Exploring media representations of Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

Abstract

In the last decade, Latin America has seen several women taking up the top job. However, even as Presidents, far from being treated as equal with their male counterparts, they still suffer from media coverage filled with prejudice about their status as women. This article examines the media landscape portraying a woman in power; namely the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK), by looking at news pieces published in two main national Argentinean newspapers, Clarín and La Nación. In order to document this trajectory, I identify three "roles" that media assigns to CFK: the Stupid Girl, which accounts for the questionings of her validity as a candidate; the Wicked Widow, which speaks of CFK after her husband died in 2010 through the lens of a revival of that stereotype; and finally a role that arises from the moment in which CFK catches media attention by becoming the first lady in 2003, the Frivolous Diva. The first section briefly introduces CFK's trajectory as a prominent leader. Then, the body of the article discusses the three roles introduced earlier. Finally, the conclusion argues that despite the media's power, sometimes they fail at getting their message across, making obvious their gendered discursive operation.