The 'Legs-it' shot of the British Prime Minister proves we still need feminism

In one photo, British prime minister Theresa May, and Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon have proven society still can't fathom a woman's ability to lead, while simultaneously wearing whatever she wants.

The world leaders were in Glasgow to hold talks over Brexit on Tuesday, but the outcome of their meeting was sidelined when a Daily Mail front page declared, “Forget about Brexit, who won Legs-it!” next to the aforementioned image.  

It didn't stop there. Inside the paper a headline read, "Finest weapons at their command? Those pins!" Because a lengthy discussion about the future of the EU has everything to do with a woman's legs -- sorry pins -- or was that weapons? And nothing at all to do with, er, formal negotiations over the fate of the whole goddamn United Kingdom!

The image, which swiftly made its way around the internet, sparked outrage. Commentators labelled the paper's treatment of the two women "sexist" and "offensive". And rightly so.

According to the BBC, the Daily Mail responded to the criticism in a statement which said: "For goodness sake, get a life!"

Sure, in 2017, we get to call out misogynistic behaviour, air our grievances about the gender pay gap and take aim at the state of child care in this country. We also get to tell our little girls to dream big, and that anything is possible (a privilege our mothers were not afforded).

Yippeeee! Equality! Laters, feminism!

Not quite…

Because you know what we don't get to do? We don't get to presume the same level of respect a man would be given, in a similar situation, with the same qualifications.  

It seems our desire for equality can only be met at the expense of our own biological makeup or appearance. Dare to bare some skin and your ability to be heard will be tested.

Just look at Emma Watson, who recently received major backlash for her Vanity Fair photoshoot in which she showed some underboob. Critics -- male and female -- labelled her a "bad feminist". Apparently, wanting equality, and expressing yourself sexually, are mutually exclusive.

At its very core, feminism is about choice. The choice to wear a skirt, yes, maybe even with your "pins" out (GASP!) and be taken seriously. The choice to stay at home, or go back to work, and still be valued by society regardless.

The fight for gender equality isn't about morphing into a man. If you can believe it, we're just fine with our vagina, thanks. What we're tired of though, is being put into a box and having our bodies (or skirt lengths) used as a weapon against us.

So thank you, Daily Mail, for making that glass ceiling all the more visible. As British Vogue assured readers on Wednesday, "Take a moment to consider this. Don't these women look magnificent? Don't they, whisper it, look like women, rather than women masquerading as men?"

They added, "Try to take a positive out of this sticky photo call: here are two of the most powerful women in the world, with the confidence to promote their female sovereignty. All power to them."

Amen.