Power Hungry

The BBC’s Women’s Hour released their 100 Most Powerful Women in the UK List earlier this week. Now most people have issues with who is in the No.1 spot but to be honest, I don’t really know or much mind about how powerful Her Royal Majesty really is. I’m sure that the critics are right and that she doesn’t actually have much say in the goings on of the 16 countries she is theoretically in charge of but that, to me, is by the by. What I am more interested in…. let me re-phrase that… What I am more bothered about are some of the women who have somehow become powerful through means that are much less beneficial to humankind.

Maybe I should start with the word power before I get to my botherings with some of the listed women. I LOVE the idea of promoting and publicising the work of most of the people who have been listed. There are scientists, writers, politicians, activists and women from all backgrounds and walks of life. The initial idea of this power list is to show the reader who has made change for the good through whatever means they had at their disposal. That is my opinion, of course I have no idea what the BBC and Women’s Hour intended by their power list. If I were to do a list I might do “100 most Important/Influential/Useful/Amazing Women in the UK”.

My list would certainly include the majority already chosen. I mean this truthfully and earnestly when I say that Women’s Hour have done a great job in recognising so many incredible people in such a vast array of careers, but a few of the chosen ones I would rather not promote with public compliments. A multi-billionaire who started an online gambling empire, a chief executive of a global Tobacco company, an unfeasibly annoying celebrity who recently donated her middle son of 10 to a fashion house as a child model (I don’t have issue with child models but seriously… Vogue isn’t a place for 10 year old boys). How can these women be on the same list as some who have spent their lives dedicated to helping vulnerable children, or developed medical research that could save lives, or the eloquence and bravery of the first openly gay poet laureate.

The women who have done so much for what they believe in to be good and stuck to their guns deserve the praise, not No.23, No.42 or No.96 (my subtle way of letting you all know who I mean).

There was one who stood out for me as very interesting and gave me hope. Clare Foges (pictured left) is one of the youngest on the list, her master degree in Poetry and a CV that reads of working from an Ice Cream Van is now dubbed “The Prime Minister’s Larynx”. Now there is an out of the ordinary woman. In fact, there are lots of unusual women who are given the title of powerful in this 100. The common theme is rich and white which is disappointing, but again, what do I personally want from this list and the meaning of “Power”? I would have hoped that less than 92% were white, and less than 50% were from impossibly wealthy families.

What I wanted from this list was influential and inspiring, and what I got was Powerful. Point taken.