We can say that we have arrived at a point in history when physical appearances no longer matter, and that a person is judged based on their intellect, their wit, and the quality of their character. We can also say “sandwich mustache fish tree mug stop Albuquerque.” In fact, anyone can say anything they want in this country, and we’re all the better for it. But if you say that looks don’t matter, you’re wrong. They do. It’s not fair, it’s a damn shame, but it’s the truth. And this is all the more the truth for women. I wish it weren’t, but I’m not going to pretend here. Doing so would make this article rather self-defeating, wouldn’t it?

The fact is, many women who have risen to prominence as news media pundits (AKA talking heads, and too often heads where the mouth parts don’t have much worthwhile to say) have done so partly thanks to the way their facial bone structure happens to have been arranged. These cranial features are often also assisted by the general distribution of fat and muscle around the rest of their bodies. Also some of them are actually quite sharp, too. That definitely helps.

15. Robin Meade

Robin Meade was involved in the beauty industry well before she got into news and politics. She was Miss Ohio back in 1992 and was then a runner-up in the Miss America contest. Her broadcast career began in local TV with a station in Columbus, OH, and she moved steadily up from there, anchoring for several local news shows and eventually getting one of the top spots on the Headline News show Morning Express. Also, Meade released a country music album a few years back. Weird, right?

14. Megyn Kelly

Megan Kelly is a perfect example of a person who is undeniably attractive and also undeniably intelligent and capable. Her looks no doubt have helped her over the years, but anyone who claims she has become a fixture of the modern political discussion based on looks alone is flat out wrong. Kelly showed her mettle standing up to withering verbal assaults from then candidate D. J. Trump, and has shown herself time and again to be self-assured, well-informed, and also an attractive statuesque blond woman.

13. Abby Huntsman Livingston

Abby Livingston, daughter of former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman (who probably would have been a fine POTUS, for the record) used her father’s campaign to springboard herself into the public eye, but has subsequently proven herself as worthy of the attention. And not just because she has flowing brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. In fact, the young lady has been working in TV and media since the age of 16 (behind the scenes initially) so when she finally had the camera on her, she was ready. She is a frequent guest on various news shows and now a regular reporter with Fox.

12. Alicia Menendez

Alicia Melendez can frequently be seen on TV networks ranging from Fox to MSNBC. She is often the voice of reason when it comes to Latino-centric issues, and thus shows up on both conservative and liberal programs. She is also frequently heard on the radio, especially on her own XM radio show Power Play. Melendez came to public attention thanks to her own abilities, for sure, but she also had two things going for her. First, her dad is a United States Senator. Second, she’s physically attractive.

11. Summer Knowles

Summer Knowles has not only anchored some major news shows, including broadcasts that served the major metro area of Miami, but she has also broken some big stories in her day. She was the first person to whom former Florida governor Jeb Bush revealed intentions to run for president, for example. Before landing on-air work, Knowles was a writer and producer with a local NBC affiliate in North Carolina. But surely everyone knew her face would end up on camera, because look at her face.

10. Juliana Goldman

Julianna Goldman has that sort of “girl next door” beauty that makes her all the more attractive. She seems at once approachable yet also poised and capable. Which are both important qualities when you do things like interview the President of the United States of America, as she has done. She serves as a reporter with CBS News and also works with the Bloomberg Television network. She was named one of the Power 30 Under 30 back in 2010.

9. Kirsten Powers

Kirsten Powers has worked on camera for CNN and Fox News and has served as a writer for the New York Post, The Daily Beast, and for USA Today. With Fox, she was often seen as a token liberal voice, which is needed in order to seem as though the networks were indeed fair and balanced. In general, however, Powers is recognized as a shrewd and capable operator. She cut her teeth in the political game working on the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and later served in the Clinton administration. Yeah, also she’s hot.

8. Amanda Carpenter

Amanda Carpenter has written speeches for some of the most diehard conservatives out there, such as Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint. She also wrote a book called The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy’s Dossier on Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sounds like the work you’d expect from a sweat-stained middle-aged man in a polo shirt, not an attractive lady born in 1982. But there you have it. Carpenter has been on just about every conservative news show around, and has even appeared on a few liberal shows, too.

7. Dr. Helen Smith

Helen Smith is, first and foremost, a forensic psychologist who works with and studies people with unnaturally violent tendencies. Sexy, right? Well, no… but important. She is also a frequent face on various conservative news shows and an avid blogger, and she often goes right for hot button issues like abortion rights, guns rights, and issues of sexual orientation. To top it all off, she’s an attractive brunette woman with bedroom eyes.

6. Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence (no, not THAT Jennifer Lawrence, the one from the news, not the movies) might have formally worked for Breitbart News, but that doesn’t automatically mean she’s nuts, right? Well… yes, right. It does. She is, pretty much. Lawrence is currently involved with a group of Breitbart alums dedicated to enforcing the POTUS’s agenda (whatever that means; when they figure it out, hopefully they’ll share it with us and with the White House). Thing is… she’s also pretty. So, she’s on the list.

5. Katie Kieffer

Author, commentator, and attractive blond woman Katie Kieffer touts herself as an entrepreneur, and indeed she does seem to have some claim to that title, though mainly what she seems to have produced through her efforts is self-referential writing that apparently qualifies her as an entrepreneur. She has been seen on networks including CNBC, CNN, HBO, NBC, and a lot more, and surely all because of her talents and abilities, not because of the way her face looks.

4. Sarah Palin

I know… I know…the woman is insane. She’s ill-informed and misguided. She can see Russia from her house and she can name and speak about oh so many Supreme Court rulings. Sarah Palin is a goddamned idiot and she had no business being a governor and even less being on the presidential ticket. But here’s the thing: she’s pretty, and to be honest, she’s probably not as stupid as we think. Look how high she managed to rise, after all. Yes, that’s largely a comment on us, but it also does say something for her.

3. Anne Coulter

Anne Coulter was born to a pile of flaming charcoal and a pissed of honey badger. She exists mainly to enrage people and lash out senselessly at liberals, airlines, and other things, and serves no real purpose on earth other than to consume resources. And to write far right wing drivel. As you may or may not be able to tell, I’m not a big fan. But I can still be objective and say that her facial features and statuesque frame make her an attractive ostensibly human female.

2. Kristin Tate

The politics of Kristin Tate fall somewhere between classic conservatism and libertarianism, but that doesn’t really matter, because most of the time you’re probably just going to be looking at her cleavage. Admit it. She can be seen TV programs on Fox, CNN, PBS, and more, and she frequently shows up for those shows in shirts that show plenty of flesh. You’re looking at her chest right now, aren’t you? I could say anything, couldn’t I? Desk book flip tree green net bike spork. Yeah, you’re not paying attention.

1. Melissa Theuriau

French journalist and anchor Melissa Theuriau was voted one of the world’s most beautiful anchors back in 2006, and she has not lost one iota of that beauty in the decade since. She has served as a writer, an editor, and of course has spent plenty of time in front of the camera, which makes sense, because she’s stunning. She has also done extensive charity work, especially with children, because apparently she’s actually a good person, too. (What have you done, Ann Coulter? Huh?)