On August 2, 2026, Nastia Dziubak, editor of the Kropyvnytskyi-based media outlet “Hrechka,” published a screenshot on her Facebook page showing a sexist comment directed at her colleague, journalist Vladyslava Fandikova. According to the post, sports journalist Yurii Iliuchek left a comment under a “Hrechka” video referring to the presenter’s facial piercing.
“Why does the presenter have a nose ring? Is it for her image?” he wrote.
Later, Nastia Dziubak reported that Yurii Iliuchek apologized for his inappropriate comment. She also told Women in Media that she regularly sees similar comments under videos featuring Vladyslava Fandikova on the outlet’s social media pages. Fandikova herself has also spoken about the issue.
“I come across this quite often. I first realized that my nose piercing could be a problem for some people when videos featuring me started being published. Before that, no one had paid any attention to it, either in real life or in the comments under posts. Overall, I take it calmly. If the comments are particularly funny or absurd, I might even forward them to my friends and laugh about them,” Vladyslava Fandikova told Women in Media.
The journalist adds that although such attacks have little impact on her professional work, there have been moments when offensive comments made her consider removing her piercing — particularly when the comments involved her family. She also recalls an incident that happened to her offline, when an older man approached her on the street.
“He asked something along the lines of, ‘How much do you make, prancing around in front of cameras all dolled up?’ I replied that he must have mistaken me for someone else and simply walked away. Luckily, that was the end of it,” Vladyslava Fandikova says. She admits that she was surprised to discover that her piercing could provoke such a reaction from the audience.
“I have been watching Television Toronto for a long time, where journalist Alina Sheremeta also has a nose piercing and regularly appears on camera. After people started leaving comments about me, I even paid attention to whether there were similar comments under her videos, but I didn’t see any such remarks. I think it may also have something to do with the audiences of different media outlets. For me, piercing is simply part of my appearance and in no way affects the quality of my work,” the media professional added.
The NGO “Women in Media” emphasizes that comments targeting a female journalist’s appearance rather than the substance of her work are unacceptable and may constitute technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). Public discussion of a media professional’s piercing, clothing, or other personal characteristics has no bearing on her professional competence and shifts the focus from journalistic work to a woman’s appearance. Such remarks contribute to a culture that devalues women in the media and create a hostile online environment. Even when individual comments are framed as a “joke” or “curiosity,” their repeated occurrence can cause psychological distress, increase pressure on female journalists, and affect their sense of safety and self-acceptance.
We would like to remind you that the NGO “Women in Media” documents cases of online violence against Ukrainian women in the media on its online map. If you have experienced online attacks, you can report them by emailing ngo.womeninmedia@gmail.com.