Lawyer who publically shamed law partner on Linkedin Post Reply

[dudette]

He didn't say she was stunning, he said the photo was stunning, which is actually a different thing. It's complimenting the photographer, not her. I put a photo of myself on Facebook recently which elicited comments such as 'stunning', 'gorgeous' etc but I didn't take it as a compliment on my looks but the quality of the photo, lighting etc which made me look considerably better than I actually am. A lot of people put rubbish profile pictures in LinkedIn so a good one stands out and having seen other photos of her not looking as good I tend to agree with him that it was a stunning photo - but she isn't. I'm sure there is plenty of casual sexism in the legal profession but to me this feels like she was just waiting for the opportunity for a bit of self promotion as a feminist and he just happened to press the button at the right time. As she's been outed as having made similar comments about other people's photos on Facebook I don't think she has a leg to stand on.

[Doman]

I don't think she overreacted at all. It's downright creepy for one professional to comment on another's appearance on LinkedIn. It's not Tinder.

The real sexism has started since she outed him. The Telegraph published an article about how she sent a nasty email to her grandmother ... what has that got to do with anything? It simply reinforces the message that women who dare to speak out will be pilloried and shamed.

I think that more of us should stand up to this kind of sexist crap.

[liverbird in london]

I'm completely with dudette on this one. He complimented her photo - he didn't say "wow, you're stunning, when can we have a date?". He just said it was a stunning photo, inferring that it stood out amongst the very many plain corporate shots that populate the linked in website.

And I don't think you have to have a daughter and a husband who is a lawyer (I have both by the way, mine doesn't practise in a "magic circle firm", but I hope that doesn't make his opinion any less valid) to think her decision to publicly shame the man was completely over the top. She could have quietly rebuked him and left it at that.

Last week a security personnel in one of the big brand supermarkets told me I had a lovely smile. I could be wrong, but I doubt he would have made that same comment to my husband. What was my reaction to this unexpected compliment - did I spend the rest of my day thinking how utterly inappropriate it was that a woman can't go about her shopping without having it interrupted by an inane comment from someone who had no right to comment on her facial expression. No, I just said "thank you" and picked up my milk and loaf of bread and went on my way.

I hope that my daughter (who I think is stunning ) will grow up with the good grace to accept a compliment, allow a man to hold the door open for her, and have the confidence to rebuke any unwanted attention in an appropriate manner.

[WhiteKnight]

I couldn't agree with you more Mingomufit!

[Googiesmum]

I think she was completely in her right to respond in the manner she did if she felt uncomfortable with it. Everyday sexism is all around us and it is completely in her rights as a woman to do what she sees is right. The fact she has been so vilified for responding - and I don't for one second believe she did it to 'raise her profile' (how would this help her progress professionally in such a male dominated profession?!) - says it all.

There are many different sides to feminism and we don't all have to agree on what is sexist or not - surely the test is whether you yourself feel comfortable with it.

Personally I would have found such a comment creepy and repellent, especially because it was made on LinkedIn which is meant to be a professional platform, not a dating web site. I would quite happily accept a compliment on my smile, but I would not be happy if I was 'complimented' by a stranger for having nice boobs or wolf whistled on the street - because these things make me feel uncomfortable.

[Earlsfield mummy]

It might seem like an overreaction taken out of context but I can testify that the world of a City Lawyer is one that is fraught with sexism. Time and time again, I've seen female friends told that they won't be able to do the job once they have kids and managed out once they return to work. A total resistance to part time working and working from home doesn't help either. If you look at the stats on women dropping out of the profession, its frankly appalling. I think the reaction (which I accept seems a bit extreme) has to be judged in the light of that environment, which can be very difficult to understand if you are not in that world.

[liverbird in london]

The reason why this individual has been vilified is not because she rebuked him. No one is denying her right to do that. She is being "vilified" because she decided to go public with his name. It is the latter that I think a lot of people feel uncomfortable with.

I worked in the City in a male-dominated sector for some 15 years so I know all about the unfairness that goes hand-in-hand with working in that environment. And I've experienced first-hand how one can suddenly become "persona non grata" as soon as you announce that you're pregnant.

But for the sake of gender fairness, I would say that it's not just the old male dinosaurs who can be obstructive... Having discussed the topic amongst friends, it was often the child-free, career-driven power women in our firms who were the least accommodating to us working mums trying to juggle a career and family. But that's a whole other debate