Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni named ‘man of the year’ by newspaper

By DAYANAND MOHITE | published: January 02, 2024 01:33 PM 2019-02-12T14:15:30+5:30

city : international

The article has drawn sharp backlash from advocates of women's rights, who criticise her perceived lack of initiatives to protect women from violence in the country.

Italy’s first female Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, was declared “Man of the Year” by Libero Quotidiano, a far-right publication based in Milan, sparking a firestorm of controversy. Penned by Mario Sechi, the paper’s Rome bureau chief and a former member of Meloni’s public relations team, the article has drawn sharp backlash from advocates of women’s rights, who criticise her perceived lack of initiatives to protect women from violence in the country.

Winner in the “war of the sexes”

Described as the winner in the “war of the sexes” in Italy, Meloni, according to the article, had “not only broken the glass ceiling, she dissolved it.” Celebrated as the formidable figure who effectively conquered gender disparities, the piece lauds her for proffering distinctive thinking and overcoming societal norms, purportedly transcending male superiority and female despondency.

“In our society of weak thinking, we have recognized strong ideas,” Sechi wrote in her article. “Giorgia Meloni for Libero is ‘man of the year’ because above everything she has cancelled the war of the sexes by winning it, by thinking differently, being divergent, overcoming the arrogance of men and the defeatism of women. She has not only broken the glass ceiling, she has dissolved it,” it reads further.

“Awarded title supports outdated notions of male superiority”

While the article praises Meloni for breaking societal barriers, critics, including Italian MP Elisabetta Piccolotti from the Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, claim that the awarded title supports outdated notions of male superiority, igniting a fierce debate on gender roles and perceptions.

Challenging the controversial designation, Piccolotti took to Facebook, urging Meloni to clarify her gender identity amid the controversial discourse ignited by the article. Meloni’s unexpected conferment of the “Man of the Year” title has amplified discussions regarding gender dynamics and the evolving landscape of women in leadership roles, eliciting a range of impassioned responses and calls for a reevaluation of societal perspectives and norms.

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