French minister Marlene Schiappa has appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine. The minister of social economy and French associations, sparked controversy after appearing in the magazine's French edition, for which she gave an in-depth interview, where she talks about topics such as abortion, women's rights, and LGBT rights.
Schiappa describes herself as a "sapiosexual," or someone sexually attracted to highly intelligent people. Defending her move, Schiappa wrote in a tweet, "Defending the right of women to do what they want with their bodies: everywhere and all the time," “In France, women are free. Whether it annoys the retrogrades and hypocrites or not,” she wrote further.
She is the first female politician to appear on the cover of Playboy France. Schiappa, a feminist author, was named France's first gender equality minister in 2017. Her decision to appear on the cover of Playboy has drawn criticism from a lot of her colleagues including Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. During her tenure as gender equality minister, she helped pass a sexual harassment law that allows for on-the-spot fines for men who catcall, harass, or follow women on the street. Schiappa, in 2010, authored a book that gave tips on sex for the overweight which some criticised for perpetuating stereotypes.