How Italy’s deputy PM sparked a major backlash over his women’s skirts comments

Politics
23 Sep 2026 • 11:05 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

How Italy’s deputy PM sparked a major backlash over his women’s skirts comments

  • Italian deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani has faced intense criticism after claiming women who wear longer skirts make better wives and mothers.
  • During a speech, the 73-year-old foreign minister suggested young men should choose a less flashy, more reliable partner with a slightly longer skirt for everlasting love.
  • Opposing politicians condemned the remarks as backwards, with MP Chiara Appendino stating that a woman's reliability is not measured in centimetres of fabric.
  • Far-right politician Roberto Vannacci stoked the controversy further by telling Italian media he prefers a woman without a skirt.
  • Tajani subsequently apologised at the UN General Assembly, claiming his comments were misunderstood and that he never intended to cause offence.

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