This awful Daily Mail front page is getting dragged all over town for its mindblowing sexism
"Newspaper of the year" the Daily Mail is getting dragged after publishing a headline declaring "Forget about Brexit, who won Legs-it!" alongside a photograph of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and British Prime Minister Theresa May on its front page.
The front page was first published on Twitter on Monday night, instantly prompting a stream of criticism from politicians, journalists and members of the public.
Alas, the sexist commentary didn't stop at the front page. Inside the paper, a headline above a column by Sarah Vine read: "Finest weapons at their command? Those pins!"
"But what stands out here are the legs – and the vast expanse on show. There is no doubt that both women consider their pins to be the finest weapon in their physical arsenal. Consequently, both have been unsheathed," read Vine's column.
Vine referred to Sturgeon’s legs as "altogether more flirty, tantalisingly crossed" and "a direct attempt at seduction." Right...
People flocked to Twitter in droves to condemn the front page, with many questioning whether the paper was serious.
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Some said that the front page was an example of everyday sexism and precisely why women attended the Women's March.
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"Even if you become PM, we'll still only care about your bloody legs," wrote one outraged Twitter user.
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One person found the paper's focus on the politicians' legs to be reminiscent of attitudes held in Tudor times.
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One person suggested they could even be reminiscent of those held in the Dark Ages.
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A large consensus said the front page was a hark back to the 1950s.
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Which even prompted a nice little Article 50 joke.
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A few people mocked up what the front page would look like if replaced with male politicians' legs.
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The Daily Mail didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
