Grace Dent
The top 100 editions of all glossy magazine are designed to prod buttons, I know this.Forbes released a tally of The World’s Most Powerful Women with Michelle Obama as the winner, my gums began to retract.Forbes made many curious decisions along the way. Lady Gaga, for example, sat 11 places above Sonia Sotomayor, America’s first Hispanic Supreme Court judge. Sotomayor spent this year transforming judicial thought on the “right to remain silent”, while Gaga was probably dancing about a stadium hooting: “Woo! Leetle monsterz. Female empowerment!”Forbes think Michelle is more powerful than Janet Napolitano, head of United States Homeland Security, because she gets to go to bed with Barack, while poor Janet just gets to protect the entire country?
Yet when respected business magazine
Clearly,
This sort of irony is par for the course in list-land.
But Michelle Obama as No 1 — sorry?
Apparently, she beats every woman on the board of major corporations, every political leader and even every high-rolling one woman entertainment conglomerate on the planet for her role of being “within pillowtalk range of her husband the President”.
“Michelle is a forceful advocate of school nutritional standards,” said the blurb beneath her name, typed in, clearly, by some poor bugger who then emailed the editorial team saying: “What: Michelle Obama No 1? Isn’t Indra Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo, making more of an impact on the world? Come on!”
Don’t get me wrong. I like Michelle Obama. She seems a charming human being. If people want to festoon trophies upon her for being “caring”, “motherly” or having attractively toned arms in designer dresses, be my guest. But powerful ... why?
Does
Apparently, Michelle Obama is also more powerful than German chancellor Angela Merkel — but then, sad sap Angela is only lobbying for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, while Michelle ... well, Michelle has the real power. The US President plainly couldn’t get up in the morning if he didn’t have her sunshine smile and the promise of her unconditional love. Yes, I feel sick, too.Forbes when it places Michelle Obama above Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the US House of Representatives (making her, when elected in 2007, the highest-ranking woman in US political history). They’re clearly implying that women with whom men are smitten can have a skulduggerous and manipulative influence.Forbes is saying, she could be Lady Macbeth, whispering in Barack’s ear of plunder and the means whereby he may soonest accomplish it. Just one word whispered after she has accidentally sat on the remote control and caught 10 minutes of Al Jazeera, and America will be in Iran, pulling down statues.Forbes’ reasoning is to be believed, then the most powerful woman in the world is actually Liu Yongqing, wife of Chinese President Hu Jintao.
The Guardian
It is, of course, a backwards notion that being on the arm of a powerful man raises a woman’s stock more than her own personal achievement ever could, but in Britain we’re just as bad.
And so, we give the message to young girls that it’s better to be an accoutrement to a man with a skill, than actually to be skilful.
I don’t have a daughter, so I don’t know how you tackle the question: “But Mummy, why hasn’t Coleen split up with Wayne (Rooney) if the paper thinks he likes to go to bed with other girls?” But Aunty Grace’s answer would be: “Well, Coleen’s entire media value comes from being connected to him, so she probably knows that if she leaves him she’ll be absolutely shafted.”
I do, however, think there’s a sneakier, misogynistic message at play by
Oh yes, Michelle may look harmless in her silk Maria Pinto dress with her strong views on lunchbox nutrition — but behind closed doors,
Back in the real world, I have no power over anything my husband decides in his business. I’m here for him to talk to, of course, as I’m sure Michelle is for Barack. But with regard to the outcome, I have absolutely no power. Why would I? I don’t work there.
Anyway, if
But they were never going to make her No 1 and put her on any magazine covers. She hasn’t even got nice arms.
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