British female politicians - the frumps of Europe

[Anna8888]

Article from the Telegraphhere

"There is, you see, something lacking in a professional woman who can't or won't dress well: it's not just about aesthetics, it's about discipline, self-respect, confidence and, ultimately, a capacity for enjoyment. Like Parkinson's law, the smarter you look, the more efficient you are perceived to be."

I read a similar thing in that awful magazine Grazia. Well, looked at the pictures as there weren't many words.

What a dreadful, patronising article. 'Sarkozettes' - WTF?

Angela Merkel got a dreadful time in the press over here for showing a bit of cleavage.

oh what a surprise. How a woman looks is all that matters about her.

Not how intelligent she is.
Not how good at her job she is.
not whether she is a decent human being.

No. She needs to look pretty. Glamourous. Stylish. Have big boobs on show and a bit of leg and be dressed to seduce, no doubt. Talk in a monroe-type whisper and bat their eyelids.

good god.

Tit's out for the lads, eh?

There is, you see, something lacking in a person who can't or won't judge a female politician's worth on any other basis than her appearance: it's not just about prejudice, it's about sexism, ignorance, and ultimately intellectual laziness. Like Chibi's law, as long as there is a patriarchy, there will be women who make their place in it by doing down other women.

FGS. I don't care what they look like.
I care about how well they do their job.

I don't give a stuff what they look like. Let's face it none of us want to shag Gordon Brown. I do care massively that everyone of them are crap at their jobs.

"it's about discipline, self-respect, confidence" - sorry but what a load of baloney. It's not as if these women turn up to work with dirty hair and torn clothes. They turn up smart and presentable and fit for purpose. Job done.

It takes confidence not to pander to the media's perception of what women should look like actually.

I think Ruth Kelly dresses appallingly - she clearly has no interest in clothes. But I quite like her for that. She's not interested in being a dolly bird or even a glamour puss. Good for her. The woman's got an MSc in economics, was an economic journalist, worked at the Bank of England and is now a Cabinet Minister at the age of 39 - oh and she has four children.

Not bad.

Can we have an article about how disgusting 99% of male politicians are to look at it , please? All those bushy eyebrows, badly cut suits, balding heads and beer guts?
No, I don't suppose we can.

Misogynistic claptrap from the Torygraph again.

I couldn't bring myself even to finish reading the article.
Who cares?
And btw I'm the one who is going to suffer the presence in Mr Berlusconi's government of the Miss Italia lady, plus a number of semi fascist botoxed women

Celia Walden is really not worth taking seriously
She is a hopeless journalist
I thought Harriet Harman looked businesslike and smart in that photo and I am not fond of her as a politician
Franca, and you a Milanese resident too! Aren't you happy about the election result then

No, I'm not happy at all Marina, I'm a leftie

This article is nuts - one woman is trying to spin it as if British women politicians are being oppressed by not being allowed to dress fashionably:

'"I have such sympathy for the female members of our Cabinet. British culture doesn't allow female politicians the right to dress stylishly. It's viewed as frivolous and an indication of priorities not being what they should. Elsewhere in the world the fact that a woman looks glamorous has no bearing on the calibre of her mind - it's something to be celebrated."'

We had all this with the Blair Babes and look at how that turned out. Who gave a monkeys about how Babara Castle or Betty Boothroyd and their ilk looked. The're politicians for christ sake

I would be interested to know how age and having a family fit into this, though - I wonder if there is a correlation between female politicians being younger and their being perceived as glamorous, and also whether female politicians in this country are more (or less?) likely to have a family than those in France or Italy.

Kathy, I believe that Italy is one of the country in Europe with the lowest rate of women in the Parliament/Government. I'm not sure what will happen with the new Berlusconi government. Certainly, with the surge of Berlusconi and his more "lighthearted" approach to politics, a contraposition between young (ish) attractive (ish) and elegant women in his party and their frumpier counterparts in the centre-left coalition has been played up. And not just by the media. But the politicians themselves

Barbara Castle was a fox and a genius as well but I agree the Blair Babes is where the rot set in
Am teasing Franca. We'll get ours if BoJo is elected Mayor of London .
I look forward to Tyler Brule demolishing his look on the basis it undermines his political credibility...

yes but you remember Barbara Castle for her passion for politics (whether you agreed with her or not)not what bloody frock she was wearing. Mind you finding a politician who is passionate about their beliefs (male or female) and truly wants to make the world a better place is impossible. Its all about power

Clare Short - and look at the misogynist mauling she got in her political career
Agree, you don't remember BC for her apparel but she was great

Mo Mawlam - look what they did to her

Oh don't Solitaire, what a dreadful tragedy her life ended the way it did

I konw and she was treated terribly in the months leading up to her death she always seemed such a nice gentle person. And all the work she did on the good friday agreement and Blair breeses in at the end and takes all the glory

Marina, yes, I realized you were teasing 1 sec after posting... . I'm too depressed to even do self-irony! BoJo mayor... ... is it a real possibility???