Italian women politicians began posting photos of themselves wearing miniskirts after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani suggested his son marry a woman who wears longer skirts. In response to his heavily criticised comments, opposition female lawmakers staged a protest in the Italian Senate wearing short skirts.
What led to the backlash?
Speaking about marriage, the Italian minister asserted that even though glamorous women appear attractive in the initial stages, he would prefer a “less flashy and more reliable, more serious" woman. He said that these are the women who remain faithful and will become a “good mother” in the future.
The minister further added that the “suitable women for marriage” are the ones who are “perhaps less pretty and wear slightly longer skirts than others”. The Independent reported. Tajani claimed that although it might be “nice to marry a glamorous girl”, such a woman may have “gone through a string of boyfriends, dumped them, walked out, and has a tendency to cheat”.
The comments soon sparked a massive backlash, and female opposing leaders questioned his idea of connecting clothing with loyalty and the suitability of a mother and wife.
The protest
On September 22, the women conducted a protest criticising the leader's remarks. Women from the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, Italia Viva, the Five Star Movement and the Greens and Left Alliance, participated in the agitation.
The protest was proposed by Italia Viva Senator Raffaela Paita, who referred to the movement as “freedom to dress”. “This is a gesture to say that we are free to dress however we want”, Paita added.
Centre-Left MP Chiara Appendino Shared Photo In Mini Skirt
Sharing a picture of her in a mini skirt on Instagram, Centre-Left MP Chiara Appendino said, ““Tajani, am I not a reliable woman? Am I not a good mother? ”. “In 2026, we should not be hearing a government minister explain to us that it is better to marry a woman who is less flashy and wears a longer skirt.
“Our reliability is not measured in centimetres of fabric.” The former mayor of Turin added that it was time to “leave the Middle Ages behind”.
Tajani Apologises
Tajani, speaking in New York, while attending the UN General Assembly, said, “I apologise if people felt offended by what I said, but I never intended to offend women. “I have never done so in my life, neither in my private nor in my public life.”
Earlier, Tajani sparked criticism for praising Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He was slammed in 2019 for saying that Mussolini “did positive things to realise infrastructures in our country”, The Sun reported.
Tajani insisted he was "not a fascist” but told a radio show, La Zanzara, that “if we must be honest, he built roads, bridges, buildings”.
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