This week, Sanna Marin, Finland’s prime minister has been attending an EU Summit in Brussels. As each nation continues to tackle a global pandemic, all while navigating the political crisis that is Brexit and various other foreign policy woes, it’s an integral three-day event for any head of government hoping to share their countries stance on serious political issues across Europe. And yet, Marin is making headlines for wearing a low-cut blazer.
As part of a photoshoot for Finnish fashion magazine Trendi, Marin posed in an elegant black pantsuit. With a statement necklace, the blazer was buttoned at her waist, but with no shirt worn underneath all anyone (or at least, all sexist pigs) can talk about is whether her outfit ‘demeans’ the ministerial office.
Social media users called her ‘tasteless’, while Finnish entrepreneur Aki Pyysing wrote an entire blog post mocking her body shape, accusing her of ‘attention-seeking’ all through the guise of talking about economic policies. The same blog post was then shared by two MPs from the National Coalition party in Finland – a centre-right party which is the main opposition to Marin’s Social Democratic Party.
In response, supporters have begun sharing their own pictures of themselves in similar blazers under the hashtag #imwithSanna, hoping to educate the masses that actually, seeing a woman’s cleavage doesn’t make her any more or less ‘professional’.
Because, all we’re really talking about here is skin, aren’t we. Whether or not you can see someone’s skin, be it on their chest or elsewhere, doesn’t change the way their brain works, the way they do their job or how competent they are at running a country. If seeing a woman’s skin makes you value her less, that’s entirely a problem with the way YOU think and the judgements you have about women - it actually has nothing to do with her.
Of course, some are hiding their sexism through a guise of supporting ‘dress codes’, but it’s nothing to do with that really, is it? Let’s put aside the fact that dress codes are actually completely classist, usually sexist and the ability to adhere to one actually bears no value on who a person is or how valuable they are in work or beyond. Say, hypothetically, we actually support dress codes, then still, the point of them is to show you have made an effort.
They’re not really about ‘not causing a distraction’, as some would argue, because formal wear can still be distracting whether you show skin or not (ever not been able to stop staring at someone’s incredibly loud blazer at work or intricately patterned maxi skirt? Hey, we were all distracted by THAT floor-length Zara skirt for an entire Summer last year). In actuality, dress codes at their heart are simply about showing you take pride in your appearance. And thus we, for some reason, equate that with taking pride in our work too. (The reason is, we’re a classist, shallow society obsessed with consumerism, but that’s an argument for another day).
Even if she wore this to work, her outfit exhibits exactly what dress codes require...effort.
Looking at the picture of Marin, it’s clear she looks incredibly well put-together. Standing strong in a power suit with perfect hair and make-up, there’s no denying she’s made a huge effort. If she wore this to work, which let’s remember she actually didn’t, she still couldn’t be accused of demeaning the office because her outfit at heart exhibits exactly what dress codes require: effort.
When you consider the fact that British politicians can show up to work in sweatpants, that the leader of our country can barely brush his hair in the morning, it’s laughable that Marin could be accused of looking unprofessional in this perfectly designed look.
Ultimately, it speaks to how depressingly unevolved we are as a society that people not only share these opinions at the mere sight of a woman’s decolletage but also that it makes headlines like ‘Sanna Marin: Finland plunges chest-first into sexism row as PM dares to bare’. Is it really that shocking to see a woman’s skin? Is it really that important when the world is, quite literally, falling apart? Honestly, we long for the day a powerful woman can wear something this unprovocative and not have to explain, for the 1000th time, why it shouldn’t matter.
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