Playboy shoot controversy: French minister Marlene Schiappa says that women have the right to pose nude if they want to

Marlene Schiappa, the French minister for the social economy and associations, recently caused controversy by posing for Playboy, but defended her decision in an interview with the magazine. Schiappa stated that she believed women had the right to pose nude if they wished to do so. Although the French edition of Playboy featuring Schiappa’s 12-page interview and photographs has not yet been released, the images have already been leaked to the French media, prompting criticism from some of Schiappa’s cabinet colleagues.

The photographs feature Schiappa fully clothed in various poses, wearing outfits in the colours of the French tricolour. In the interview, Schiappa said that she thought women who wanted to pose in a men’s magazine should not be criticised. She cited Pamela Anderson, who had called her shoot for Playboy ‘an act of emancipation,’ as an inspiration. Schiappa also spoke positively about beauty contests such as Miss France, saying that if women enjoyed winning them, they should be supported.

The interview contained some innuendo-laden questions, such as ‘is politics an aphrodisiac?’, and discussed Schiappa’s past as an erotic novelist and author who wrote about female orgasm. Some of Schiappa’s colleagues were unhappy with the interview’s timing, as it came during a period of political crisis and strikes in France. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne reportedly called Schiappa to inform her that the unauthorised shoot was ‘not at all appropriate.’ Equalities Minister Isabelle Rome criticised the decision to pose for Playboy, saying that the magazine perpetuated sexist stereotypes.

Despite the criticism, Schiappa has stated that she does not regret attracting attention during her six-year political career. She believes that being in the spotlight is an advantage because it sets her apart from other politicians who are seen as ‘colourless.’ However, some have raised concerns about Schiappa’s decision to pose for Playboy given the magazine’s history of perpetuating sexist stereotypes and the accusations of sexual assault against its founder, Hugh Hefner.