--- title: Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar description: Public scrutiny of female politicians' clothing and spending habits continues canonical: https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/ author: Suyin Haynes article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-07T16:58:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:04:03.498Z og:title: Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar og:description: Public scrutiny of female politicians' clothing and spending habits continues... og:url: https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12cc6bee1c475b80/6988b21886f68e06bb6e2e1a/theresea-may.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Theresa May Leaves For Prime Minister's Questions og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar twitter:description: Public scrutiny of female politicians' clothing and spending habits continues... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12cc6bee1c475b80/6988b21886f68e06bb6e2e1a/theresea-may.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Twice a week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. by [Suyin Haynes](https://time.com/author/suyin-haynes/) ## Suyin Haynes Dec 7, 2016 4:58 PM UTC  British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers Questions in London, England, on Sept. 14, 2016. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers Questions in London, England, on Sept. 14, 2016. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images by [Suyin Haynes](https://time.com/author/suyin-haynes/) ## Suyin Haynes Dec 7, 2016 4:58 PM UTC U.K. Prime Minister [Theresa May](http://time.com/4386934/theresa-may-boris-johnson-leader-conservative-party/?iid=sr-link1) has faced backlash over a pair of pricey pants from some critics, whilst others have been left wondering what all the fuss is about. May was criticized by members of her own Conservative Party and the media after it was revealed last week that a pair of brown leather trousers she wore in a photoshoot for the British newspaper [_The Sunday Times_](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-interview-theresa-may-hmpg0m2lg) cost over $1,250\. I[n an interview](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/06/theresa-may-sidesteps-question-about-995-pound-leather-trousers) with _The Times_, May’s colleague Nicky Morgan said that the expensive garments featured in the photoshoot had been “noticed and discussed” in local Conservative Party circles. “I don’t have leather trousers. I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much on anything apart from my wedding dress,” Morgan commented. May was also accused of being [“out of touch”](http://www.itv.com/news/2016-12-07/theresa-may-branded-out-of-touch-over-995-leather-trousers-for-magazine-photoshoot/) and faced [criticism](https://twitter.com/huwlemmey/status/806456187613024256) on social media for the clothing choice. Other commentators have responded to the backlash by noting that while the Prime Minister has been [criticized for her clothing](http://motto.time.com/4492831/theresa-may-leopard-print-heels/?iid=sr-link3) many times before, her male colleagues have not been subject to the same level of scrutiny. Last year, a tailor whose bespoke suits cost [around $](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/11435689/David-Cameron-I-wear-MandS-clothes-so-I-dont-stand-out.html)2,500 was photographed entering 10 Downing Street, [reportedly](http://goldings.co.uk/2015/07/2k-a-suit-tailor-who-is-helping-the-pm-beat-the-squeeze/) for an appointment with then-Prime Minister David Cameron. When Hillary Clinton came under fire for a [$12,000 Armani jacket](http://motto.time.com/4361509/the-hidden-sexism-in-calling-out-hillary-clintons-12000-armani-jacket/?iid=sr-link4) earlier this year, commentators pointed out that criticizing female politicians’ clothes is sexist, regardless of which party they belong to. > [](https://twitter.com/NadineDorriesMP/status/806067613449224192) > [](https://twitter.com/benjaminbutter/status/806444139214753792) [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/06/theresa-may-sidesteps-question-about-995-pound-leather-trousers) reported that May was questioned on her choice of clothing by a reporter, but did not respond directly to the comment on the price tag of her pants. “I believe it is important for politicians to get out and about and that’s what I continue to. It is important we have a country that works for everyone,” May said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/"},"headline":"Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar","datePublished":"2016-12-07T16:58:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:04:03.498Z","description":"Public scrutiny of female politicians' clothing and spending habits continues","url":"https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/","keywords":["motto","politics","fashion","U.K.","Theresa May"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12cc6bee1c475b80/6988b21886f68e06bb6e2e1a/theresea-may.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Suyin Haynes","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/suyin-haynes/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12cc6bee1c475b80/6988b21886f68e06bb6e2e1a/theresea-may.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Theresa May Leaves For Prime Minister's Questions","caption":"Theresa May Leaves For Prime Minister's Questions","creditText":"Dan Kitwood—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/","name":"Theresa May's $1,250 Pants Are Actually Causing an Uproar"}}]}] ```