French minister under fire for Playboy magazine cover

France's Minister of Social Economy and French Associations, Marlene Schiappa, has found herself in hot water after appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine to promote an interview about women's and LGBT rights.

Schiappa, who is a long-time advocate for women's rights and was appointed as France's first-ever Gender Equality Minister in 2017, had her photo published wearing a white dress in the latest issue of the adult magazine. Her appearance on the cover has drawn criticism from some of her own party members, including French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

Borne pulled Schiappa aside and expressed her disapproval of the cover, stating that it was "not appropriate" during this period. This move has sparked controversy among some who feel that Borne is being too harsh on Schiappa.

The timing of Schiappa's appearance in Playboy comes as France is grappling with a social crisis, including issues related to policing and police brutality. Sandrine Rousseau, a Green Party politician and fellow women's rights activist, expressed her frustration with the situation, stating that she feels like she is "behind a smoke screen" when it comes to addressing these problems.

Meanwhile, French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon has criticized Schiappa's appearance in Playboy as well as President Emmanuel Macron's decision to give an interview to children's magazine Pif Gadget. Mélenchon tweeted that the situation highlights the "opposition" and that France is "going off the rails."

Despite the criticism, Schiappa has defended her right to express herself and promote women's rights. She took to Twitter to say that defending the right of women to have control over their bodies is a constant and necessary effort.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has come to Schiappa's defense, calling her a "woman of character" and stating that he respects her style.

omg what's going on with France rn?? I mean i get it schiapppa is trying to promote women's rights and all but Playboy?? really? idk if i'd want to be the one who has to deal with all that backlash from her party members. Borne seems kinda harsh tho, like a lil too harsh lol. i guess its just another day in politics where you gotta make some tough choices. on the other hand schiapppa is totally entitled to express herself and promote what she believes in. about time someone spoke up for women's rights and control over their own bodies!

I don't get why politicians gotta be so uptight ... Schiappa's just speakin' her mind & defendin' women's rights, which is kinda important in this crazy world we live in . If Borne can't handle the heat, maybe she should step aside & let someone else handle the cover girl drama . I mean, it's not like Schiappa's gonna change anyone's mind with that photo alone... but hey, at least it's a conversation starter .

I feel for Marlene Schiappa - she's already fighting for equality and women's rights, and then this happens... The timing isn't great, what with France dealing with all these other issues, but I think it's also a reminder that even in politics, there's room for people to make mistakes. It'd be nice if everyone could just breathe and not jump on the bandwagon, you know? On a positive note, Schiappa is still speaking out for what she believes in, which is something we should all be supporting! And it's cool that some politicians are showing her support - maybe we can learn from their example too?

I mean, can you blame the guy? I don't think anyone likes seeing their politician's pic on some old dude's mag . But at the same time, Schiappa does seem like a legit advocate for women's rights and all, so maybe she should've been more careful about where her pics were showing up .

I'm not sure if I'd be too mad if I was in Borne's shoes tho, 'cause you can't just let your colleagues do whatever they want and get away with it, right? It's like, you gotta set boundaries and all that . But at the same time, maybe she should've talked to Schiappa about it first instead of pulling her aside in public .

It's weird tho, 'cause people are saying Borne is being too harsh, but others are saying she should be more chill, like what? . I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out .

I don’t usually comment but it seems like the whole thing is kinda messy ... I mean, Schiappa is all about women’s rights and fighting for equality, so you'd think she'd be more careful about what she does on her own time. But at the same time, I get why some of her colleagues are upset - it's not exactly a subtle move ... and Borne being all disapproving of Schiappa is pretty awkward since they're supposed to be allies. I don’t know what’s more cringeworthy, the whole situation or Mélenchon tweeting about it like he’s some kinda victim ...

I think it's kinda weird that people are so shocked by Marlene Schiappa showing up in Playboy . I mean, isn't she supposed to be a role model for women's rights and all that? It seems like some folks are still stuck in the old ways of thinking about sex and feminism .

And honestly, I think Sandrine Rousseau has a point when she says it feels like there's a smoke screen around these issues . We need to be talking about police brutality and social crisis, not getting hung up on someone's magazine cover .

I'm all for Schiappa using her platform to promote women's rights, but maybe we could've seen that coming from the likes of Élisabeth Borne? It feels like some people are just more concerned with appearances than actually doing the job .

OMG u wont believe whats goin on in france ! so theres this lady marlene schiappa who was like super vocal about women rights n stuff but then she decides to pose for playboy ? i mean idk about u but thats just wierd. but what really has ppl shook is that her own party members r calling her out on it . its like, cant u all just focus on the issues instead of gettin personal? anyway schiappa thinks shes doin nothing wrong n she should b free to express herself

can't believe the drama in France right now, like what even is more important than women's rights?

omg I'm lowkey disappointed in elisabeth borne she's always been like the ultimate feminist but now she's being super hater towards marlene schiappa? I mean I get it, it was a provocative move but c'mon, schiappa is a total icon for women's rights and this is just another way to silence her . Darmanin tho is totally on point , he needs to take some of that hate away from borne and give it to schiappa instead . also can we talk about how timely this whole thing is? france is literally dealing with so many social issues right now and schiappa's appearance in Playboy is like a much needed distraction from all the drama . schiappa's all about promoting women's rights and body autonomy, I respect that

I think it's kinda weird that PM Borne is judging Marlene for the cover of Playboy . Like, isn't she supposed to be all about equality and women's rights? Shouldn't we be supporting each other rather than tearing each other down? And yeah, I get where Jean-Luc Mélenchon is coming from with the Pif Gadget thing too... it does feel like politicians are losing their cool . Anyway, Schiappa's all about being bold and speaking her mind – we should be applauding her, not judging her !

I don't think it's fair to say Marlene Schiappa's Playboy cover is a huge deal... like, she's still got some serious cred with the feminist crowd . But maybe she should've been more considerate of the timing? It's not exactly the best situation for France right now, what with all the policing and police brutality issues. Still, Schiappa's sticking to her guns and promoting women's rights - that takes a lot of courage . Some people are just hating on her for being herself ...

Ugh, schiappa getting roasted for posing for playboy like who didn't know she was a feminist icon in the making? but seriously though, what's up with politicians being so uptight about this kinda thing? it's all about freedom of expression and body autonomy, right? schiappa did what schiappa wanted to do, and if some folks can't handle it, that's not her problem . and btw, who's more out of touch - the ones who criticized her appearance or the ones who are too busy policing women's bodies?

Can't believe our politicians are getting so worked up over something like this... I mean, come on, it's just a photo shoot. Marlene Schiappa is all about empowering women and fighting for equality, so what does she have to hide? She should be proud of herself for speaking out and promoting women's rights, not apologizing for taking a risk.

And honestly, Elisabeth Borne seems like the one who's being uptight here... I'm all about calling out the system, but we need more courage from our leaders to speak up. The timing of this controversy is also pretty interesting - it comes when France needs to be addressing its social issues, not squabbling over a magazine cover.

I think what really gets me is that Sandrine Rousseau and Jean-Luc Mélenchon are using Schiappa's situation to talk about their own agendas... Can't we just focus on supporting each other for once?

this is soooo extra... like marlene schiappa can speak for herself no need to get so worked up over it she's trying to promote equality and women's rights but instead everyone's focusing on her pic in playboy it's just so much drama... i feel bad for schiappa tho, being criticized by her own party members is hard enough without the added drama of this situation maybe they should focus on the real issues at hand like police brutality and stuff instead of getting all worked up over a pic in a magazine

france is getting weird schiappa's appearance in Playboy is like, not just controversy but also kinda genius who better to promote women's rights than the girl on the cover? plus she's already taken a stand against police brutality and other social issues

it's all about representation though do we want our leaders to be perfect or human? schiappa is still an advocate for change and women's rights, that's what matters most darmanin's got her back but some people are just mad because she's not playing by the rules

and let's be real jean-luc mélenchon is just mad because he's not on the cover of Pif Gadget president macron's interview was a good move btw france needs to focus on what really matters – women's rights and social justice

I mean, can you believe this? Marlene Schiappa, the minister who's all about promoting women's rights and equality, decides to get her photo taken for Playboy... I don't get it. It feels like she's trying to be a symbol of feminism or something, but then she goes and does something that's just gonna make people laugh and think "wait, isn't she supposed to be fighting for these rights?"

And can we talk about the timing? France is dealing with some serious social issues right now, like police brutality and whatnot... shouldn't Schiappa be focusing on those things instead of posing for a magazine cover? It feels like she's trying to be more famous or something, which is just gonna distract from her actual work.

I think the criticism from Borne and Mélenchon is justified... I mean, it's not exactly the most subtle way to express disapproval, but you get the point. Schiappa should know better than to do something like this when there are more pressing issues at hand.

Anyway, it's all just a bit confusing, you know? Schiappa says she's defending women's rights, but then she goes and does something that just makes people raise an eyebrow... I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out.

I don't get why everyone's so shocked . Marlene Schiappa is an advocate for women's rights and LGBT rights, which is awesome! Shouldn't she be able to express herself in whatever way she wants? I mean, if a magazine wants to feature her on their cover, who cares? It's just a photo shoot . And honestly, I don't think it's a big deal that the Prime Minister disagreed with her choice... or maybe it is . Either way, Schiappa seems like a strong woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to speak out . Can we focus on the real issues France is facing instead of getting worked up over a magazine cover?

just saw marlene schiappa on playboy cover and i'm like why did this have to happen now?! france is dealing with so much right now from police brutality to rising unemployment and you gotta throw marlene in the mix for a Playboy shoot she's all about promoting women's rights but sometimes it feels like the timing just ain't right, ya feel?

I'm not surprised at all . Politicians are always looking for ways to get attention, but sometimes it feels like they're just as guilty of trying too hard as the people they're supposed to be representing . I mean, come on, who lets a politician pose for Playboy? It's just a big PR stunt, if you ask me . And now Schiappa's getting roasted by some of her own party members... that's just typical . Meanwhile, the real issues are still being ignored - like the fact that France is dealing with a social crisis and no one seems to be doing anything about it .