Being a woman in politics isn’t easy, I am willing to accept that. Sometimes people will judge you on what you wear and not just the policy you are pushing that day. You want to be taken seriously, but you also want to use your charm to your advantage.
I have noticed that the women of Fine Gael are especially good at political outfits. But before we get to the women of Fine Gael we must go back to the beginning. We must start with Countess Markievicz. Countess Markievicz was born in London and was the first woman elected to the House of Common in Westminster. She fought that election for the constituency of Dublin St Patrick’s from a cell in Holloway prison. Out of the 18 women candidates, she was the only one to win a seat. However, in line with Sinn Féin abstentionist policy at the time she did not take her seat in the House of Commons.
Countess Markievicz’s role and commuted sentence of execution in the Easter Rising 1916 is well known. The Countess went on to be the first woman to be elected to Dáil Eireann where she served as Minister for Labour. From what I could see online the Countess had excellent range. She could pull off a ballgown and more modest looks. The BBC described her as the “aristocrat, abstentionist, anti-imperialist, suffragette, feminist, and Irish revolutionary.” Constance Markievicz was honoured in the House of Commons for her role in Anglo-Irish history in 2018.
It was Conservative MP Margaret Thatcher who really broke the mould for women in politics when she was elected Britain’s first female Prime Minister. Thatcher became their best peacetime Prime Minister. She turned the ship of state around and arrested what was seen in the late 1970s as inevitable decline. Thatcher’s clothes become iconic and the movie The Iron Lady depicts her being given the all-important makeover (a key plot driver in many Hollywood movies). Thatcher’s handbags were used as a political weapon and integral to her ability to drive through reform.
As Vogue explains, “Thatcher’s play on image consciously elevated her from grocer’s daughter to armour-coated power player. The trappings of her style allowed her to quieten snobbish inclinations towards her, and to build a formidable, strong-shouldered front which underscored her ambition. Framed by pearls and pussy-bow blouses, her image later became almost cartoonish in its precision.” Indeed, “as iconography, Thatcher’s bag was as synonymous with her political career as Churchill’s cigar or Abraham Lincoln’s top hat; in charity auctions, her bags have sold for up to £100,000 (a black Salvatore Ferragamo number), while the black Asprey bag she was pictured clutching as she trotted next to Reagan in the White House Rose Garden while he wrestled with his dog went for £25,000 in 2011.“
Such was the power of Thatcher’s handbag it became a verb. Forceful rebukes to members of her cabinet became referred to as “handbaggings”, a term which found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary as a verb “to handbag” meaning to treat a person ruthlessly or insensitively.
It should come as no surprise therefore that Maria Steen’s handbag during the presidential nomination campaign generated more debate than some of the actual presidential debates.
There are at least three Irish ministers who have a superb sense of fashion. I don’t think it is putting it too high to say I have a full on crush on the new Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton TD. Goodness that woman has style. She also has a great name. Her hair rivals that of the swishy Social Democrat lady but is more mature and smarter, cut to a bob. Minister Naughton’s outfit that she wore with the President when she was appointed as Minister for State was beautiful and smart. The Minister can also pull off a range of colours including royal blue, red and even yellow. I couldn’t pull off any of these colours but somehow she manages it. But the rustic autumnal jacket I like best as it sets off her hair.
Then there is newly promoted Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee. Some say she is over promoted, and I am not disagreeing, but her style has caught up with her office. The Minister looked superb when she hosted the inaugural Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum on Tuesday, part of the Roadmap 2030. She wore an all navy outfit very well fitted to her slim figure, the dark colour meaning she didn’t stand out from the men.
The Minister also has a white blazer which somehow she can pull off even in the middle of December. She wore this to promote the silly school survey on Twitter that the government insists on doing every few years. Do you want to keep your Catholic schools? How many times do we have to tell you – yes we do. Nice jacket though. The Minister also wore the white blazer when she appeared on The Week in Politics against our old friend Sinead Gibney TD who decided to come dressed as Little Bo Peep:.
Some people think it is uncharitable of me to make such a comparison, so if you are offended by this I do apologise to Little Bo Peep who has enough on her hands getting her sheep back. An easy win for McEntee.
In the interests of diversity I must mention Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD. She is with Fianna Fáil and can certainly hold her own with the Fine Gael ladies. This very fetching royal blue blazer doesn’t let the side down. I really, really like the soft colours of this jacket as the Minister tells us all about the Killarney bypass.
What we choose to wear everyday matters. You don’t need to be editor of Vogue to appreciate that. It is good to see the Ministers putting their best foot forward in their own unique way while representing Ireland. It tells us not just how they view themselves but how they view the voters they represent.