Camilla Tominey ‘There is a time and place for a racy, off-the-shoulder number… and it is not while making a point of order in the Chamber’
My former boss was an absolute stickler for proper work attire. “Reporters who wear ties get stories,” he once declared during an editorial meeting. “Even the women?” I interjected. “Especially the women,” he replied.
I don’t know if I got any of my scoops by being well turned out, but I am sure it helped. Rightly or wrongly, people do tend to take others more seriously, the more seriously they dress.
So I read the reaction to Labour MP Tracy Brabin’s off-theshoulder appearance in the House of Commons on Tuesday with mixed feelings.
On one hand, it annoys me how much women in the public eye are judged on appearances. I have sometimes found that, despite providing what I hope is insightful and incisive commentary on shows such as Question Time, the only thing some people seem to care about is whether my jacket matches my dress.
But a surefire way to invite judgment on your appearance is to wear something ill-judged. There is a time and a place for a racy, off-the-shoulder little black number, and arguably it is not while raising a point of order in Parliament (Ms Brabin later admitted she had been at a UK Music event beforehand).
While the elected representative for Batley and Spen certainly did not deserve to be called a “slag”, a “tart”, a “slapper” or whatever other misogynistic jibes were thrown up by the viral vomiters of Twitter, the former Coronation Street star will have been aware that baring flesh in the Chamber has historically never provoked a particularly positive reaction.
In the spirit of Janet Jackson at the Superbowl 2004, Ms Brabin claims to have suffered a wardrobe malfunction, saying her outfit slipped off her shoulder because she was leaning awkwardly due to a broken ankle.
As anyone who has ever used crutches knows, it is never a good look, and having witnessed Ms Brabin travelling around the Westminster estate with her injured foot on a wheeled leg rest, she has my sympathies.
But the former actress was wrong to later insist that “you’re not always camera-ready when you are in politics”. On the contrary, the Commons Chamber is the one place on earth where you know you have to be cameraready, on account of the dozens of cameras that are beaming the proceedings straight on to the BBC Parliament Channel and beyond.
As on the wicket at Lords or in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, appropriate attire must be worn at all times. And not just because there is a strict dress code, but because anyone in the public eye who makes an incorrect assessment of the apparel will rightly stand accused of a judgment malfunction.