--- description: See the cover of Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon that some have criticized as sexist on social media. title: This Publication Is Under Fire for Calling Out Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon’s Legs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a36fde4c73127d/6988c0180b72e330e66ed1aa/theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-legs.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Daily Mail Under Fire for 'Legs-It' Cover With Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/) and [Zamira Rahim](/author/zamira-rahim/) Mar 28, 2017 12:55 PM CUT  GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MARCH 27: British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the Crown Plaza Hotel on March 27, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Prime Minister is in Scotland ahead of the triggering of Article 50 later in the week. (Photo by Russell Cheyne - WPA Pool/Getty Images) GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MARCH 27: British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the Crown Plaza Hotel on March 27, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Prime Minister is in Scotland ahead of the triggering of Article 50 later in the week. (Photo by Russell Cheyne - WPA Pool/Getty Images)WPA Pool—Getty Images by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/) and [Zamira Rahim](/author/zamira-rahim/) Mar 28, 2017 12:55 PM CUT U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon [met](http://fortune.com/2017/03/27/theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-brexit-scottish-independence-referendum/ "undefined") on Monday to discuss [their disagreements](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/27/nicola-sturgeon-says-theresa-may-brexit-timescale-matches-referendum-plan "undefined") about how the U.K. plans to proceed with Brexit. But British newspaper the _Daily Mail_ decided to focus on the female leaders’ legs on its Tuesday cover. The paper’s cover, which was circulated on Twitter, features a picture of the two leaders, both wearing skirts, at their meeting. The paper’s headline declared: “Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!” > [](https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/846470664278196225) The paper was quickly chastised for sexualizing May and Sturgeon by Twitter users. “Sexism at its finest here,” one user [wrote](https://twitter.com/phoebemaustin/status/846477454545969157 "undefined"). > [](https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/846471167624069120) > [](https://twitter.com/thegarance/status/846473710278266880) > [](https://twitter.com/JessicaSelous/status/846471030193475584) > [](https://twitter.com/phoebemaustin/status/846477454545969157) In the United Kingdom, the paper’s front page drew criticism on social media from across the British political spectrum. “Shame on the Daily Mail,” Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main Opposition party in the British Parliament, wrote on Twitter: > [](https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/846491928120250369) Yvette Cooper, a lawmaker in Corbyn’s party, also tweeted to point out the importance of Sturgeon and May’s talks. > [](https://twitter.com/YvetteCooperMP/status/846490833251680256) Cooper’s colleague Ed Miliband, a past Leader of the Opposition compared the headline to those of the 1950s. > [](https://twitter.com/Ed%5FMiliband/status/846474964584812545) The storm of online attention also had its casualties. The Daily Mali twitter account, which tweets news from the West African country, was forced to clarify that complaints about the “offensively sexist front-page” should be directed elsewhere. > [](https://twitter.com/MaliDaily/status/846490647112695808) Theresa May’s official spokesman would not comment on the controversy when asked about it in a press briefing, _The Guardian_ [reports](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/mar/28/theresa-may-refuses-to-comment-on-daily-mail-legs-it-front-page?CMP=twt%5Fgu "undefined"). “You would not expect me to comment on what newspapers should or should not put on their front pages,” he said. In a statement the _Daily Mail_ declared that critics should “get a life” and pointed out their unflattering coverage of other British politicians’ physical appearance. Past coverage of “Cameron’s waistline, Osborne’s hair, Corbyn’s clothes – and even Boris’ legs” according to the statement was an appropriate defence against the allegations of sexism. > [](https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/846699772782235648) This isn’t the first time that May, only the second female Prime Minister in the U.K.’s history, has faced undue attention on her choice of clothing. Late last year, her decision to wear a $1,250 pair of pants in a shoot for a newspaper interview [caused a storm of controversy](http://motto.time.com/4593735/theresa-may-pants/ "undefined"). And in September, a speaker at Britain’s Trade Union Conference [criticized](http://motto.time.com/4492831/theresa-may-leopard-print-heels/ "undefined") May for her signature colored heels, calling on her instead to wear more sensible shoes. May doesn’t appear to have let it get to her; in her meeting with Sturgeon, she wore leopard print pumps. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4714516/daily-mail-theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-sexism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4714516/daily-mail-theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-sexism/"},"headline":"Daily Mail Under Fire for 'Legs-It' Cover With Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon","datePublished":"2017-03-28T12:55:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:16.885Z","description":"The women met to discuss Brexit","url":"https://time.com/4714516/daily-mail-theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-sexism/","keywords":["motto","United Kingdom","sexism","Theresa May","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a36fde4c73127d/6988c0180b72e330e66ed1aa/theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-legs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Zamira Rahim","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zamira-rahim/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a36fde4c73127d/6988c0180b72e330e66ed1aa/theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-legs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Theresa May Visits Scotland Ahead Of Triggering Article 50 Later This Week","caption":"Theresa May Visits Scotland Ahead Of Triggering Article 50 Later This Week","creditText":"WPA Pool—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/4714516/daily-mail-theresa-may-nicola-sturgeon-sexism/","name":"Daily Mail Under Fire for 'Legs-It' Cover With Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon"}}]}] ```