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Labour MP Jess Phillips says she gets 'constant comments' about her appearance
'I spend my entire time here basically trying to push the parameter slightly'
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour MP Jess Phillips has spoken about combatting sexism in government, saying that she gets "constant comments" critiquing her appearance.
The former Women's Aid worker opened up about her experience in parliament for an interview in the August issue of British Vogue.
In the interview, Phillips explained that the frequent scrutiny of her appearance is a source of continual frustration.
"I get constant comments on the clothes I wear, how fat or thin I am, about my t**s, my hair, everything," the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley said.
"People will send you policy emails, being like, 'I actually think it's quite reasonable what you said about Brexit, but we couldn't concentrate because you could see a bit of your cleavage.' It's just like, f**k off!"
Phillips continued, stating she is continually trying to break barriers when it comes to the perception of women in politics.
"I spend my entire time here basically trying to push the parameter slightly, just trying to constantly remind people, 'Don't forget women'," the MP stated.
Phillips expressed that she's become "acclimatised" to her "ridiculous life" in government, adding that when her political career began, there was a sense of "fascination" attached to being a young, "opinionated" woman.
"There was quite a lot of shushing," the politician said.
"A Tory man's favourite slur is, 'This isn't a sixth-form debating society'."
In November, Phillips said in an interview with Grazia magazine that students should learn about orgasms as part of sex education in schools.
“We should be telling girls about orgasms during sex education. I’m not suggesting we teach children how to masturbate, I’m suggesting we talk to them about the things they’re doing anyway,” the MP said.
Fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy recently stated that she feels she must choose between "being an MP and being a mum" due to parliament's rules over maternity leave.
Writing in The Guardian, Creasy said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which regulates MPs’ pay, does not recognise that MPs go on maternity leave and does not provide for any paid cover for work conducted outside the parliamentary chamber.
According to a study published in June, almost half of female managers say their workplace is sexist.
The research, which was conducted by the charity Young Women's Trust, also found that one in five male bosses agree that sexist behaviour still exists in their organisation.
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