'Showgirl' Crack Is Berlusconi's Latest Gaffe

Emma Marcegaglia runs Italy’s industrialist association and just might be the country’s most powerful woman. But that didn’t stop Silvio Berlusconi from likening her to a showgirl today, Reuters reports. Speaking to Marcegaglia’s organization, the gaffe-prone Italian premier recalled when “an usher told me a showgirl was there to see me. She was in great form, very elegant.”

Later, at another meeting, Marcegaglia responded, “Frankly, I have nothing against showgirls, but I prefer (to be known as) a serious person, a leader.” Velina, the epithet Berlusconi used to describe Marcegaglia, has become a buzzword for young, attractive women seeking public office. A more common nickname for Marcegaglia, the Times of London adds, is “Steel Lady.” (More Silvio Berlusconi stories.)