ОТ МАРГИНАЛОВ К МЕЙНСТРИМУ: СМЕНА ИМИДЖА ЛИДЕРОВ ЗАПАДНОЕВРОПЕЙСКИХ ПРАВОРАДИКАЛЬНЫХ ПОПУЛИСТОВ

Abstract

This article examines the personalisation of politics and its impact on the changing image of leaders of Western European right-wing populist parties. As these parties strive to gain recognition in the political mainstream, the characteristics associated with their leaders undergo notable transformations. Analysing these changes provides a fuller picture of ideological shifts within far-right populism. The study uses data from various sources including media, party websites, official websites, social media and personal websites. The concept of gender display is used as a methodological toolkit to analyse leadership trends. Cases of nontraditional leaders whose image revival is inextricably linked to their parties' entry into the political mainstream, such as Tom Van Grieken and Marine Le Pen, are given particular attention. The analysis revealed several major trends in changing leadership portraits, including increased female representation, a trend towards younger leadership, a high emphasis on education, significant professional experience, personification of the family institution, and long-standing ties to party structures from their youth. Moreover, whilst Tom Van Grieken strategically adopts a more positive, approachable image to distance himself from past stereotypes, Marine Le Pen's leadership challenges traditional gender roles in politics, redefining power and effectiveness by skilfully combining masculine and feminine qualities.