SYRIZA MP Elena Akritha has launched a sharp critique of Communist Party (KKE) MP Liana Kaneli, following Kaneli’s controversial comparison of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to “menopause pills.” Akritha dismantled the remark, arguing that even though it targets a male politician, it remains deeply sexist — because the insult relies on devaluing a biological experience exclusive to women.
A Patriarchal Logic in Disguise
“This so-called ‘witticism’ reproduces the oldest and most toxic patriarchal logic: if I associate you with something feminine, I diminish you,” Akritha stated pointedly. She stressed that the very premise of the comparison assumes femininity is inferior — something worthy of mockery.
When Gendered Language Equals Diminishment
Akritha cited the derogatory term “gynaikoula” (‘little woman’) as another example, noting that the insult does not lie in who receives it, but in the underlying assumption that being linked to a woman — or to a woman’s bodily experience — is inherently demeaning. “That is where the real core of misogyny lies,” she emphasized, making it clear that such language, even in the heat of political debate, is neither humorous nor clever — but rather reinforces harmful stereotypes that devalue women and their lived realities.
Through her intervention, Akritha has reignited the broader conversation about the boundaries of political discourse — insisting that sexism does not change its nature simply because its target is a man.