Sanna Marin is Stil Dancing

The former prime minister of Finland changed the image of who a politician can be.

- KAYLA WEBLEY ADLER

One day last fall, attendees inside a lecture hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, sat eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sanna Marin, the former prime minister of Finland, who became the world's youngest premier, male or female, when she took office in 2019 at age 34. Tickets sold out in two hours; there was an overflow room and a Zoom link for those who weren't lucky enough to snag a spot.

"It was like getting tickets to see the Rolling Stones," says Leslie Johns, professor of political science and law, and associate director of UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations, which sponsored the lecture. The crowd was especially excited to hear Marin speak about how she led her country to join NATO in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.

"How many people do that in their lifetime, let alone their midthirties?" Johns says, marveling.

It's true, Sanna Marin is about the closest thing global politics has to a rock star. She's worn leather jackets to meet with fellow world leaders and has 1 million followers on Instagram, where her feed features snaps of her posing with celebrities and partying with friends at music festivals.

In her nearly four years as prime minister, she was praised for her deft handling of COVID, climate change, and the war.