The Labour shadow Culture Secretary - wearing this in the HoC?

trisher I can't see any MP turning up in the HoC in her dressing gown and slippers ? and she'd be an utter fool to do such a thing. What a ridiculous argument.

trisher
I really commend your principle of looking beyond the cover of the book, but we live in an age that does not do this. Image is now the name of the game in all walks of life. I grant this is unfortunate but it is the way it is. Have you seen the Erin Brockovich film? You would like it.

Maybe she had the dress on and a sort of outdoor jacket which would have been hot and looked silly.

I suppose that foot must be painful, very actually and therefore she made an error.

Remember " Legsit? "

Some people can’t look beyond the cover of the book and that’s certainly evident on this thread. Many of us have no such problem however, and judge by actions, expertise, deeds and words instead.

Google about the bars kept open for late night drinking in the Brexit debate Chestnut do you really thin they are on Diet Coke?
Perhaps some want to go back to this!

This lady is not a book, she's an MP who should adhere to standards of work dress. Then people would take her seriously and listen to what she says without all this distraction. I don't see Sturgeon or Merkel ever coming to work in anything but suits.

Justbecause some women conform to the patriachal norm doesn't mean we all have to.

I agree Chestnut. By looking like this she has damaged her reputation (this picture will always be trotted out by the Press) and overshadowed her Speech. Ill done.
People like to denigrate image but it is a powerful force in Society.

Just a thought. Do there exist women politicians who have not had their clothes choices criticised? And, if so, who are they, and why not?

It was seeing a pic of Nicola Sturgeon just now that made me think of this question. She always looks smart. Ruth Davidson? Angela Merkel? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

Nicola Sturgeon is constantly criticised for the way she looks - she may wear suits but she faces the same sexist claptrap about her appearance as other women politicians.

Brabin hasn’t damaged her reputation - unless you’re the sort of person who judges appearances rather than deeds and words. If anything she’s done a huge amount to highlight and challenge the nonsense that female politicians face on a daily basis from some sections of society.

Blimey - I find it hard to believe that she is deemed by some to have damaged her reputation just by making one small clothing misjudgement.

My thought when I saw the dress was "hmm, that's not a good choice", but nothing more.
Certainly no worse (and in my eyes more excusable) than BJ permanently tugging at his ill-fitting clothing and deliberately ruffling his hair to make it look as scruffy as possible.

Maybe these supporters of Braben's disasterous outfit choice disagree with school dress code/court dress code/wedding dress code/funeral dress code/any dress code?

Some people take a pride in being well turned out. Others, not so much.

Any gender wearing that outfit would have breached the HOC dress code.

And made a fool of themselves, too.

Twin set and pearls ?

Nicola Sturgeon is constantly criticised for the way she looks

Really? She always looks impeccably turned out. What's to find fault with the smart suits and professionally turned out appearance?

Some people just like to criticise.

Ooo sour grapes

Anyway, the good news is the dress is being auctioned by Tracy and will raise over £1000 for Girlguiding UK

Oh you mean she won't be wearing it in the HOC again?

It will probably be bought by the same person who put in a successful bid for Princess Beatrice's silly Pretzel hat!

I think she has actualy come out of it very well. She has expained the situation (She shouldn't have had to) and responded with humour, and now is selling the dress for charity. End of as far as I am concerned.

On this very site Nicola was slated for her clothes,If I try I can even remember the posters who did it ..in relation to Mrs Mays "immpecable dress sense" Nicola wore "garish too tight weddingy outfits and (god forbid) HIGH HEELS "

She made so many excuses for that "mistake dress" I don't think she even knew why she wore it...

Nicola Sturgeon looks like Jimmy Cranky whatever she wears, so not really her fault.

I wouldn't even put the bins out in my dressing gown and slippers and if my MP turned up in the H of C wearing his pjs, dressing gown and slippers I would assume he was doing it for charity.

I do believe in having a dress code for work albeit not a strict one unless the type of work dictates that.

However, there have been plenty of threads about the attire of people in the public eye and one or two asking our opinions on dress code for the office recently.

As far as I can tell, it's not just women who have been the targets, nor has it been all women doing the targeting and moreover not one party in particular targeted more.

Tracy Brabin happened to be caught o the hop (sorry, I know she has a broken ankle but I hopped when I broke mine) and she has raised money for the most appropriate charity which shows she has a sense of humour and taken it in good part.

Why can't we agree to disagree?

There’s your answer Chewbacca