According to Marlene Schiappa, minister for social economy and associations in the administration of Emmanuel Macron, she is “defending the right of women to do what they want with their bodies.”
The cover of Playboy magazine will feature a French government official.
In the French edition of the magazine, Marlene Schiappa, the minister for social economy and associations in Emmanuel Macron’s administration, will appear completely clothed alongside a 12-page interview.
Fellow politicians who are facing a huge backlash over Mr. Macron’s pension reforms have criticised her cover appearance.
France has seen its most violent riots and protests since the retirement age was raised from 62 to 64.
Sandrine Rousseau, a member of the Green Party, told the television station BFM: “Where is the reverence for the French people?”
People who will have to work for an additional two years, who are demonstrating, who are losing days of pay, and who are unable to feed due to inflation.
“I don’t mind exposing women’s bodies anywhere, but there’s a social context.”
According to reports, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born contacted Ms. Schiappa to inform her that the cover is “not at all appropriate – especially during the current period.”
However, the mother of two Ms. Schiappa defended her decision on Twitter.
“Defending the right of women to do whatever they want with their bodies: everywhere and always,” she wrote.
“In France, women are liberated. Whether this annoys retrogrades and hypocrites or not.”
Because of her feminist views, French Playboy editor Jean-Christophe Florentin claimed that Ms. Schiappa was the “most Playboy compatible” of her counterparts.
According to Le Parisien, the publication will be available for purchase on April 8.
Ms. Schiappa wrote about women’s issues before becoming a deputy minister under Mr. Macron in 2017.
In her former position as minister of equality, she introduced legislation to make cat-calling and street harassment unlawful.
She also praised a French social media campaign from the #MeToo era titled “expose your swine.”
