In a piece by Guto Harri, GQ highlighted the findings from Atalanta’s report on online harassment and sexism against female political leaders, explaining what they mean for male politicians:
“Play the ball not the man.” That’s what rugby players are taught from an early age and rugby is a pretty rough sport.
But playing the woman seems the norm on the brutal pitches of politics according to new research across three continents.
Yes men are criticised, insulted and ridiculed when they stand for office, but rarely so for being male. Masculinity itself is not usually associated with incompetence. How men look matters a lot less than what they say. Speculation about sexual preferences or behaviour are generally kept out of the picture, and threats of physical violence are almost unheard of.
Not so with women. Theresa May gets three times as many comments on her appearance as Jeremy Corbyn — despite him having graced the cover of the most stylish and successful magazine in the world. The Frida Kahlo-adorned bracelet Theresa May wore at party conference might have dominated social media had the set not collapsed and her cough gone away.
Read more about our report, in collaboration with BrandsEye, on GQ.
