SILVIO Berlusconi's cutting remark about a matronly female rival's looks has stirred a rare public backlash from thousands of Italian women, who had largely kept silent about the prime minister's womanising and sex scandals.
About 97,000 have signed the "Women offended by the premier" appeal, after he told the bespectacled left-winger Rosy Bindi she was
"more beautiful than intelligent", in a swipe at both her looks and brains.
Since then, Facebook sites offerin
g solidarity have sprung up, protests have been held in towns such as Reggio Emilia, while Ms Bindi's reply – "I'm not a woman at your disposal" – now graces T-shirts and placards.
Senator Patrizia Bugnano said: "Someone tell Berlusconi he's no George Clooney. It is offensive that he always refers to women in aesthetic terms."
The left-leaning La Repubblica newspaper has publicised the campaign, a rare example of a feminist initiative against Mr Berlusconi gaining momentum.
Ms Bindi said it signalled a "new feminism" taking root in Italy, where Mr Berlusconi's quips about women being "God's most beautiful gift to men" and Italy being "homeland of great lovers, Casanovas and playboys" are usually met with indifference. However, pollsters say the feminist backlash will do little to lower Mr Berlusconi's support among conservative women, without a credible political challenge.
"Mr Berlusconi has not changed his approach to women, and it's not the first time he has made such comments about women," said pollster Maurizio Pessato. "It's likely that some of the women already against him were spurred into action as the remark was so harsh, but others are used to this. We're in the phase where those supporting him continue to do so, and those against him are markedly so."
Another pollster, Luigi Crespi, said some female Berlusconi supporters might be disillusioned, but not enough to switch sides.
In a country where few batted an eyelid when former showgirl Mara Carfagna became equality minister and scantily clad women are the TV mainstay, especially on channels owned by Mr Berlusconi, his comments had triggered little outrage.
The only concerted feminist protest Mr Berlusconi faced while battling charges of an improper relationship with a teenager and parties with prostitutes was a failed bid by four academics to have leaders' wives boycott the G8 summit in Italy.
But the insult hurled at Ms Bindi during a talk show just after a court stripped Mr Berlusconi of immunity from prosecution opened the floodgates.
Writer Barbara Spinelli, and academics Nadia Urbinati and Michela Marzano wrote: "We protest against this cretinisation of women, democracy and politics. This man offends women and democracy. Let's stop him."
More than 3,000 women sent in their photos superimposed with phrases like "Women offended by a man wearing foundation cream" or "We are not your concubines", says La Repubblica, which dedicates a page daily to new signatures and photos. A Facebook site offering Ms Bindi solidarity now has 2,000 members, while women ranging from journalists to actresses and model Michelle Hunziker have rallied to her defence.
Even Mr Berlusconi's youth affairs minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she regretted his remark.
For his part, Mr Berlusconi has offered a half-hearted apology and brushed it off as a "joke".
This is not his first jab at Ms Bindi's looks. Criticised by his wife for fielding pretty women for the European elections, Mr Berlusconi complained: "What's wrong if they're pretty? We can't field all Rosy Bindis."
