Is She The Right Person To Be Labour's Spokesperson For Women?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2462032/Labours-Gloria-Piero-understands-girls-topless.html

/// The glamorous 40-year-old former GMTV political editor was 15 when she posed for the pictures to earn money to buy herself some new clothes. ///

There are plenty of girls who are short of money but who would never dream of posing topless for money at any age never mind at just 15 years of age, but even if they did it would be condemned as "out of date now" by Ms de Piero.

/// Ms de Piero said that when the truth about her photos emerged, Harriet Harman – who was the women and equalities minister at the time – provided her with ‘amazing’ support. ///

/// She told her: ‘Don’t worry, it’s absolutely fine Gloria, we wouldn’t judge you for that,’ and urged her not to ‘change’ or get ‘buttoned up’. ///

How very understanding of you Harriet, can you imagine what she would have said if this had been a female Tory minister?

[LazyGun]

Human, Woman, Man.

Man is derived from the Old English Mann - which meant human meaning, no gender attached. Woman comes from ye olde worlde wif-man or similar. It is only in relatively modern times that man became synomymous with male human being.

Human has a different root altogether. the man on the end of Human is purely coincidental, in that sense.

[LazyGun]

@AoG Her opinions, as far as I understand them, relate to the nature of the competition itself, focusing on physical characteristics, not necessarily the people themselves who have been nominated or who have participated.

Myself, I doubt she would criticize even an opposition MP/Minister for having once been a topless model or what have you, unless she could suggest there was some hypocrisy there.

[sp1814]

AOG

It's almost certainly illegal to take topless photos of 15 year olds, but almost certainly not illegal for a 15 year old to pose for topless photos.

[sp1814]

Also AOG - that's not how hypocrisy works.

If Ms de Piero secretly invested money in a branded porn magazine and then publicly stated that they are demeaning to women, that would be hypocritical.

If Harriet Harman had attacked women who pose for these magazines and then supported Ms de Piero, then that would be hypocritical.

By to airily refer to women's groups and then tie that to this particular story doesn't demonstrate any hypocrisy.

[FredPuli43]

Not sure it is illegal to take topless photos of a fifteen year-old. No doubt, as she is legally a child at that age, the consent of a parent or guardian is expected, but it's doubtful whether a topless photo amounts to an indecent image of a child.

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43

/// but it's doubtful whether a topless photo amounts to an indecent image of a child. ///

Any proof of that Fred?

Well if it isn't (and I very much doubt that) then it is time that it was made illegal.

[emmie]

Harriet Harman, love this comment

She told her: ‘Don’t worry, it’s absolutely fine Gloria, we wouldn’t judge you for that,’ and urged her not to ‘change’ or get ‘buttoned up’

[emmie]

would anyone on here be happy their 15 year old daughter got her breasts out for a topless photoshoot, splashed across newspapers, or on the internet, i don't think i would, and as some young women are finding their intimate photo's sent to the latest squeeze, often ends up doing the rounds on mobile phones, social networking sites...

[LazyGun]

@Emmie "would anyone on here be happy their 15 year old daughter got her breasts out for a topless photoshoot, splashed across newspapers, or on the internet, i don't think i would, and as some young women are finding their intimate photo's sent to the latest squeeze, often ends up doing the rounds on mobile phones, social networking sites..."

No. What's that got to do with de Piero being the Minister for Women though?

[emmie]

That the woman in question did just that, sorry i wondered what her parents thought at the time... I don't think she is a particularly good role model, however neither are many women in the celebrity splattered UK. I would rather look up to the likes of Dame Ellen McArthur, someone who achieved a lot in her still relatively young life, than the likes of the Ms De Piero

[LazyGun]

Is Dame Ellen McArthur an MP though? If not, how could she be considered for being the Minister for Women, which is what this post is all about.

And, to be clear - you look down on de Piero - think she is a negative role model- because of something she did back in her teenage years?

[emmie]

neither do i like many women politicians, Jacqui smith was on TV the other day, fronting up a programme and though not sure what she does these days, she rather blotted her copy book as an MP, with her unsavoury antics, money grubbing expenses mess, like so many, and indeed not being a particularly good Home Secretary. I noticed that Dianne Abbott was sacked by Ed Milliband in his latest reshuffle, well that was one good deed for the years end.

[LazyGun]

@Emmie I am still unclear about why you think de Piero is an unsuitable role woman and warrants this kind of comment? "than the likes of the Ms De Piero"

What kind of "likes" is she? Why is she an unsuitable role model?

[jno]

she says her parents went less mental than she thought they would, if you read the story.

Personally, I doubt I'd give my (non-existent) daughter permission to do such a shoot, but I wouldn't be horrified or furious when I found out afterwards.

[emmie]

what she did or didn't do makes no odds to me in the long term. however i don't think that posing topless at any age is a good move for any woman, not particularly if you had it in mind to go into politics and wish to be taken seriously. Suppose Harriet Harman or Jacqui Smith had done so, women in senior roles in the Labour party, i am fully aware that Ellen McArthur is not a politician i was merely stating as a person, she would garner more of my admiration, respect than Ms De Piero.

[jim360]

I don't know about you but I think the idea of holding against anyone the actions of their youth is a pointless thing to do. Frankly what concerns me more about a politician are their views and actions now -- after all, those are what matter most, no?

[LazyGun]

@Emmie OK But de Piero did this topless shoot at age 15. Do you really think she would have a clearly mapped out career pathway at that point, that she should have considered how her actions at the time might reflect upon her at age 40 or so when she became an MP?

I agree with you with respect to Jacqui Smith- she definitely blotted her copybook over the expenses scandal, as did many other MPs male and female. Not mad keen on Diane Abbott either.

But it seems unfair to dismiss de Piero as an unsuitable role model for girls and women over a teenage topless photo shoot.

[emmie]

she has certainly had an interesting career so far

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_De_Piero

[Gromit]

Glenda Jackson, the Labour Politician and MP for 18 years was always getting her kit off in films. So this is a non story.

I have reservations about this shadow minister for women because she doesn't seem to have a much in common with normal women, and I doubt she really understands what are their struggles.

[emmie]

well each to their own - i don't much care for this nonsense of spokesperson for women, is there a spokesperson for men?