France's Minister for the Social Economy and French Associations, Marlene Schiappa, has found herself at the center of a controversy after appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine. The move has drawn criticism from members of her own party, including Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who said that it wasn't "appropriate" given the current social climate in France.
Schiappa, who is a long-time advocate for women's rights and was appointed as the country's first ever Gender Equality Minister in 2017, appeared on the cover of the magazine to accompany a 12-page interview she did on women’s and LGBT rights. The photograph shows Schiappa wearing a white dress.
The move has sparked debate about the decision-making process of France's government leaders, with some politicians criticizing both Schiappa's appearance and her decision to give an interview to a children's magazine, Pif Gadget, this week.
French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came third in the 2022 presidential elections, took to Twitter to express his disapproval of Schiappa's appearance on Playboy. He stated that France is "going off the rails" and that such decisions undermine the government's credibility.
On the other hand, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin defended Schiappa in an interview with French news channel CNews, calling her a "woman of character." Darmanin said that he respected Schiappa's style, even if it wasn't his own.
Schiappa has responded to her critics on Twitter, saying that she is committed to defending women's rights and that the right for women to have control over their bodies is universal.
Schiappa, who is a long-time advocate for women's rights and was appointed as the country's first ever Gender Equality Minister in 2017, appeared on the cover of the magazine to accompany a 12-page interview she did on women’s and LGBT rights. The photograph shows Schiappa wearing a white dress.
The move has sparked debate about the decision-making process of France's government leaders, with some politicians criticizing both Schiappa's appearance and her decision to give an interview to a children's magazine, Pif Gadget, this week.
French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came third in the 2022 presidential elections, took to Twitter to express his disapproval of Schiappa's appearance on Playboy. He stated that France is "going off the rails" and that such decisions undermine the government's credibility.
On the other hand, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin defended Schiappa in an interview with French news channel CNews, calling her a "woman of character." Darmanin said that he respected Schiappa's style, even if it wasn't his own.
Schiappa has responded to her critics on Twitter, saying that she is committed to defending women's rights and that the right for women to have control over their bodies is universal.
. i mean, schiappa's appearance in playboy magazine has got everyone talking, but what's really being said here? is it about her as an individual or about the values that her party stands for? 
and what's with all this criticism from her own party members? isn't the point of having a strong leader to stand up for their convictions, no matter how unpopular they might be? 
but at the same time, can we really separate schiappa's personal life from her work as a minister? or is that just another way of saying that women should be held to different standards than men? 
and what about darmanin's defense of schiappa - isn't it interesting how some people will go out of their way to praise someone, even if they don't agree with them on everything? 
. Borne's gotta keep her own people in check, but it's not fair to bash Schiappa over a photo shoot 
. And what's with Mélenchon? Is he trying to score some points or just vent about his lost presidential bid? 
On the bright side, Schiappa's still pushing for women's rights and that's something we should be supporting 
. Maybe this is a chance for the party to have an open conversation about body autonomy and whatnot. And let's not forget Darmanin's got her back – some politicians just need to focus on what matters 
.
. And honestly, I think it's kinda refreshing to see someone in power being unapologetically themselves, even if that means going against party protocol 
. And come on, Playboy magazine? It's just a cover shoot, it's not like she's nude or anything 
. I think the real issue here is that some people in power are too uptight about everything, and they need to chill out 
. Schiappa's a strong advocate for women's rights, and she should be able to speak her mind without being judged for how she looks 
. And btw, 12 pages of an interview doesn't sound like a "children's magazine" to me 
. Anyway, I think Schiappa handled this situation with class 
.
I can imagine how frustrating this must be for Marlene Schiappa... I mean, she's already doing so much good work advocating for women's rights and then she gets hit with all this criticism from her own party members. 
And to make matters worse, it's not even a big deal what she wore on the cover of Playboy... is it really worth attacking her about that? 
I'm all for holding people accountable, but come on. Let's focus on the real issues at hand instead of tearing each other down over something so trivial. 
. I guess what I'm trying to say is, let's focus on supporting people who are working towards positive change instead of tearing each other down 
schiappa was already a pro-women advocate but now people are still gonna try to bring her down over something like this? it's just gonna make everyone even more confused about france's politics. i mean, darmanin said he respected her style... yeah right, let's see him back that up in real life 
let's focus on supporting women's rights instead of tearing each other down 
.
.
I think Elisabeth Borne should chill out, you know? The more she tries to silence Schiappa, the more attention will be drawn to this whole thing. Anyway, I'm all for free speech and women's empowerment – bring on the controversy!