Oh la la! The French Foreign Minister graces the cover of “Playboy” – and causes a sensation

She was the first French minister for equality between women and men from 2017 to 2020. Thanks to her, sexist insults are a criminal offense in France. Since taking office, sex with a young person under the age of 16 counts as rape in court in France. And she is now probably the first French politician on the cover of the French «Playboy».

We are talking about the feminist and secretary of state Marlène Schiappa. She is currently Minister of State for Citizenship in the country. The fact that she graces the cover of the magazine causes a sensation. Her photos are met with criticism, especially from political opponents and colleagues – even though Schiappa is not even photographed without a cover.

According to media reports, the 40-year-old spoke in the accompanying 12-page title interview about women’s rights and LGBTQ issues. What France is talking about now is not the content of the interview, but the plunging neckline that Schiappa’s dress is said to have had – and the time of its publication.

The title “Playboy” is particularly annoying because of the pension reform

According to media reports, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne spoke with the Secretary of State on the subject last weekend. Or, as the “Mirror” quotes the broadcaster BFMTV, rather scolded. She described the interview as “not appropriate”. Mainly because of the time.

Borne probably referred to the national unrest about the controversial pension reform. One Green politician even suspected a diversion behind the “Playboy” story. The news portal “T-Online.de” quotes them with reference to the broadcaster BFMTV:

An assessment that some Twitter users also share. For example, the Italian journalist Leonardo Panetta writes:

Schiappa refutes critics on Twitter

Schiappa himself responded to the criticism on Twitter. There she explained: “Women’s right to dispose of their body, to defend it, is important always and everywhere.” In France, women are free. “Nothing against outdated and hypocritical people.”

Shortly before Schiappa’s “Playboy” appearance, President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to the children’s magazine “Pif”. Former presidential candidate Jean Lassalle also spoke on Twitter about the interviews. There he wrote:

France in turmoil over pension reform

According to the Interior Ministry, 1,093 police officers and firefighters have been injured in France since mid-March in violent protests against pension reforms. In addition, there were 2,579 arson attacks and 316 attacks on public buildings, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the Sunday newspaper “JDD”. At the same time, 36 officers were investigated on suspicion of excessive use of force. Darmanin did not mention numbers of injured protesters.

The protests, which had been peaceful for weeks, turned violent on March 16. On that day, the government pushed through the highly controversial reform to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote in parliament. The Constitutional Council is still studying the reform.

(with dpa material)