After wearing trainers in a video posted online, the Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder was criticised by former State Secretary for Migration and Asylum Theo Francken (N-VA), who accused her of not wearing "appropriate" shoes in her role as head of the Belgian army.
In the Chamber of Representatives on Wednesday, a war of words broke out between the Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and the Flemish nationalist MP Theo Francken over what clothing is deemed 'appropriate' for a member of government to wear.
This comes after Dedonder put out a video on the social media TikTok which saw her sport a pair of white trainers, which did not seem to attract anyone's attention, other than Francken's, who spoke out in parliament.
While commending her efforts to 'attract' young people to join the military, he questioned whether her choice of wearing trainers was befitting of her role as head of the Belgian army, especially given that a war was currently being fought in Europe.
In response, Dedonder criticised Francken's comments and stated that, in her view, the most important is for her to be judged on the actions she has undertaken since being appointed Defence Minister.
Translation of tweet: "When certain male politicians still judge a woman's ability on their outfits… In trainers or in heels, I remain true to myself, a woman of conviction. No offence to those who disagree."
However, Francken did not stop there and, in multiple tweets, refuted any allegations of sexism.
Furthermore, he asked Dedonder to learn Dutch, as she had answered his remark in her native French, and also told her that TikTok was a propaganda tool of the Chinese State.
