From Marie Antoinette to modern politics: How propaganda still targets women leaders
Centuries after Marie Antoinette's execution, women in leadership still face many of the same challenges. False claims and personal attacks have long been used to undermine their authority. Today, disinformation and manipulated images continue to damage their credibility—just as scandalous pamphlets once did to the French queen.
Marie Antoinette was not responsible for France's economic collapse or the French Revolution. Yet, she became a target for the country's anger. Pamphlets painted her as immoral and wasteful, exploiting her status as a woman, a foreigner, and a queen. The lies spread so widely that they shaped public opinion, leading to her imprisonment and eventual execution—not for any crime, but for being a woman near power.
The same tactics persist today. A doctored photo of a female politician recently shifted focus from her policies to her appearance. Attacks on women in leadership—from Kamala Harris to female CEOs—often centre on their looks, marital status, or fashion choices. While no global dataset tracks the full scale of such disinformation, documented cases show it delays important decisions and forces organisations to invest in fact-checking.
History, however, proves women can lead successfully despite skepticism. Figures like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Angela Merkel, and Wangari Maathai overcame early doubts to achieve lasting impact. Yet the pattern of judging women by their appearance rather than their actions remains.
The repeated use of false claims and personal attacks discourages capable women from pursuing leadership roles. When credibility is damaged by disinformation, it affects not just individuals but entire organisations. Without addressing these tactics, the cycle of scrutiny and distrust will likely continue.
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