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 switched over when I saw she was planning on using porno-chic to decorate the shop.

Just to interject, if I may: Katie Price is NOT an astute businesswoman. She has grown rich by appealing to the lowest common denominator of society, appeasing the patriarchy, inflating her breasts to comedic proportions, and employing people to run her businesses for her.

I agree that KP has profitted by dubious means but was just making the comparison. Being an astute business woman does not excuse all other ills. And tbh if KP has made all that money by getting others to do the work for her she is more clever than I have ever given her credit for!

I apologise for being quite so mean , woman makes my blood boil though

I have always been of the opinion that Mary Portas is an awful woman. She plays on women's weaknesses, and I refuse to accept that anyone has to wear miniskirts and coloured tights to become acceptable.

I agree with KatieMorticiaton that attacking her looks isn't helpful. But as far as "How they choose to display themselves in public is important and relevant as it is to every politician and professional regardless of gender" is concerned, she wasn't referring to the appropriateness of their dress- They're not wearing jogging bottoms and egg stained vests to cabinet meetings, it's just that Portas doesn't think that they're stylish enough. And she's not slagging off the male politicians that dress badly, is she?

Also agree with the posters who have highlighted that criticising MP because of her looks or age is less than helpful. And hardly feminist etiher.

She has officially ruined wearing coloured tights for me. Somehow they now seem middle aged and dowdy a bit like statement 'groovy' jewellery.

Goes back to one of the core ideas in Naomi Woolf's The Beauty Myth. Women are encouraged to use their resources, money and energy, obsessing/spending money to 'improve' how they look. This leaves less resources to address real issues of inequality.
So yes, Handmaiden to the Patriarchy Portas.

I'm with megapixels. When I read the bit exhorting them to look a bit more sexy and glamourous, that was it. The Cabinet? Sexy and glamourous?! Puh-lease! It was such a trite, ill thought out and unintelligent comment to make. Really let her down.