Fox News slammed for talking hair, nails during pandemic

[WASHINGTON] A Fox News host sparked a firestorm of outrage on Thursday by voicing concern over how women are going to get their hair and nails done during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ainsley Earhardt was absolutely clear that she was talking about trivial everyday worries rather than the life-or-death issues which are of much larger import.

But that didn't stop a social media pile-on from critics who described her complaint about the frustrating side of lockdowns and social distancing as "vapid" and "vain."

"This is not a priority, but women have to get their hair done," Earhardt told viewers of US President Donald Trump's favorite conservative-leaning morning talk show, Fox and Friends.

"I saw someone tweet out, 'You're gonna see what real colour our hair is, because our roots are gonna grow in.'

"All my friends are saying, you know, this is not a priority - people are dying and I realise that - but they can't get their nails done," she said.

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One critic posted on Twitter that the segment was "a perfect distillation of Trump Republicanism" while another sneered at "rich white lady problems."

"Republicans are pro-life until they have to get their nails done. This genius is the poster child for why the entire world laughs at us," said another.

But some came to the defence of the 43-year-old mother-of-one, arguing that she was expressing legitimate concerns and suggesting that the criticism was sexist.

Others pointed out that Bernie Sanders's press secretary Briahna Joy Gray had made a similar complaint days earlier - while also underlining that there were bigger concerns.

Confirmed cases of the new coronavirus are accelerating in the United States, with more than 76,000 confirmed cases and 849 deaths.

The pandemic has shut down large swaths of the country, pushing the economy into a tailspin.

AFP