French minister strikes pose for Playboy, faces massive backlash
Who knew that could "pose" problems in her life? French minister Marlene Schiappa is currently facing flak from her party members after she chose to pose for the cover of Playboy, a popular American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine. Despite posing clothed, her decision has even been censured by France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
Marlene Schiappa features on Playboy cover
Feminist author and France's Secretary of State for Social and Solidarity Economy and Associative Life, Schiappa, has found herself in the midst of controversy instigated by rightwingers for a non-political decision she took. The 40-year-old was featured on Playboy's April 2023 edition cover page, wearing designer clothes and looking glamorous. The magazine also carried her 12-page-long interview about women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion.
This left many in government shocked, irritated
Schiappa's decision, however, drew a massive backlash in no time when the magazine cover made the rounds on social media. While some called it "inappropriate," others thought it was an April Fools' Day prank. Even PM Borne, who is the only second woman to occupy the top position in the government, said it "was not at all appropriate, especially in the current period."
In France, women are free: Schiappa
As criticisms paved their way to her, Schiappa took to Twitter and said, "Defending the right of women to dispose of their bodies is everywhere and all the time." "In France, women are free. With all due respect to the backsliders and the hypocrites. #Playboy," she tweeted in her defense. Her tweet spread like wildfire on the microblogging website, garnering both supporters and opponents.
Check out her response
Not a soft porn magazine: Playboy
Post the French minister's denunciation, Playboy editor Jean-Christophe Florentin shared in an interview that Schiappa was the "most Playboy compatible." "She is attached to the rights of women and she has understood that it's not a magazine for old machos but could be an instrument for the feminist cause," said Florentin. "Playboy isn't a soft porn magazine but a 300-page quarterly mook," she added.
Post her defense, Florentin was criticized too
"The person who interviewed Marlene Schiappa...is Jean Christophe Florentin, who wrote a manuscript called 'The Guide to the Perfect Little Slut' (your arrogance is matched only by your empty head)," tweeted Sarah (@sarahHRakm), a public figure. "If Marlene Schiappa is in Playboy, I can easily end up in Vogue. Or in Health magazine. Or in a leaflet from Lidl," tweeted comedian @AudeJavel79.
