Music
28 Mar 17

The Daily Mail receives backlash over sexist 'Legs-it' headline

The Daily Mail has sparked an angry backlash after reducing talks between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to a battle of...legs.

The newspaper - which never shies away from controversial headlines - was accused of being sexist mere minutes after Tuesday's first edition landed late on Monday night.

The paper carries a picture of the Prime Minister and First Minister sitting down for discussions on Brexit and a second Scottish independence referendum, with the headline "Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!"

Many senior UK politicians immediately took to Twitter to voice their anger at the headline, with Ed Miliband comparing it to an article from the 1950s.

The 1950s called and asked for their headline back.#everydaysexism https://t.co/s1W1XfhrhN

— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) March 27, 2017

It's 2017. Two women's decisions will determine if United Kingdom continues to exist. And front page news is their lower limbs. Obviously pic.twitter.com/AMp0YvtISa

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 27, 2017

The picture and headline in question were part of an article inside the paper written by the columnist Sarah Vine with the headline "Finest weapons at their command? Those pins!" .

In it, she discusses the merits of the two women's clothing, the elegance of their fingernails, and finally assesses the legs and the "vast expanse on show".

She says: "There is no doubt that both women consider their pins to be the finest weapon in their physical arsenal."

The newspaper responded with the quip, "Sarah Vine's light-hearted verdict on the big show down", which did little to stem the angry online tide.

Ah yes you can be a powerful woman running a country but fuck that look at those legs hey lads!

Fuck the Daily Mail pic.twitter.com/Bp3uYczfTp

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) March 27, 2017

If you honestly don't get why people fight so hard for women's equality then today's Daily Mail front page will explain it to you. pic.twitter.com/zzsjoVbyik

— Daniel Hardcastle (@DanNerdCubed) March 28, 2017

Exclusive photo of The Daily Mail staff. pic.twitter.com/gQw35rxJPY

— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) March 28, 2017

People from across the UK have also been voicing their disgust at the headline, with most morning talk shows covering the paper's editorial decision.

Sadly, the nature of news and the media means that The Daily Mail's headline will likely generate bad publicity but, to an extent, free advertising. For a news outlet that thrives on deliberately controversial statements and headlines, the best response from those looking to disengage with The Daily Mail is to avoid buying it and avoid giving their website online traffic.