--- title: Kirsten Gillibrand Talks Senate Sexism in Off The Sidelines Book description: "Good thing you're working out because you wouldn't want to get porky," Kirsten Gillibrand recalls one fellow senator saying canonical: https://time.com/3197103/kirsten-gillibrand-senate-sexism/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-27T20:58:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:25.147Z article:section: Politics og:title: Kirsten Gillibrand Talks Senate Sexism in Off The Sidelines Book og:description: "Good thing you're working out because you wouldn't want to get porky" og:url: https://time.com/3197103/kirsten-gillibrand-senate-sexism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704312642ae88e86/6986a12f1eebf7379a3726c1/kirsten-gilibrand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY attends a press conference calling for the creation of an independent military justice system to deal with sexual harassment and assault in the military, in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kirsten Gillibrand Talks Senate Sexism in Off The Sidelines Book twitter:description: "Good thing you're working out because you wouldn't want to get porky" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704312642ae88e86/6986a12f1eebf7379a3726c1/kirsten-gilibrand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Senator Says Male Colleague Told Her 'You're Even Pretty When You're Fat' > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4070add2-90d1-4344-aaa8-a7d7486574f7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Kirsten Gillibrand on Hillary Clinton's Influence [Watch (HLS stream): Kirsten Gillibrand on Hillary Clinton's Influence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/k2Jwg7Yx.m3u8) (2:18)  _Published 2014-04-30. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand talks at the 2014 TIME 100 Gala about the influence of three women in her life: her grandmother, mother, and Hillary Clinton_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Aug 27, 2014 8:58 PM UTC  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY attends a press conference calling for the creation of an independent military justice system to deal with sexual harassment and assault in the military, in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Feb. 6, 2014. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY attends a press conference calling for the creation of an independent military justice system to deal with sexual harassment and assault in the military, in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Feb. 6, 2014. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Aug 27, 2014 8:58 PM UTC Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) [says in a new book](http://www.people.com/article/kirsten-gillibrand-hillary-clinton-president) that she has faced several sexist encounters with her male colleagues, being nicknamed everything from “Honey Badger” to “hottest member of the Senate.” “Good thing you’re working out because you wouldn’t want to get porky,” Gillibrand says one colleague told her in the congressional gym, according to an excerpt of her book _Off The Sidelines_ published by [_People_](http://www.people.com/article/kirsten-gillibrand-hillary-clinton-president). After she lost weight following a pregnancy, Gillibrand writes that one male colleague squeezed her waist and implored: “Don’t lose too much weight now, I like my girls chubby.” And she says one southern congressman told her, “You know, Kirsten, you’re even pretty when you’re fat.” “I believed his intentions were sweet, even if he was being an idiot,” Gillibrand writes. But Gillibrand told _People_ she hasn’t been fazed by these incidents, and said she’s using the sexism she’s faced working in Congress as motivation to take on issues like military and campus sexual assault. In the book, which is being released in September, she calls on other women to “speak up, gather strength” and “support one another.” “If we do, women will sit at every table of power making decisions,” Gillibrand writes. The first-term senator also told _People_ she isn’t deterred by the gridlock plaguing Congress. “If I can work an issue like sexual assault on college campuses and drive a national narrative and know I’m making a difference,” Gillibrand said, “then whether or not we pass another bill in Congress, there’s still good things I can do.” [_Read the rest of the story at People_](http://www.people.com/article/kirsten-gillibrand-hillary-clinton-president) ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Thank you. [ SOUND ]. It is such an honor to be among 100 extraordinary people who are honored here tonight. But particularly, it's humbling to be among women like Sister Rosemary and the 40 other extraordinary women here tonight. And then, there's, Beyoncé, who's in her own category all by herself. We could all agree. But I would not be here today, if I did not have strong role models. I've had three strong role models in my life that have made an extraordinary difference. The first was my grandmother, who never went to college, but believed from the time she was 20 years old and a secretary in our state legislature That women's voices mattered. I learned from her that you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it and work very hard. The second role model was my mother, who by the time she was 50 was a black belt in karate. Typically shot the Thanksgiving turkey. And was only three of one women, of women in her law school class. But she taught me, that you have to be exactly yourself. You have to be the person that you are and live your life as best you can. And the third woman who was a role model for me is someone who's also being honored tonight, as one of our Titans, and that's Hilary Clinton. I was a young lawyer, just few blocks from here, pushing paper for big companies And she gave that prophetic speech where she went to Beijing. And she said, women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights, for once and for all. And at that very moment, I said what am I doing with my life? I should be doing public service. And that's what started me on our long journey. So tonight I want to. Where's my glass? It's missing. Here we go. And so tonight I want to give a toast to two people. First, to every single person in this room who is making a difference and is hopefully being a role model or a sponsor or a mentor. To some girl who could be standing right here today, 20 years from now. And then to all the people who are not here with us because not one of us gets here alone. 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