00:03Why are pictures of Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a mini-skirt going viral?
00:09No, he hasn't suddenly become a fashion icon overnight.
00:13These pictures are actually AI-generated, and Italians are sharing them over a controversial statement he made.
00:19To understand the joke, we need to go back to something Tajani said at a political event near Rome on
00:25the 18th of September.
00:26When arguing that voters should choose a reliable party rather than one that might seem more appealing,
00:32Tajani compared this with advising his son on what type of woman to marry.
00:37In the metaphor, he said that one woman might be attractive but unreliable,
00:41while another could be less conspicuous but more dependable.
00:45He then suggested a more serious woman might wear a longer skirt.
00:49The comment has gone viral on social media, where women in Italy have turned Tajani into a meme,
00:55commenting that the length of a woman's skirt does not determine her loyalty.
01:00It's also sparked wrath from Italy's opposition parties.
01:03Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi shared two of the pictures,
01:07saying that Tajani had become more of a meme than a minister.
01:11And here, senators from several opposition parties posted a picture of themselves in skirts,
01:16in an act of protest one described as being about women's freedom to dress without men judging them.
01:22Tajani even earned a rebuke from the Catholic Church.
01:25Giuseppe Batturi, head of the Italian Bishops' Conference,
01:28said that every word directed at a woman must be filled with respect and admiration.
01:34Italy's Prime Minister Giorgio Malone said that the comment came out badly
01:38and warned people not to blow it out of proportion.
01:41And as for Tajani, he's since apologised, saying he never intended to offend women.
