better this site could be if we had more dudes on staff to eat all the “man food” so Kate, Aimee, and I could turn all our focus onto being sexy? We can only dream.

　　Solidarity, Tracy Hinson. You’re The Takeout’s hero of the week.