Michelle Obama Is The Most Admired Woman In The World, According To A New Poll
Two years after she set last set foot in the White House, former first lady Michelle Obama is the world’s most admired woman in the world, according to a poll conducted by YouGov released Thursday.
Obama replaces actress Angelina Jolie, who was previously the world’s most admired woman. Jolie fell two spots to No. 3 on this year’s ranking.
Also on the list of admirable women is Oprah Winfrey, who ranks just behind Obama.
Pop stars Taylor Swift and Madonna made the ranking at spots Nos. 10 and 11, respectively. As YouGov noted, many of the women on the world’s most admired list are known for their work as entertainers, though many, like actress Emma Watson, have also been known for their political activism.
Swift has notably used her platform this year to urge lawmakers to support the Equality Act, a piece of legislation that would add discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, per Billboard.
The former first lady has remained busy since her husband’s administration ended. The duo inked a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce content for the movie and television show streaming website. This year, she sold more than 10 million copies of her memoir, Becoming, making it the highest-selling memoir of all time, per CBS News.
The current first lady, Melania Trump, just made the list of the Top 20 most admired woman, coming in at No. 19 behind outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Worlds Most Admired 2019. Our annual series, conducted this year in 41 countries, finds the most admired figures are:
Woman
1. Michelle Obama (+1)
2. Oprah Winfrey (+1)
3. Angelina Jolie (-2)Man
1. Bill Gates (-)
2. Barack Obama (-)
3. Jackie Chan (-)https://t.co/hY0K2Vf8F9 pic.twitter.com/54m4A3H9hu— YouGov (@YouGov) July 18, 2019
Trump has been known for her “Be Best” initiative during her time as first lady. Per USA Today, the initiative has three pillars, which include addressing opioid usage, social media habits and the overall well-being of children. Her efforts have received criticism due to her husband’s own usage of social media, which many have said is at odds with the first lady’s effort.
The “Be Best” initiative has focused mostly on raising awareness of its three pillars as opposed to proposing or enacting policy, per USA Today.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates once again took the title of the world’s most admired man. According to YouGov, Gates has consistently ranked as the world’s most admired man since it began conducting its yearly survey.
Former President Barack Obama comes in at the No. 2 spot on the list of most admired men in the world. Current President Donald Trump is the 14th most admired man in the world, just behind Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk and just ahead of Pope Francis.
As CBS News reported, when broken down by nation, both former President and first lady Obama were the most admired people in the United States. President Trump was the second-most admired man in the U.S.
