A comparison of the Leader image of Merkel and Thatcher

Francine Carron

Merkel:

• Born in Hamburg grew up in East Germany• Daughter of Protestant Pastor • Married twice no children• Studied Physics and worked at Academy of Sciences in East Germany• Rose to power via party promotion• In 1990 Minister of Women & Youth• In 1994 Minister for the Environment • In 2000 leader of CDU• In 2005 1st Female Chancellor • Became leader in economic turmoil• Only woman in G8, only female head of state in EU and NATO

Thatcher:

• Born Margaret, Hilda Roberts• Daughter of Grocer who was active in local politcs• Married with 2 children, twins (Mark & Carol)• Studied Chemistry and Law worked•Rose to power via party promotion•1970-74: Secretary of State for Education •1975 leader of conservative party•1979 PM re-elected in 1983 & 1987• 1st Female Prime Minister• Became leader in economic turmoil• Only woman in G8, only female head of state in EU and NATO

Background of Merkel and Thatcher

Physical Appearance of Merkel and Thatcher (1) Merkel Before:

• No make up• No nice clothes• Hairstyle not modern • “More in common with a sandal wearing member of the green party than that of a leader of the center right party”• Didn’t’ care about looks• Didn’t understand the power of image in politics• Political decision making prevails over looks• Was forced to have a make over• Celebrity stylist Udo Walz• “Important to transform her gradually not to inspire ridicule”

Merkel After:

• More stylish haircut• Well put together clothes • Power dressing • Pantsuits with low shoes• Bright colored Jackets

Physical Appearance of Merkel and Thatcher (2)

Physical Appearance of Merkel and Thatcher (4) Thatcher Before:

• Image was not a big issue• Understood quickly the power and importance of image • Old fashioned skirts• Pseudo – upper class accent • Hired a friend as fashion consultant • Took speech classes from public relations advisor Gordon Reece and Millar

Thatcher After:

• Dyed her hair very blonde• Accentuated huskiness in the voice and removed the accent•Power dressing • Feminine suits with matching jewelry, black sexy nylons and high heeled shoesMatched with a heavy purse• Always smiles in a picture• Always looked impeccable and thought it was one’s responsibility to look polished• “She would have had a facelift if she lived in America”• Wore Victorian shawls to cover up wrinkled neck when getting old

Physical Appearance of Merkel and Thatcher (5)

Personalities of Merkel and Thatcher (1)

Leadership is a function of personality.

Important aspects of leadership are to have vision, values, will power, timing and the ability to prioritize

Personalities of Merkel and Thatcher (2) Merkel :

• Extremely flexible, smart and tough• Scientific approach to politics• No nonsense• VISION: Observes, analyzes and plans- strategic thinker• WILLPOWER: Very disciplined, Very determined, Took career one step at a time• TIMING: Well developed scene for timing, always waits until the moment is right, makes use of every opportunity • PRIORITIZE: Election Campaign of 2005• VALUES: 0•Score : 4/5•MASCULINE STYLE: She learned from her the men’s mistakes and copied their smart strategies

Thatcher:

•Strong leader , conviction leadership•Quick mind, faster mouth• Straightforward• VISION: Ideas about strong economic reform • WILLPOWER: Get the job done, thatcherism • TIMING: Every moment is the right moment – direct to the point, focus on fast, quick and good results•PRIORITIZE: Tackled first the important problems• VALUES: Morality, Methodist thinking•Score: 5/5 •MASCULINE STYLE: “If you lead a country like Britain, a strong country, a country which was has taken a lead in world affairs in good times and in bad, a country that is always reliable, then you have a touch of iron about you”.

The Gender aspect of Merkel and Thatcher’s Political ImageEllen Johnson Sirleaf: President of Liberia

Tansu Giller: Turkey 1st female PM “ Iron Lady” Golda Meier: Israel’s 1st female PM

• Female leaders invoke masculine styles • Easier acceptance of Margaret Thatcher as 1st female PM then Angela Merkel (UK – history of reigning queens) • Eagly’s experiment: The Image Labels of Women

LABEL A: nice & warm but incompetent LABEL B: competent but unpleasant Leaders labeled A cannot be leaders.

• Merkel was labeled A before she became Chancellor. In 1990 she was regarded as “naive and harmless”, the media used to call her “the girl” , “das maidchen”. • As Chancellor she received the B label- “old witch”, “Iron Frau”• Thatcher always had the B label as she was from the beginning very confrontential• Thatcher and Merkel rose to power through party promotion:

• 38 female PM and 27 female Presidents• Studies of Whicker and Isaacs: The success of women obtaining ministerial =bypass the public• The Public does not vote for women

Conclusion

• Marketing of politics means the reduction of politics to marketable images. • Voters rarely know or meet the candidate- they are the mediated images of

them.• Leader image includes: physical appearance and personality. (Personality

includes leadership treats. )• Thatcher is the historical example of the personalization of politics. • Politicians that believe in policy above appearance are also obliged to adapt

their looks to be accepted amongst the public .• In Western society today image prevails above decision making. • Powerful female politicians have it harder with the concept of image then

men. They need to be intelligent and beautiful at the same time. When female politicians wear the wrong outfit they are immediately treated with disrespect in the media.

• Merkel and Thatcher are only compared because they are women in a man’s world. In reality Thatcher has much more in common with Ronald Reagan, they were literally soul mates.