Los Angeles Times columnist and cartoonist David Horsey may be a Pulitzer Prize winner, but he gets the booby prize for his ridiculously outrageous comment last week about White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

In his article, Horsey called Sanders a “slightly chunky soccer mom.” After a firestorm of criticism, Horsey apologized, and the offending paragraphs were removed from future views of his column and a written apology appeared in its place.

Of all people, journalists should be the last to engage in this type of insensitive characterization, which has nothing to do with how people perform their jobs. I am not a big fan of Sanders, although I cringe as she sometimes tries to defend the indefensible words coming from the mouth of her boss, President Donald Trump.

Here is what Horsey wrote: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders does not look like the kind of woman Donald Trump would choose as his chief spokesperson. Much like Roger Ailes when he was stocking the Fox News lineup with blond Barbie dolls in short, tight skirts, the president has generally exhibited a preference for sleek beauties with long legs and stiletto heels to represent his interests and act as his arm candy.

“Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and wife, Melania, are the apotheosis of this type. By comparison, Sanders looks more like a slightly chunky soccer mom who organizes snacks for the kids’ games. Rather than the fake eyelashes and formal dresses she puts on for news briefings, Sanders seems as if she’d be more comfortable in sweats and running shoes. Yet, even if Trump privately wishes he had a supermodel for a press secretary, he is lucky to have Sanders.”

Where was Horsey’s editor, who is supposed to be the gatekeeper to make sure that rogue insensitivities such as these don’t make it into print or online? Adam Serwer, a senior editor at The Atlantic, agrees with me. “Genuinely confused as to how this column got past an editor,” he said.

Reaction was swift and relentless, as it should have been. “Why do men always feel the need to comment on how women look?” said Rebecca Nelson, a senior writer at Cosmopolitan. “This is truly vile.”

When looking for other men who have been guilty of such body-shaming remarks, we need look no further than Sanders’ boss. Trump’s presidential campaign was punctuated by his attacks on women’s looks. You will recall his exchange with former Fox commentator Megyn Kelly, who asked him in the first debate about his references to some women as “slobs, dogs, fat pigs and disgusting animals.”

Trump also commented on one of his GOP opponents, Carly Fiorina: “Look at that face,” he said. “Would anyone vote for that?” He called Miss Universe Alicia Machado “Miss Piggy” because she had gained weight after her win in 1996.

When Rosie O’Donnell criticized Trump for declaring bankruptcy in 2006, Trump fired back: “If I were running The View, I’d fire Rosie (O’Donnell). I’d look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, ‘Rosie, you’re fired.’ ”

He embarrassed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a fundraiser in the Garden State. “You’re not eating Oreos anymore; no more Oreos,” Trump told Christie.

Body-shaming manifests itself in a number of ways, but regardless of its origins, it leads to comparisons and perpetuates the notion that people should be judged for their physical features. And that is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Erika Vargas, an adolescent clinician at Walden’s, an eating disorder treatment center, said these insults and attacks often originally surface in adolescence. “It feels easier to shoot for something that will hurt, like targeting physical appearance, rather than expressing what is really going on emotionally,” she said.

What makes all of this worse is the rise of social media which allows body-shamers to hide behind the cloak of anonymity. Some of the biggest names in show business are attacked for being fat or too thin. When she was attacked after her appearance on Super Bowl LI, Lady Gaga told her critics, “I am proud of my body, and you should be proud of yours.”

As for contrite columnist Horsey, he issued this apology several hours after his column appeared: “I want to apologize to Times readers — and to Sarah Huckabee Sanders — for a description that was insensitive and failed to meet the standards of our newspaper. It also failed to meet the expectations I have for myself. It surely won’t be my last mistake, but this particular error will be scrupulously avoided in my future commentaries.”

It’s a start at redemption.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com