Ada Colau was the protagonist of an awkward moment during her participation in an event organized by Diari de Barcelona, in which journalism students from Pompeu Fabra University also took part. In the round of questions from the students, a young women asked the Barcelona mayor about the change in hwo she dressed in the seven years since she arrived in Plaça Sant Jaume from a background in activism. It was a matter that did not please Colau at all. "The first images of Ada in her political journey were with more political shirts that conveyed the ideas she had. If the clothes are now more formal, does it perhaps reflect a moderation of ideas or a political maturity?", asked the student, an issue that bothered the mayor who is seeking a third term in next year's municipal elections.
"I understand the intention of the question, but I'm not very happy that a woman asks me about the way I dress and I won't answer, honestly". This was Ada Colau's curt response, without a moment's hesitation. "Asking about how I dress and categorizing how I dress is out of place. I dress however I want, basically," she insisted. Although it was an event with students, called "Vermuts del Diari", the mayor did not hesitate to deliver a good telling off. In fact, the response took everyone present by surprise, especially the young woman who had asked the question, who was overwhelmed by the situation and couldn't help but shed tears. At the end of the event, Colau approached the student, who, as they explained at the event, is interested in the fashion world and had framed her question on that basis. The Barcelona en Comú leader apologized for being so impulsive, according to those present at the event.
The discordant question
One of the other journalists taking part in the debate with the mayor at the UPF Communication Faculty explained how the situation was experienced by those at the scene, making it clear that those who heard the question asked understood that it was not so much about the mayor's dress style but about her political journey, with the clothes only as the point of departure. However, she believed that the mayor, who has been criticized on other occasions for the way she dresses beyond her decisions at the head of the city council, did not like the way the question was posed. In addition, another student sought to clarify the question, since the woman who had put the question was visibly affected, and explained that the question did not refer to the clothes themselves, but to them as a manner of political expression. At the end of the event, marked by this moment of tension, the mayor herself addressed the student, to whom she acknowledged that she had been too impulsive and apologized.