“I like my girls chubby.” And other comments male colleagues made to Senator Gillibrand about her body

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand decided to give us a little taste of some of the comments about her body that she’s received from her colleagues — who are, might I remind you, elected officials given the privilege of representing the people in our great nation’s governing legislative body — during her tenure. An interview with People, along with some additional examples from her new book, reveals these gems:

“Good thing you’re working out, because you wouldn’t want to get porky!” – an older male colleague

“You know, Kirsten, you’re even pretty when you’re fat.” – a Southern member of Congress, while holding her arm

“When I first met you in 2006 you were beautiful, a breath of fresh air. To win [the special election], you need to be beautiful again.” – a labor leader

“Don’t lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby.” – one of her favorite members, while squeezing her waist

Gillibrand, who unfortunately doesn’t name and shame the commenters, mostly brushes them off in the way that so many people brush off sexist comments by old dudes. “It was all statements that were being made by men who were well into their 60s, 70s or 80s,” she says. “They had no clue that those are inappropriate things to say to a pregnant woman or a woman who just had a baby or to women in general.” That may well be, but as Amanda Marcotte notes, “it doesn’t really matter if the harasser is a jerk or a fool. This behavior is still unacceptable.”

Hopefully, though, these geezers will be replaced by younger, more egalitarian male lawmakers and — here’s a thought! — some women soon enough. In the meantime, if they’re interested in keeping up with the times — and avoiding being that great-uncle who is patiently humored at family reunions — Annie Lowrey has a helpful flowchart to determine when it is appropriate to make comments about a colleague’s body.

Maya Dusenbery is an Executive Director of Feministing.