AIBU to be disappointed with Theresa May's response to "Legs-it"

[Gonzales27]

AIBU to feel that May has missed a chance to take a real stand for feminism here! I'm sick of woman taking this crap lying down for fear of being seen as humourless or hysterical, while all the time the ability of strong females is being seriously undermined.
(Ps not particularly a big fan of May generally)

Quote from sky news :

The Prime Minister has dismissed the sexism row over the Daily Mail's "Legs-it" headline, saying it's "just a bit

The paper sparked an angry backlash after reducing talks between Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon to a battle of the legs with a picture of two women and the headline "Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!".
The newspaper was accused of "stealing its headlines from the 1950s" and lambasted as "moronic" and "sexist" by MPs.
But Mrs May said: "If people want to have a bit of fun about how we dress, then so be it."

[Ontopofthesunset]

Well, she wouldn't want to piss off the Daily Mail, would she?

[wasonthelist]

Yanbu her response is shit

[Neglectedbythesun]

Her response is awful.

[mikado1]

Worse than awful. Yanbu.

[brexitstolemyfuture]

Yanbu. She's awful generally.

[Goldfishjane]

Yanbu
You know the press said Gordon Brown had to announce his child's illness or they would do it? And yet I've seen Brown at parties with those editors, looking sick as a dog and escaping fast, but still there.
It's so sad when politicians won't tell the press to stuff it for their awful behaviour.

[Sandsnake]

Everything that TM does is through the optic of appeasing papers like the Mail and its readers. She wouldn't risk pissing them off just because it would be the right thing to do. She is a classic populist politician - I have no idea of what her genuine views are on anything (except for grammar schools).

[BillSykesDog]

I think she probably has more important things to worry about at the moment.

[Isitjustmeorisiteveryoneelse]

YANBU but I think this was the quickest way to get to story ended. If she'd have gone the opposite way and used it to make a feminist point I suppose that would have blown up no that would have become the story, and yes she does have quite a bit going on at the moment, so I think she just did what she had to tbh. Not a fan, but she's been one of the most powerful women in the country for years and every single time I've seen her engaged in some important issue for the country and the press focused on her leopard print shoes, I died a little inside.

[highinthesky]

Is she great mates with Michael Gove Sarah Vine then?

[OfaFrenchmind2]

Maybe she does not want to give them publicity by directly commenting on them. She may be treating the DM as inconsequent and not having the highest executive power talking about them is a good as a dismissal of the DM's relevance?

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

I think she probably has bigger fish to fry right now...

[Hellmouth]

I disagree with those who say she has more bigger things to deal with,

A proper statement takes all of 5 minutes to write.

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

If she comments it becomes more of a 'thing'. Perhaps she thinks that her time is better spent trying to sort out the current issues?

[Gonzales27]

Bill & Isit

That's what I was thinking, I hate her response and wish she'd take a stand but i am hyper aware about whether IBU a.k.a hysterical. Hate second guessing how my feminist reactions will be perceived all the time.

On the other hand, it's precisely because May and Sturgeon were discussing such serious matters that this is so insulting ....

[Carolinesbeanies]

YABU. Shes the PM. Doesnt get much bigger than that in "making a stand for feminism". Why on earth should she be bothering about some ridiculous reporting in a tabloid rag?

[LadyPW]

Precisely Livia.

[Gonzales27]

Caroline doesn't this legs-it thing prove that she isn't being taken seriously as PM though!

[SpitefulMidLifeAnimal]

Not a fan of the woman but she's always had to put up with comments on her outfits and appearance. Maybe it's like water off a duck's back to her?

[Carolinesbeanies]

By who Gonzales? The tabloids? Its entirely up to them what tone or style they want to brand themselves as. If its low level salacious stories, the thats up to them. All public figures get it. Male and female.

[Gonzales27]

Lots of reasonable points being made. Thanks.

Just want an inspirational female leader my daughter can aspire to be like, and also one who can change "men's" (not all)subconscious view if powerful women.

Thing was a chance to make that clear, but I agree that it would have been difficult to land it right.

[DanielCraigsUnderpants]

I'd choose someone like Michelle Obama as an inspirational woman for your daughter, indeed anyone to look up to. TM less so. Her politics are a gulf away from my own though.

She should have in my opinion said something succinct about everyday sexism. But YANBU

[Secretsquirrel252]

I'm not disappointed in her. She has other things to do like running the fucking country. I'm disappointed in each and every woman who buys that rag and clicks on that website.

I don't care if you call yourself a feminist or think that doesn't apply to you because you wax and love pink, I don't care if you vote Labour or Conservative, if you were Remain or Brexit or if you don't do voting. If you want equal pay, equal opportunity, basically the right to just be allowed to get on with your shit without the fact that you have a vagina being brought into play, stop buying the shit the Fail is selling.

The UK Prime Mnister and the First Minister of Scotland met and they compared their legs on the front page of a paper which a majority female readership. Is there ever a point when a woman can be educated enough, powerful enough, rich enough, private enough, 'modest' enough that their body isn't up for comment? If a woman makes a breakthrough in cancer research will that stop people critiquing her clothes? If a woman rescues children from a burning building will there be BTL comments about how her hair is a mess?

[VenusOfWillendorf]

YANBU and I can't stand her. But I think she's got enough going on at the moment. The DM was clearly looking for a reaction, and I think her basically brushing it off was the right move. I don't particularly want to see her giving any more air-time to the DM. I think they got more than enough reaction to it. The fact that she's a woman PM is in itself a stand for feminism.

[BonnyScotland]

I like her.. and her response... get a life x