THE LEGS-IT DEBATE
Sexism – or just a slice of fun in a gloomy world? Here’s what you’re saying . . .
When the Mail’s Sarah Vine wrote a light-hearted piece comparing the dress, body language — and legs — of Scottish First Minister nicola Sturgeon and Prime Minister Theresa May, a furore erupted.
In yesterday’s piece, the columnist wrote: ‘May, for her part, was stateswoman-like in a stylish navy jacket, a patterned dress and her trademark leopard-print heels.
‘Clearly, Sturgeon was hoping to knock those spots off her.
‘What stands out here are the legs — and the vast expanse on show. There’s no doubt both women consider their pins to be the finest weapon in their physical arsenal. Consequently, both have been unsheathed.’
The piece provoked an extraordinary response from both sides of the Legs-it divide. here are some of them . . . AS A woman of 75 years and a Daily Mail reader for almost the same amount of time, I congratulate the Mail for its wonderful front page photo of two extremely powerful women.
We should all be inordinately proud of the Prime and First Minister respectively, and of their great sense of poise and fashion.
Shame on all you fuddy-duddy critics! Do we want to have Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, on the front page in shorts and sandals? (please have a shave, Len!) F. Twitchett, Berkshire I don’T like Theresa May and can’t stand nicola Sturgeon. Fact remains, they are politicians. Show them the respect they’re due. @Alrightpunk on Twitter Well done, daily Mail. You have highlighted the long-forgotten rule in polite society that a lady does not cross her legs in public. Forget all of the shrieking feminists and Labour Party MPs who obviously have nothing better to do — and the trolls on social media. D. French, Hertfordshire I am no feminist, but enjoy reading your paper on a regular basis. however, I found today’s article very sexist. no wonder we women are still struggling to be taken seriously in the UK, let alone the world, and get the equal pay that we deserve. Linda M. Jones IT’S like the whole country has gone berserk. haven’t we ever seen ‘legs’ in a newspaper before? #crazybritain #legsit @MikeCookinJapan on Twitter Why do some of today’s middleaged women dress as if they were teenagers on the look-out for their first boyfriend? Such short skirts make them look ridiculous and juvenile, whatever shape their legs are. no wonder they give the impression they are half-thinking of their sexy appearance, however important the job is.
Most women, and we are half the population, couldn’t care less what shape a prime minister’s legs are, as long as they are serious about the work. Men must wonder if they should take women in power all that seriously. I don’t blame them. Sheila Bell, Wilts GIRLS, if you haven’t already noticed, there is a picture on the Daily Mail front page where they refer to women’s legs. Quick, act outraged. @Le5JMelt on Twitter There are many of us who want to thank the Mail, re the headline about May’s and Sturgeon’s legs.
We understand that the usual Leftie do-gooders are having a field day over literally nothing. What, or where the hell, is all this gormless political correctness coming from? S. Streeter I Wish to complain strongly about the appalling headline on the front page of your newspaper. I am a woman of similar age to Theresa May and nicola Sturgeon, and thought we had left such idiocies far behind us. I remember only too well the days when such public references to women’s bodies were commonplace.
Fortunately society, both women and men, have moved on. This is a sad day. Fiona Wheeler OBE PEOPLE complaining might want to actually read Sarah Vine’s piece in the paper which is very tongue-in-cheek. @PhilipHamilton on Twitter I Have to say the term ‘ Legs-it’ might have been more relevant to david Cameron and George osborne after the Brexit vote. Diane Silva
ALL this furore over #legsit but don’t worry, Tom Hardy’s on TV for you all to ogle. #DoubleStandards @Frmattjolley on Twitter THANK you so much for your headline comparing the legs of our first Minister and Prime Minister.
I’ve had something of a lightbulb moment and now see that we’ve clearly been going about teaching a future generation of politicians using outdated methods. from now on, we’ll assign marks for the written text provided by male students in their essays and exams.
The women we’ll just line up so we can assess their legs and give them marks out of ten.
It is, after all, the single criteria by which they will be judged in future. Professor Ailsa Henderson