Finding the Next Hillary

The total number shot from 9 to 11 just last week

(NEWSER) - Two women—Mari Kiviniemi in Finland and Julia Gillard in Australia—became heads of state last week, bringing the total number of female world leaders to 11. Vanity Fair introduces all of them; meet a few in the gallery, or for the complete slideshow, click here . More»

This is not a good development for female politicians

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton proved in 2008 that a serious female politician can have a "wow factor," writes Gail Collins. Clinton's transformation "from a perfectly-fine-but-slightly-boring presidential candidate to a really terrific campaigner" came too late to save her own bid for high office, but it gave Collins hope for the next wave of women in politics. Then she watched the Sarah Palin-Michele Bachmann rally in Minnesota and lost that hope. More»

Media portrayal of women politicians is unfair, says Maverick Junior

(NEWSER) - Women in politics are suffering from a "Goldilocks Syndrome" at the hands of a misogynist media: With Hillary Clinton deemed "too hard" for not paying attention to fashion and beauty, and Sarah Palin "too soft" for doing just that, what woman will possibly be deemed "just right?" asks Meghan McCain in her Daily Beast column. But it's not just this generation of female politicians that will suffer: With treatment like this on both the left and the right, "why would any woman my age ever feel inspired to run for office?" More»

Focus on appearance is dragging down both politics and journalism

(NEWSER) - Remarks like Tina Brown's recent crack on MSNBC that Hillary Clinton "needs to get back in the gym," are dragging public debate down to a high-school level, Chloe Angyal writes at SpliceToday. Nobody's looking too hard at the waistline of male politicians or diplomats, Angyal notes, but journalists—especially female ones—can't resist bitchy attacks on women's bodies and clothes. More»

(NEWSER) - Just in time for back-to-school shopping, the first family’s puppy will star in his own comic book, MTV reports. Puppy Power: Bo Obama, due out in September, will offer what the publisher calls an “insider’s look at the White House.” In the works from the same company are “Political Power” and “Female Force” titles, including books about humans such as the president, the first lady, and the secretary of state. More»