Sanna Marin may not have been subject to the same media scrutiny, following the emergence of a video showing her partying with friends, had she been a man a columnist has claimed.
Writing in The Times, Charlie Gowans-Eglinton argued if the Finnish PM was a member of the opposite sex and was pictured dancing with a male friend, the world's media would not be quite as interested.
"If the Finnish prime minister were a man, swaying arm in arm with a male friend, I doubt it would be such big news", she said.
Ms Gowans-Eglinton also suggested the 36-year-old's socialising wouldn't have aroused the concern of the world's editors, columnists and pundits if she was "worse looking."
Ms Marin confirmed she would take a drug test after the clip went viral
Reuters
"... perhaps if the Finnish PM were worse looking — or the friend in question were not a beauty queen [the media would be less outraged].
"No laws were broken, but there are laws and then there’s the court of public opinion. And Marin has definitely crossed a line there: she’s too sexy for her (white collar) shirt."
Ms Gowans-Eglinton's defence comes in response to video clips of Ms Marin at a party with Finnish celebrities, which emerged last week.
On Thursday, the mother-of-one said she was upset that the videos had been published online as they were meant to be seen only by friends.
Ms Marin, who became the world's youngest serving government leader in December 2019, confirmed on Friday that she would be taking a drug test.
Defending her actions, she said: "I haven't used drugs, I haven't used anything other than alcohol.
"I have nothing to conceal or hide, and I haven't done anything illegal.
"These are private videos and are not intended for the public.
"I'm still going to be friends with my friends."
She said she had never taken drugs and that she had not seen anyone doing so at the party she attended.
The tests came back negative but some journalists in Finland said only a hair sample would be definitive.
