Tracy Brabin: ‘It shouldn’t matter what anyone wears to work’
Last week, MP Tracy Brabin sold the off-theshoulder dress she’d been criticised for wearing in the House of Commons for thousands of pounds. Here, she says she auctioned it to make a point about everyday sexism in politics...
RIFLING THROUGH my wardrobe, the focus of my dressing for the past few weeks has been: what can I wear with a broken ankle? I broke it falling down the stairs of a number 43 London bus, and the plaster on my foot has meant that I’m restricted in what I’m actually able to wear. I’m also doing a lot of hopping! So I chose that Asos dress because it made me feel comfortable, confident and happy.
I also chose it because I was attending a UK music event that day as part of my job as Shadow Culture Secretary. In fact, I didn’t even think I’d be in the Commons at all. But at 6pm I’d rushed back from the event to raise a point of order with the Speaker. Several journalists had been denied access to a press briefing about Brexit, and I felt it was a really important matter as it affected the freedom of the press.
Up until that point, no one had remarked upon my dress. No one even said anything in the Commons, despite the fact I had to lean on the dispatch box to steady my ankle, meaning the dress’s shoulder dropped a little more than I had intended. I had no idea that it – or, rather, my shoulder – had caused such a commotion until I returned to my office, switched on my phone… and, well... the comments on social media were just horrific, so sexualised, and all because of one shoulder. Quite rightly, we have just allowed breastfeeding in the House of Commons, but this kind of reaction may well put some female MPS off doing it.
I decided the only way to take on these trolls was to end the matter with a tweet of my own. It read: ‘Sorry I didn’t have time to reply to all of you commenting on this, but I can confirm that I’m not...
A slag,
A tart,
About to breastfeed,
A slapper,
Drunk,
Just been banged over a wheelie bin.’ I wanted to make my point. And I’m in a hugely privileged position that I can do this – lots of women don’t have that chance if they are criticised for the way they look. The double standards are disgusting. Tom Watson, my predecessor, would never have been commented on if he had a different haircut or was wearing a new tie.
It’s dead easy for men – they just have to wear a suit to look smart. In the House of Commons there’s a dress code of sorts – it’s part of the ‘rules of behaviour and courtesies’ issued by the Speaker. There has recently been a loosening on the rule that men must wear ties, for instance. But other than stating that ‘jeans, T-shirts, sandals and trainers’ are not appropriate, there is certainly nothing that states what a woman should wear.
This should be applauded. I love the fact that, as a woman, I’m not restricted in what is deemed appropriate for work. I always take pride in my appearance and want to look smart when I present myself in the Commons. But sadly, women are scrutinised in a way a man would never be. Whether it’s Theresa May in her leopardprint shoes or Stella Creasy for wearing a blue PVC skirt, a woman’s appearance rarely passes without comment.
You could argue that the only way not to receive comment is to dress like a man in a trouser suit and a shirt – and the outrage over my shoulder seems to only reinforce that. But I like fashion, I like clothes, I like to try new styles out and express my personality through what I wear.
In my former life as an actor – I was on Coronation Street – and a screenwriter, I certainly wore more casual clothes. Jeans for when I was rehearsing and, when I was writing, I’d spend most of my time in comfortable pyjamas.
But when I was elected an MP three years ago, I was conscious that I needed to look smart. It felt especially important as I was taking over the Batley and Spen seat after my friend, Jo Cox, had been murdered. Getting dressed in my early days as an MP, I would often think that a jacket, or a neat dress, would help me instantly smarten up.
But after having been elected three times now, I’m feeling more at ease and more confident in my abilities – I know that I can do this job. So I hope that I can reflect this confidence through my choice of clothes.
The reaction to my dress has been yet another example of everyday sexism. It’s about the fact that when women dress, we are under the male gaze. It’s somehow OK to talk about a woman’s clothes, or the way her bum looks, or whether she’s wearing a bra. That would never happen to a man.
I auctioned the dress on ebay last week and, at the time of going to press, it was going for £18,500. All the money
I’ve raised is going to the Girl Guides. They recently conducted a survey and discovered that one in six girls under the age of 12 felt ashamed of their bodies. How is that happening in 2020? Young women and girls today need to have confidence in themselves.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue wearing just what I want. The social media trolls were trying to divert attention away from what I was saying at the dispatch box by criticising my dress. As is so often the case, they were trying to silence a woman – but I won’t let that happen.