Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady hit cinema screens in the UK this week, to wildly mixed public reaction. Many have expressed disbelief at the ensuing veneration of a woman who was mostly despised by a generation of milk-deprived schoolchildren, as TV shows and magazines promote the former PM as a style icon, some even going as far as to run 'Margaret Thatcher: get the look!' fashion features.
As a child of the 80s, this does all seem a touch bizarre. Are our memories really that short? To anyone who lived through the Thatcher government and has any sort of a memory, the very idea of wanting to emulate Maggie's style seems nothing short of absurd.
But political leanings aside, there is no doubting the importance of Thatcher's role: not only as the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as the first female leader of any major political party.
It's a milestone that cannot be overlooked by cinematic history, but let's remember the significant aspects of Thatcher's time in office: her implementation of some of the most strictly conservative policies this country has seen and what that meant for Britain before we decide whether or not to emulate her style, much as some of those handbags are coming back in style...
