Taylor Swift was recently named the fifth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, drawing on her billionaire status—she currently has a net worth of $1.1 billion—and her incredible influence across the world for their choice. Her Eras Tour and concert film have crept into every corner of the Earth, with Swifties coming out of the woodwork to support her in her endeavors.
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Who ranks above Taylor Swift, though? Who is the most powerful woman of all powerful women? The Ultra-Woman, so to speak. As a hint, mostly political women hold the top spots, and have all made history as the first women in their selected appointments. Their politics may differ dramatically in some cases, but there’s no denying they have achieved greatness in their field. Here are the women who took the top spots on the Forbes list of Most Powerful Women of the Year 2023.
At number four, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, made history in 2022 as the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister there. She has attempted to stabilize Italy’s political foundations but has also been involved in neo-fascist movements since she was 15, currently also sitting as the president of the ultra-conservative group Brothers of Italy.
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Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, comes in at number three. In 2021 she made history as well, as the first Black and Indian-American person and first woman to become Vice President of the U.S. She has reached a lot of milestones in her career, as the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the Senate in 2016, as the first woman and Person of Color to serve as California’s Attorney General, and the first graduate of a historically Black college to become VP of the U.S.
Next up at number two, Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. In 2019, she became the first woman to hold the position, and from 2011 to 2019 was head of the International Monetary Fund, which works to promote the economic stability of the global monetary system, according to Forbes. She has also boldly called for gender reform in the male-dominated financial world.
Finally, at number one, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. As the first woman to head the executive branch of the European Union, she is in charge of the legislature which affects more than 450 million Europeans. She also served the longest tenure in Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel’s cabinet, lasting from 2005 to 2019 when she was then appointed Commission President. She was also behind a 750 billion euro COVID-19 relief bill in 2020, which significantly benefitted Europeans during lockdown.
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