Marlène Schiappa (pictured), 36, made the comments in the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, with women’s magazines following up by asked readers if they too were attracted to intellect
President Macron’s gender equality minister has been mocked in France for claiming to be ‘sapiosexual’ – someone turned on by intelligence.
Marlène Schiappa, 36, made the comments in the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, with women’s magazines following up by asked readers if they too were attracted to intellect.
She was asked about her book Pas Plus de 4 Heures de Sommeil, Not More than 4 Hours’ Sleep, which features a woman who fancies former French prime minister Alain Juppé.
The 73-year-old is seen as one of France’s cleverest politicians following the Second World War.
Ms Schiappa was asked if she too felt ‘Alain Juppé is the sexiest guy in France… she confirms that she is a sapiosexual’, Le Journal du Dimanche published.
A quiz was held by the daily Le Figaro to see if the French could identify other unusual erotic terms including ‘blandices’, flattery used for seduction, and ‘knismolagnie’, arousal through tickling.
Experts were also asked to predict the percentage of Frenchmen and women who were turned on by intelligence.
Ms Schiappa (right and left with husband Cédric Bruguière) was asked about her book Pas Plus de 4 Heures de Sommeil, Not More than 4 Hours’ Sleep, which features a woman who fancies former French prime minister Alain Juppé
The only evidence available for this was through an Australian study which found between 1 and 8 per cent of a group of 383 were sapiosexuals, according to the Times.
Others in the research may have been attracted to a higher IQ, but extreme intelligence was not sort after.
Ms Schiappa’s comments drew a fierce response from critics on social media.
Jean-Yves Narquin, 69, the far-right National Rally mayor of Villedieu-le-Château in central France, joked about scenes from her sometimes graphic novels.
But his comments were dubbed ‘ignoble and obscene’ by 72-year-old former health Roselyne Bachelot, who is his sister.
Her husband, human resources expert Cédric Bruguière (pictured right), 41, who she met at a consultancy firm when she was 19, seemed less bothered by her admission
Ms Schiappa quoted French feminist author Simone de Beauvoir in her reply, saying: ‘There is nothing more aggressive towards women than a man worried about his virility.’
Historian Benoît Rayski, 81, hit out at the politician on the right-wing website Atlantico, laughing at her for being ‘someone excited by intelligence and not by a torso or chest muscles. Bodybuilders should abstain.
‘Sapiosexuals like her are attracted by men of prodigious intelligence. There is nothing like an exceptional intelligence to get you to seventh heaven. Alain Juppé is by this criterion very desirable.’
Ms Schiappa has been defended by some as addressing a subject she did not want brought up, but others have claimed she is happy for publicity.
But her comments also brought fears she may have upset the French cabinet, which is trying to shake off the idea it is removed from normal people after the yellow vest protests.
It led to claims Ms Schiappa was out of touch with the parliamentary message in her description of herself.
Yet her husband, human resources expert Cédric Bruguière, 41, who she met at a consultancy firm when she was 19, seemed less bothered by her admission.
She told Paris Match last week when she met Mr Bruguière for a job interview she told him to get his own glass of water ‘because I was busy’.
Ms Schiappa said she never wanted to be a traditional housewife, adding that she says she is ‘a member of the government of world’s fifth most powerful country’ when she does not want to wash up.