Iron Lady
Iron Lady is a nickname that has frequently been used to describe female heads of government around the world. The term describes a "strong willed" woman. This iron metaphor was first and most famously applied to Margaret Thatcher, and was coined by Captain Yuri Gavrilov in 1976 in the Soviet newspaper Red Star, for her staunch opposition to the Soviet Union and communism.[1]
Use in politics
Leaders who have earned the unofficial title (some of them postfactum) include:
- Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India from 1966–77 and again from 1980-84.[citation needed]
- Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 (leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990)[2] The phrase was coined by military journalist Captain Yuri Gavrilov in the Soviet newspaper Red Star on 24 January 1976. The nickname stuck firmly behind Thatcher. The 2011 feature film The Iron Lady is a biography of her.
- Barbara Castle, a prominent British Labour Party politician, whose active political career spanned over 40 years.[3]
- Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974[4]
- Biljana Plavsic, the President and Vice-President of Republic of Srpska, and member of presidency of Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina active from 1990-2000 is known as "The Serbian Iron Lady"[5]
- Manuela Ferreira Leite, the Portuguese Minister of Education during Cavaco Silva's cabinet between 1993 and 1995, Minister of State and Finances during Durão Barroso cabinet between 6 April 2002 and 2004, and leader of the Portuguese PSD party between 2008 and 2010, was known as the "Portuguese Iron Lady", due to her alleged excessive politics of contention[6]
- Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2007 to 2010 (and in 2005)[7][8]
- Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme since 2009[9]
- Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil[10] since 2011
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of Liberia since 2006[11]
- Dalia Grybauskaitė, the President of Lithuania since 2009[12]
- Mary McAleese, President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011[citation needed]
- Natalia Petkevich, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Belarus since 2009[13]
- Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany since 2005
Politicians with similar names or variants
Some female politicians have been given similar nicknames:
- Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Competition, referred to as the "Iron Lady of Antitrust" or "Steely Neelie"[14]
- The Iron (or Steel) Butterfly is a nickname of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos.[15]
- Iron Rita is a nickname of former Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk[16][17]
- Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was given the nickname "Titanium Lady", playing on some of her similarities with Thatcher.[18]
- In response to Manuela Ferreira Leite's nickname "Dama de Ferro Portuguesa" (Portuguese Iron Lady), her opponents and critics ironically started referring to her as "Dama de Latão" (Yellow brass Lady) and popularising the term.[citation needed]
Other uses
"The Iron Lady" ("la dame de fer") is a popular Parisian nickname for the Eiffel Tower.[citation needed]
"Iron Lady of the Seas", a 1984 video, and Iron Lady at Sea, a 1988 book, are about Star of India, the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship afloat launched in 1863.[19]
Iron Lady is also the title of a song by Phil Ochs. In this song, the Iron Lady is a metaphor for the electric chair. This song was also performed by Diamanda Galás on her live album Malediction & Prayer in dedication to Aileen Wuornos.
Iron Lady is a Warcraft III LAN gaming competition held since 2007 by SteelSeries and aimed at female Chinese players.[citation needed]
Iron Lady is the title of a 1980 comedy audio album lampooning UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, written by satirist John Wells, featuring noted Thatcher impersonator Janet Brown, produced by Martin Lewis. The album consisted of skits and songs including a song also titled Iron Lady [20]
The Iron Lady ("La Dama de la Hierro") is the nickname of American-Mexican singer Marisela.
See also
- Persephone, called the "Iron Queen"
- Iron maiden, for other uses of this similar term
- Iron maiden, for the torture device
External links
References
- ^ Speech at Kensington Town Hall ("Britain Awake") (The Iron Lady), Margaret Thatcher Foundation archives
- ^ "Britain Awake". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ U.K. loses its first Iron Lady By Hasan Suroor (The Hindu) May 5, 2002
- ^ Butt, Gerald (1998-04-21). "Golda Meir". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Biljana Plavsic: Serbian iron lady". BBC News 27 February, 2003
- ^ "PROFILE: Manuela Ferreira Leite, Portugal's 'Iron Lady'". www.earthtimes.org. 2009-09-23.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); External link in|deadurl=|url=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Ukraine's Iron Lady, Time Magazine (January 30, 2005)
- ^ Ukraine's Iron Lady provokes rift, The Guardian (July 3, 2005)
- ^ "Iron lady Helen Clark has steel for global challenge". Stuff.co.nz. 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ "Brazil: 'Iron Lady' Is New Chief Of Staff". The New York Times. June 22, 2005. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Missing pipe in:|first=(help) - ^ "Liberia's 'Iron Lady' claims win". BBC. 2005-11-11. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
- ^ Lithuania elects first female president ABC News Dalia Grybauskaite: Lithuania’s ‘Iron Lady’. Khaleej Times.
- ^ "The Successor of Lukashenko could be the "Iron Lady" of Belarus - Natalia Petkevich". newsru.com. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ^ Riley, Alan (2009-12-03). "The legacy of the Iron Lady of Antitrust". European Voice. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ Rowan, Roy (1976-03-29). "Orchid or Iron Butterfly, Imelda Marcos Is a Prime Mover in Manila". People Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
- ^ van Egmond, Joost (2006-07-02). "Iron Rita Loses Her Mettle". Time. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
- ^ van de Pol, Jurjen (2008-04-03). "'Iron Rita' Starts New Dutch Political Party After Wilders Film". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
- ^ Federation of American Scientists. NATO-List: USIA - Albright Foreign Media Reaction: "Titanium Lady Shows Her Mettle In Moscow" The conservative Daily Telegraph pointed out (February 21, 1997)
- ^ Star of India: Iron Lady of the Seas (PBS video)
- ^ Iron Lady by Janet Brown