Thatcher, Margaret

Abstract

Margaret Thatcher became the “Western world's” first woman prime minister when she won the 1979 UK General Election. A controversial figure—partly because of her status as the longest‐serving British prime minister of the 20th century, her distinction as the first woman to fulfill this role, and notoriety surrounding her policies and philosophy—she was renowned for seamlessly shifting between feminine and masculine personas, often displaying both sets of gender traits at the same time. As a result, widespread mainstream media attention focused on her having both feminine and masculine attributes, particularly her image as a stereotypical housewife and “Iron Lady.” However, relatively little research has examined the ways in which the media covered her leadership period. Particular attention will be paid toward research that examines Thatcher's gendered media coverage, focusing on media depictions of her femininity and masculinity, her sexualization, the relationship between her self‐constructed image and the media, and television parodies.