Women in Power: Margaret Thatcher
Welcome to CF’s new column, Women in Power! Inspired by the upcoming election, Women in Power will feature important women in history, outline their accomplishments, and explain how you can honor these amazing ladies in style. Enjoy!
Photo: Chris Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation
Via: Wikimedia Commons
The English hold a strange appeal over Americans; we find their accents distinguished and sexy, their boy wizards marvelous, and their weddings supreme. Just give me a double-decker bus and a picture of Big Ben and I’ll be in heaven.
We love to associate British politics with fairy tale images of royalty. Who doesn’t want to hear about a queen, a prince, and a lovely duchess? However, when it comes to really running the country, it is important to identify a different political leader: the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister position has been in existence for hundreds of years and during that time, only one woman has held the position. Known as the “Iron Lady” for her no-nonsense attitude, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher revolutionized the woman’s role in politics during her 20 years in office.
Keep reading to learn more about the Iron Lady and to see an outfit inspired by Thatcher’s influential style.
10 Facts about Margaret Thatcher:
- Originally from Grantham, Lincolnshire, Margaret Thatcher attended Somerville College, Oxford and studied chemistry.
- In 1970, Thatcher was appointed the Secretary of State for Education and Science. In 1975, she became the first woman to head a major UK political party when she was elected as Leader of the Conservative Party.
- In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first and only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- Thatcher became known as the “Iron Lady” after surviving a 1984 assassination attempt and expressing her fierce opposition to the Soviet Union.
- Although Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II had an amicable professional relationship, it was rumored that the two powerful women were constantly clashing. Thatcher later wrote that “stories of clashes between ‘two powerful women’ were just too good not to make up.”
- Thatcher and Ronald Reagan became closely aligned during the Cold War due to their stances against communism.
- In 2007, Thatcher received a statue in the Houses of Parliament. Her statue stands opposite to Sir Winston Churchill.
- Thatcher has been awarded numerous American awards, including the Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom, the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the US.
- Cosmopolitan Magazine recently did an editorial on Margaret Thatcher’s style. See the artistic spread here.
- Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher in the biographical (and Academy Award-nominated) film The Iron Lady, in theaters now. You can watch the full trailer here.
Style Inspired by Margaret Thatcher:
Product Information: NAKED Palette, Earrings, Blue Button Blazer, Gold Brooch, Blouse, Dress, Pearls, Vintage Brooch, Blue Open Blazer, Ring, Heels
As a prominent political figure, Margaret Thatcher is known for dressing in a very classy manner and she always appears respectable and put-together.
Channel her powerful vibe by wearing splashes of Thatcher’s signature color; the former prime minister is almost always seen in either a royal or navy blue pantsuit, so rock a blue blazer as a nod to her. Add a brooch to a lapel for a fun splash of elegance, and distinguish yourself with oversized earrings and elegant pearls. Keep makeup minimal and natural; Urban Decay’s NAKED palette recreates the natural, clean makeup look that is standard for women in politics.
Your turn!
Margaret Thatcher embodies the traits of a truly powerful woman: successful, driven, freedom-oriented, and respectable. She has had successes in office as well as in her professional relationships. As the Iron Lady ages with grace, pop culture has respected her legacy with editorials, movies, and awards.
What do you think about Margaret Thatcher’s legacy? Her style? Is she a good role model for women? Who else would you like to see featured in the future? Make sure to leave your thoughts in a comment!
Posted on on February 2, 2012 / Filed Under: Inspiration / Tags: Leader, Margaret Thatcher, Politics, Royalty, United Kingdom, Women in Power
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Connie
I’m so excited to see articles not just on our fashion interests but also on inspiring women. Go CF! I will always be an avid reader :) can’t wait to read more stories in this column. Margaret Thatcher’s style in both life and fashion are to be commended.
Louisa
I really love the Women in power idea! it’s always inspiring to read about important women in history and in combination with their fashion style – that’s just perfect! ;)
I also always like posts on women that kind of surprise you as fashion inspirations… I think that’s the case with Margaret Thatcher. Not because she wasn’t stylish, but because it isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of her, if you know what I mean
I’m really looking forward to reading similar posts in the future and btw Sarah, I always enjoy your posts! :)
Katie Robinson
It is bred into me to hate Margaret Thatcher, I do find this look darling. Oasis has loads of cute dresses in this season so thanks for posting it on here or I would have never reaslised.
Katie x
Alana
This is a fabulous idea, I can’t wait to see more!
Ester
Now first off: I really like the idea behind this. I think it’s great to celebrate powerful and inspirational women.
As a Brit though, I have to say…. Thatcher? Really?? Yes, there are some great achievements, but let’s not gloss over the negative aspects of her time in government – 4 million unemployed, anyone? It’s great to celebrate the positives, but articles like these (or at least most of those written since the film came out) tend towards the hagiographical.
Also, the fact that she is the first woman you’ve chosen to talk about smacks of wanting to jump on the Thatcher bandwagon rather than wanting to celebrate powerful women in general.
Anyway, I do really admire the idea, and I just hope the rest of these articles will be more impressive.
Ashley
I’m not a Margaret Thatcher fan, but she certainly was very stylish! I love the outfit you put together. It looks glamorous AND professional!
Cristina
Great idea! I’m looking forward to seeing more articles like these!!! :D
Sarah - Northeastern University
Louisa: Thank you so much! You’re too sweet :)
Ester: Whenever politics and power are discussed, there are always those who disagree. I chose to feature Margaret Thatcher because she has been quite prominent recently in pop culture and discussions. I’m sorry that you are not a fan of hers and I hope that you can enjoy the articles to come! And of course feel free to leave any suggestions for future posts. Your thoughts are always appreciated :)
Sheilly
I hope we see an article about Angela Merkel! :)
Emma
This is an AWESOME idea! Most girls don’t know about many women in power, so this can inspire our lives as well as our style.
Suzi
Totally fierce style, and a logical choice for a women in power column :)
I must say though, I’m definitely NOT a fan of Margaret Thatcher and the bloodthirsty, extreme right-wing, anti-worker, pro-war agenda she represented. I think though that Meryl Streep’s performance in The Iron Lady was sublime and Oscar-Worthy. I really love the scene where an assistant is repairing a jeweled button near the bustline of thatcher’s dress while she takes her cabinet members to task. :)
Can’t wait to see who’ll be featured in the next Women In Power column! xoxo
Sonya
I really love the idea of this series! And the pieces you’ve picked out are absolutely gorgeous. I agree with Ester though — as a Brit, I’m very aware of the negative aspects of Thatcher’s leadership. Rapid privitisation led to millions unemployed, huge riots, and Thatcher had a very cavalier attitude towards it all.
I understand that writing political articles can be difficult, but the things that Thatcher is remembered for are a mix of good and bad and it’s important to show that balance in your writing, especially if you continue this series which I hope you do!
Nell
This is a fantastic column theme and I look forward to future posts!
Claire
LOVE the new post idea! Now I can feel less guilty when replacing homework with fashion blogs:)
C.
I wish you would have came up with more outfit ideas but I like what you made.
Clarissa
You really should look into using Frida Kahlo as an inspiration for outfits. She was a great woman with very unique style! I would love to see that.
Angela
Love this new column! For future articles, I would suggest either of the 3 women (Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Tawakkol Karman) who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Their work in promoting peace and gender equality is inspiring!
Ashley
The dress is cute. Although I’m not a fan of seeing this constant influx of Margaret Thatcher. She’s been all over pop culture recently, but there’s very little debate or critical thinking surrounding her policies and what she represents. I would love to see a continuation of this series, but I would also like to see a little more balance in the writing. List the good with the bad.
cufflinks
No doubt she is very stylish..Though I don’t know much about her.I love this post as it’s great one for fashion lovers.
Emily
She was anti communist. How could you NOT like her?
Great style by the way. Keep up the articles!
Kate
I attended her former grammar school, so yeah, definitely familiar with her legacy/politics… As well as the negative effect they had and, in some ways, continue to have in the UK. Suppose you decided to include less familiar women in power? That way we could gain some new knowledge about the impact of women on the world around us rather than simply following what pop culture has deemed acceptable. That isn’t to say we shouldn’t examine people who are controversial, but this article sounded uncomfortably close to setting her up as a universally exemplary figure when her policies hurt a lot of people. So, again, it would be fab if we could look at the style/lives of a variety of powerful women, but while remaining honesty in the face of controversy.
Apart from that, the outfit *is* rather smart. Not really something I would choose, but I have friends who would wear it in a heartbeat.
Indira
I, for one, love both Thatcher AND these outfits! Like Emily said, she was anti-communist- what’s not to love? Sarah, I love your writing. Keep up the fabulous work!
Cara
Thatcher forever!!
Oh, and I love the blue – so perfectly her.
Becky
I too think that this is a great idea for a series.
Personally, as a Brit (and a self-confessed lefty liberal one at that!) I can’t stand the “Thatcher as a style icon” and will be rebelling against it by refusing to wear any blazers or anything blue until it passes over! but that’s just me!
I just wanted to add that you said right at the end that she “is almost always seen in either a royal or navy blue pantsuit,” actually she almost always wore a skirt.
Annie
I’ll be looking forward to more of these posts! Stylish and educational :)
Katie Martin
Margaret Thatcher will probably always be a controversial political figure. Yes, she was the first and only Prime Minister, but that does not discount the negative things that happened during her stay in office.
Sarah, I think you did a very good job of finding items that really captured Margaret Thatcher’s polished and ladylike style. Do you also have a recommendation of a hair spray or product that could help with a Margaret-esque updo? I love the brooch idea though. I hope they come into a trend soon because they are so classy but certainly underutilized. Thanks for trying to educate while still inspiring some cute outifts!