(CNN) – Marlene Schiappa, a minister in the French government, was criticized by members of her own party after appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine.
Schiappa, who has been a government minister since 2017, appeared on the cover of the magazine to accompany a 12-page interview she gave about women’s and LGBT rights. Schiappa, current French Minister of Social Economy and Associations, is pictured for the cover wearing a white dress.
Schiappa has been a longtime advocate for women’s rights and was appointed the country’s first female gender equality minister in 2017. In that position, she successfully spearheaded a new sexual harassment law that allows for fines to be brought into law against men who whistle and harass. Or follow women on the street.
His appearance drew criticism from fellow politicians, including French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
Referring to Schiappa’s cover, Bourne told her it was “inappropriate, especially during this period,” CNN affiliate BFMTV reported Saturday, citing a source close to the prime minister.
France is currently in the midst of a political and social crisis sparked by French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to press ahead with controversial pension reforms despite widespread public opposition.
Sandrine Russo, a Green Party politician and women’s rights activist, told BFMTV on Friday.
French politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came third in the 2022 presidential election, criticized Schiappa’s appearance and President Macron’s decision to give an interview to children’s magazine Pif Gadget this week.
In a country where the president expresses himself in Pif and his minister in Playboy, the problem will be the opposition. Melenchon tweeted last Saturday that France would be derailed.
Schiappa hit back at his critics in a tweet on Saturday: “In defense of women’s right to control their bodies, everywhere and all the time. In France, women are free. With all due respect to critics and hypocrites.”
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin came to Schiappa’s defense during an interview with France’s CNews on Sunday, calling her “a woman of character.”
“I wanted to say that Marilyn Schiappa is a brave political woman who has her own personality and style not mine, but that I respect,” he said.
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