Robin Givhan, The Washington Post fashion critic whose Sunday column critiquing Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan's appearance -- from her clothes to her sitting position -- received sharp criticism, told Media Matters that she stands by the piece.

Givhan wrote Sunday that Kagan “put on rouge and lipstick for the formal White House announcement of her nomination, but mostly she embraced dowdy as a mark of brainpower. She walked with authority and stood up straight during her visits to the Hill, but once seated and settled during audiences with senators, she didn't bother maintaining an image of poised perfection. She sat hunched over. She sat with her legs ajar.”

Givhan then went on to claim that Kagan does not cross her legs, providing a recent photo of the nominee in that position. Media Matters countered the charge with a string of photos of Kagan in the crossed-leg position.

Asked today about some of the criticism of her piece, ranging from the incorrect assertion of Kagan's leg crossing to the sexism of criticizing Kagan's appearance, Givhan sent me the following e-mail:

I appreciate your asking, but I think the column speaks for itself. I've responded as best I could to readers who e-mailed directly. I have not been studious in following the internet conversation.

As for being sexist...I don't think writing about a woman's appearance in the public sphere is inherently sexist. And yes, I've written about both Alito and Roberts. How quickly people forget.