-By Warner Todd Huston
Forbes has published its world’s most powerful women list and on that list, in the top slot no less, is Michelle Obama, the wife of the President of the United States of America. Along with Obama a few singers and entertainers made the list. It all goes to prove that apparently no one knows what “powerful” means anymore.
On the most powerful list – after Obama at number one — Lady Gaga comes in at seventh place, in ninth singer Beyonce Knowles appears, and bringing up the rear is entertainer Ellen DeGeneres. Oprah Winfrey makes it in as number three.
There is no reason that any of these women (well, I’ll give you Oprah) belong on a “most powerful women” list — or a most powerful anybody list, for that matter.
Michelle Obama has no power at all. She was not elected by the people to anything, she holds no office, and has no real responsibilities past tradition. She is but the wife of an elected official. Sure she has the power, such as it is, to waste millions of the taxpayer’s money on new decorations and lavish trips abroad, but that is not much to qualify for a “powerful” woman. She controls no corporation, guides no country, and has contributed nothing of great worth to mankind.
For her part, Lady Gaga doesn’t even seem to have the power to have people recognize her by her own real name, much less have any actual power to affect the world. It is likely that in a year or two no one will even remember her.
And Beyonce and DeGeneres are but simple entertainers with no redeeming, long-term value from their efforts.
As I said I’ll give you Oprah. Even though she is only an entertainer and entertainers aren’t really consequential people, Oprah could at least qualify for this list. This is because she has used her great success and extreme riches to help many people and have gone some way toward having changed people’s lives. None of the other four have done this at all. They are mere singers and dancers.
But with these four women taking up slots on a most powerful list we can see that people today seem to have lost all touch with just what power truly means. Power is not inducing people to go buy a CD or download an i-tune. Power is the ability to direct great forces, employ great wealth for benevolence or ill, or to direct the actions of nations.
Ellen DeGenerous is not a truly powerful woman. Beyonce may be able to do a nice little dance, but she is not a woman of great influence. And Lady Gaga is most certainly nothing worth notice.
Sadly, this Forbes list is a dumbing down of power for a dumbed down generation.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
For a full bio, please CLICK HERE.
Tsk Tsk…
I understand your perspective on why one may not see Lady Gaga, Degeneres, or Beyonce as the world’s “powerful” women. But, I have to respectively disagree with your perception of power. I will concede that she has direct “power” — but she does have “direct influence” on the perception of women AND for the first time the women of color. Just like Laura and Barbra Bush, their “influence” resonated with women. And, as I recall in the 2008 election cycle people used Michelle Obama as one of the reason to question the electability of Barack Obama. Often stating, “Not only are you electing Obama but also his wife”. I also took note that you did not mention the other women on the list…
So hear are the top 10 power women,
10 Ellen Degeneres, Entertainer
9 Beyonce Bowles, Entertainer
8 Gail Kelly, CEO of Westpac
7 Lady Gaga, Entertainer, Social Activist
6 Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi
5 Hilliary Clinton, US Secretary of State
4 Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
3 Oprah Winfrey, Entertainer, Social Activist
2 Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft foods
1 Michelle Obama, First Lady, Lawyer
Okay, I have to admit when compare to the rest of list, Degeneres, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga are circumspect in the terms of perception of traditional power. Yet, this is not our “daddy’s oldsmobile” either. The editor makes the case of how power is perceived through the use of “sphere of influence” with the advent of the internet, with “tweets,” social networks, and cable. (Yes I roll my eyes too, with Twitter and Facebook, but yet both of us are using them just about everyday … me not so much with Twitter.
I was surprised to see how far down the list Sarah Palinm #16 and Nancy Pelosi #11.
I may agree with you that the one may measure of power has changed. However, unlike Edmund Burke my friend you cannot bury the fact that change is now going much much faster than we may like. And, the perception of power and influence is also shifting as well.
Sorry, this sentence is incorrect “I will concede that she has direct “power” — but she does have “direct influence” on the perception of women AND for the first time the women of color. ”
It should say “I will concede that she has NO direct “power” — but she does have “direct influence” on the perception of women AND for the first time the women of color. “
gksden,
I certainly understand you claim toward Michelle’s “power.” But I just don’t buy it. In fact, if we are to buy that Michelle has real power, then there could never be a top ten list of ANYONE with power because it would really always be a top 5 list. One spot for the person with the real power and one spot for his wife! After all, if Michelle has this so-called power, then every other wife of every other top ten person should make such lists too.
See how ridiculous that would get?
Further it makes of the person with the real power a mere puppet of some woman. It is just as risible to say that the person with the real power has no real control over themselves but are led by their spouse.
Finally, as to this supposed power to influence people… I fully accepted that possibility which is why I did not deny that Oprah can qualify as a powerful person.
But Michelle has no such power. She hasn’t really influenced anyone. Her silly little initiatives paid for with our money have resulted in nothing of any real standing.
I reject wholly that this woman is “powerful.” In fact, I can only think of two first ladies that were ever really that influential and consequential in their own right AS first ladies. Dolly Madison and Jackie Kennedy. Every other first ladies was just a wife. Sure they had some influence over their husbands like all wives do, but to say they were powerful is simply silly.