Helle Thorning-Schmidt shares her experiences as Denmark’s first female prime minister and reveals the challenges she faced. In an episode of the British political podcast ‘The Rest Is Politics,’ she opens up about her time leading the Danish government from 2011 to 2015.
As the interview progressed, Thorning-Schmidt was asked about what she considered the biggest challenge during her time as prime minister. Without hesitation, she answered: “The biggest challenge for me – even in a country like Denmark – was being a woman. Everything else I experienced during my time as prime minister paled in comparison to the attacks I was subjected to simply because I was a woman.”
The host, former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, followed up by asking if these attacks could be seen as a form of ‘classic misogyny.’ Thorning-Schmidt affirmed this and elaborated: “It was classic misogyny … I was criticized for my handbags and my shoes. I was called ‘Gucci Helle,’ and that nickname was a fantastic way to belittle me … There were so many things, but it was just classic misogyny.”
Although Helle Thorning-Schmidt is now away from the political scene, politics continues to play a role in her life. Her British husband, Stephen Kinnock, has recently been appointed as a minister in the new Labour government.