Read here >>>> 50 Most Powerful Women
The question is--what constitutes power? What characteristics does someone have to possess to be considered powerful? Is it wisdom, worldly experience, looks, expertise, money?
After grazing through the list, I discovered that power is all about position. The top five women are all CEOs and Chairwomen of various conglomerates. Care to take a guess at who's in the number one spot? It's Indra Nooyi, chairwoman and CEO of PepsiCo. That's right, the most powerful woman in the world runs a soda company. Maybe she exerts this power through a little thing called caffeine. After all, most of the world is addicted to the product she sells (at least my grandmother is anyway). Our beloved Oprah comes in at number six. I would have to say that her power does not just stem from position but also talent, money and visibility. People love her, they listen to her and buy whatever she sells. She holds the power of persuasion.
The COO of Facebook comes in at number 16. EVP of Wal-Mart is slated at number 23. The president of McDonald's is ranked at number 25. The VP of search products and user interests for Google is ranked at number 42 (she's also the youngest on the list at age 35). The president of Ebay is at number 44. And VP of worldwide corporate communications for Apple is ranked at number 50.In this hegemonic world we live in, it is obvious that the women with the power are those with higher-up positions in internationally recognized corporations. But is this just?
I know that I will never be CEO of PepsiCo., McDonald's or Wal-mart, but does that mean that I'm not powerful? I feel pretty powerful...my dog listens to me when I tell her to sit. I feel in control of my life, I know where I'm headed, I have goals that I would like to accomplish.
So I think I might add my name to this list maybe as number 51 or number 1,364,459,782. What does it matter? As long as I feel empowered I have the power to do anything I set my mind to.
