ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

This Creepy, Misogynistic Letter Reveals The Sexism Female Politicians Deal With

Photo: Courtesy of Michelle Rempel.
Today, in cringeworthy evidence that women still deal with sexist bullshit that their male counterparts don't have to: A Canadian parliament member, Michelle Rempel, tweeted a photo of a creepy letter sent to her office. In the letter, which is littered with copy mistakes (including multiple misspellings of Rempel's name) the Ottawa politician's fashion choices are scrutinized. The anonymous letter writer, a self-described "girl watcher," criticizes Rempel's "bare neck" and "décolletage," suggesting she cover up more, like the Queen (presumably of England) and Michelle Obama. "Hide the skin and people will look you in the eyes," the skeevy letter reads. Oh, but it gets even more inappropriate, with Rempel's choice in undergarments getting questioned: "Were you wearing a bra on Thursday?" But the worst part, perhaps, is that this kind of correspondence isn't an unusual occurrence at all for Rempel. In subsequent tweets after she shared the gross letter, the politician, who has been in office since 2011, said she receives letters like this on a weekly basis. Rempel has contended with completely unsolicited commentary about her appearance (like this latest example), as well as her fertility and her career trajectory. Just last week, she said she received a marriage proposal — offered with the objective of keeping Rempel "in line," according to Huffington Post. Earlier this year, she wrote an op-ed entitled "Confront Your Sexism," about the misogyny she's encountered during her five years in office. We've reached out to Rempel for comment, and will update when we hear back.

More from Fashion

R29 Original Series

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT