Ok, I am offically DONE with Mary Portas!

[JosieRosie]

I'm a dunderhead and can't do hyperlinks (sorry) but she's quoted in the Daily Mail (even sorrier!) today, discussing the female members of the Cabinet:

Miss Portas told the new issue of Heat magazine: 'I mean, what an ugly bunch. I could not look at them. They do dress up for my meetings, but I just want to go, "Please no, not that necklace, not that skirt".'

On behalf of women everywhere, THANKS A BUNCH MARY! For heaven's sake, don't waste your time by actually listening to what any of these women are saying, much better to spend time appraising their wardrobes. It's bad enough that you were clutching your pearls in shock at being confronted with a SIZE FOURTEEN women's body on your program last week but now this...... Ugh, just ugh.......

I've just seen it on MSN News and I was really shocked. She wants to infuse sex and glamour into the female cabinet members . She sounds like a total dimwit.

And accusing them of being ugly, she must think she's such a looker .

Hmm. This is not good.

She must be very stoopid because it rather undermines her USP too doesn't it

'She sounds like a total dimwit'
You're completely right megapixels, she does

I know she's supposed to be a retail genius and all, but I found when watching her programs, that not many of the ideas seem to come from her. She seems to crumble a bit when challenged and either shouts over people or patronises the hell out of them to turn the whole thing into a joke. I think she's fabulous in some ways but I always got the feeling of a downright nasty undercurrent beneath it all.

Private Eye readers in this house too NJC

Seems a bit of a career-limiting move to me. And as for "They do dress up for my meetings..." - talk about self-aggrandisment! I suspect she won't be invited to any more meetings with cabinet ministers (if she ever was.)

I couldn't find anything on the Private Eye site - do tell!

I have never liked her. She is an over rated old hag who dresses in over accessorised pseudo couture and then has the cheek to try and sort everyone else out! Awful judgy past it media whore.

she is a v creative & astute business woman when commenting on other people's businesses but essentially she does seem to spend most her time getting women to worry even more about their appearance.

so yes Handmaiden of the Patriarchy.

(pity)

Katie price is an astute business woman too

I used to like her. I suspected she had feminist leanings.

Even if the remarks were taken out of context, they are still ghastly.

I still want those red and purple Mary magdalene shoes of hers though

At the risk of sounding v. sexist ...she seems horrible really horrible and someone who has a chin like an anvil seems to have an awful lot to say for herself and others clearly because shes a skinny buisnesswoman.

I didnt hear or see the size 14 comment but if I had i hope the woman in question threw something at her the average size in this country is a 16 now , (was 14 when I was at school) maybe she should spend more time educating herself and less berating the average woman ,

sorry Some of thats offensive here probs but im shocked.

actually they are red and pink and I'll live without them

I just want to say...Oh, noddy just said it all. Yep that's about the size of it. Nothing else to add

Just to be double sure - she hasn't been misquoted or anything? I don't actually know much about her other than the name and some vague connection to charity shops?

(mental note - need to get out more.)

she seems to have joined the Daily Fails 'let's all try and out mysoginise the men' camp - good oh - I now place on the same footing as Liz Jones

Oh lovely then. Another ladder-puller-upper.

She's on C4 tonight with the second of her three-part series about her godawful clothes shop. I will be watching with interest - my blood pressure needs a boost!

Ummm... Portas' statements are irritating, sure, and totally undermine the feminist cause...

But I really don't think comments such as: "such a looker"/"over rated old hag"/"Awful judgy past it media whore"/"chin like an anvil" are cool at all.

I was wearing purple opaque tights a few days ago, because I am 38 wks pg and they fit (50p in M&P factory shop). I spent all day cringing that people thought I was influence by her.

MN thread on Mary Portas HERE with a post from the "size 14" woman herself!

MP is a wretched mare. She's trying to flog her overpriced schmutter to us middle-aged women whilst simultaneously sneering at our lumpy menopausal less-than-perfect bodies. Had a look at her shoe collection online today, and cute as some them may be, it's obvious la Portas does not inhabit the same planet as those of us who have to actually, you know, WALK anywhere, or (literally) do the school run or (GASP!) get around using public transport.

Wow are some of you being ironic? Do you think lobbing criticism at the woman for things she has no control over like her chin or other aspects of her physiology or age is any better than what she's said?

And actually I think Mary has a point. Some of these women choose awful clothes but they choose them. They can take them off and choose something else. How they choose to display themselves in public is important and relevant as it is to every politician and professional regardless of gender.

Criticise Mary for her comments if you must. Take umbrage even but don't lambast her by throwing personal insults at her. It makes you no better.