IABU Mrs Leadsom's mini dress

[longwayoff]

Blimey Andrea. Interesting choice.

"Why can't we comment on someone's clothes without it becoming a feminist issue?"

Because it is a feminist issue.

No-one is banning anyone else for commenting. We are reserving the right to judge you as a trivial airhead for doing it though.

(I'm joking btw)

why is it a feminist issue?

Because we are commenting on a woman's outfit?

No one is saying she cannot do her job. No one is saying as a woman she can't be an MP.

So what the fuck are you on about?

If a male MP up wearing something totally inappropriate for work where he is representing the UK at the highest level both here and overseas, we'd comment.

I am not keen on Andrea Leadsom. I am also not personally keen on her outfit. I am also not keen on those that see fit to tell her it’s inappropriate as it’s her body and she may dress it however she chooses. Stop with the faux feminism.

If she were to rock up in an SS Obersturmfuhrer uniform, I'm sure some people who are defending this look would suddenly say it's "not appropriate" (i.e become hypocrites)

Well no, that would fall foul of the guidelines in Erskine May. What she is wearing doesn't.

why is it a feminist issue?

It is a feminist issue when people use terms such as: -

"Cheap"
"Tarty"
"looks like a prostitute"
"From the shoulders downwards she is quite attractive, and she can wear what she likes. From the neck upwards it all goes horribly wrong"

Boris wears what he wants and so should she.

That pic of Boris should not be posted without a warning!

Even in a suit and and tie, Boris looks worse than Leadsom in that pic. He always looks like he's slept in his clothes imo.

She has great legs (the only thing I can find to admire about her) and if she wants to show them off, why the hell shouldn't she? I find it very sad that, in matters of appearance, women are so quick to slag off other women.

Cummings is not a minister he is an advisor. He is not an MP . He is turning up in jeans and a shirt and looks crumpled. But he is not in a 'front office' role for want of a better term. If he was and he turned up, as an MP, in a sparkly red thong and a T shirt we might comment

He attends meetings with minister, the prime minister of all people.

In my work, for internal meetings, I make sure I’m smart. Regardless of whether they’re front facing or not.

Andrea Leadsom was walking on the street to go to a meeting 🤷🏻‍♀️

It most certainly is about feminism

The ingrained entrenched view is that women should dress “modestly” in case they accidentally switch on the uncontrollable sexual urges of men.

That’s what this is about. Let’s not be bashful about it.

I think it's the boots, the dress might be ok with ankle boots or some such.

The DM get the shot so people will ridicule and talk about how bad she looks and is up for some bad harassment (groping)

Nope not feminism

The ingrained entrenched view is that women should dress “modestly” in case they accidentally switch on the uncontrollable sexual urges of men.

There is also a view that not dressing modestly makes you a handmaiden of the patriarchy.

Well no, that would fall foul of the guidelines in Erskine May.

Ah ! I had no idea there were already guidelines. In that case life got a hell of a lot easier.

Did what she wear conform to the guidelines ?
If YES and you are still bothered you need to write to your MP to suggest a change.
If NO - then she should be bought to book regardless of anything like sage (which is sex and age combined to thwart the pronoun police) or indeed parsley rosemary and thyme.

Or folk could bemoan the fact there are any guidelines at all.

Leadsom looked ridiculous in that outfit. It was frankly awful. Johnson looks like a tramp most of the time. He looks awful too.
Barry gardiner looks fab, As does liz saville roberts. Nothing to do with feminism. Very silly to try to make it so.

There is also a view that not dressing modestly makes you a handmaiden of the patriarchy

It’s two sides of the same coin.

Ultimately women are overly judged for what they wear.

Good for her - she looks fab!

I think she looks ridiculous, but obviously everyone will have a different opinion. I agree with Dinnerwitch, for me the face and hair don't match the bottom half. Look at Esther McVey, looks 20 years younger than Leadsom, not 5. Knows how to dress too.

I despise Mc vey’s politics, and think she’s even dimmer than AL, but she always looks really smart.

The outfit was an inappropriate attention grabber, and it worked. She put a lot of thought into that outfit I bet, and went with it. She reminds me a bit of Edwina Currie, she thought she was a bit foxy too.

She can wear what she likes, but just because you can, does not mean you should. We are going through grim times at the moment, her frivolity does not sit well with that.

Boris, is and always will be a mess. But he wears suits at work, albeit the crumpled kind. Corbyn used to look a mess but is dressing better these days. Micheal Foot turned up to the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaphs in a donkey jacket and was roundly criticised. Cummings just looks odd, but he is not a politician so the expectations for him are lower than an elected representative. Cameron used to wear his work lace up shoes on a beach holiday and got mocked.

There is misogyny on this thread, and a bit of bitching, i.e looks okay from below the neck or incredulity about her age, but criticising an outfit is not misogynistic if it's in the right context. Her outfit was not appropriate for her office. Perfectly fine for off duty though.

There are so many women on this thread that I never meet in my professional life and am seriously glad that I don't.

Nasty, bitter, judgmental comments about "face not matching the rest", "tarty", "prostitute"... it's like feminism never happened. I abhor such comments and despair when I read them.

Leadsom worked in my industry and if she had worn what she wore, no one would have batted an eyelid, because we're not weird and think women should wear high street branded sackcloths in order to make other insecure women feel comfortable

Love her outfit . Hope I'll have the confidence to dress exactly how I want at her age.

Great legs

Why do some women ALWAYS have to tear others down on the basis of appearance. It is not smart or clever. It makes you look trivial, and it fails to advance the cause of women being taken seriously as something more than makeup wearing coathagers. GROW THE FUCK UP.

This.

Judge people by what they do and what they say, not what they wear.

for me the face and hair don't match the bottom half

Goodness me, 64 years old and I had no idea that my face should match my bottom.

Micheal Foot turned up to the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaphs in a donkey jacket and was roundly criticised.

How many times does this myth have to be rebuffed before the truth sinks in? It was not a donkey jacket, it was a perfectly respectable 3/4 length Loden coat, in a sombre colour, and appropriate wear for an elderly man at an outdoor ceremony on a cold November day.

www.cordings.co.uk/chepstow-loden-field-coat.html

I'd love a Loden coat, but they're way out of my price range.

I remember Mhairi Black saying that as soon as she got elected, Alex Salmond called her in to discuss her makeover. She told him that she wasn't going to be told how to dress by anyone, especially not a man. But, I have to say that I think Mhairi always dresses professionally. It's not like she turns up to the Commons in jeans and a t shirt with flip flops.

I agree that Corbyn has been dressing better since he used to get a lot of criticism about his appearance.