Madame Paris

Mayor Anne Hidalgo has long been a leader under scrutiny. And now she and her glorious city will be center stage for the Olympics. 

- Wendell Steavenson

On International Women's Day this year, March 8, Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris since 2014, convened a conference at the magnificent 19thcentury Hôtel de Ville under the title question: "A Woman = A Man? A Question of Power." Dressed in a discreetly chic, navy dress with gold buttons, Hidalgo was in her element, addressing an audience of fellow feminists, social justice advocates, and socialist politicians. "You are all examples!" she said, welcoming them.

"You have been targeted, judged...but you continue the struggle with a force, a humility." She lamented the state of women's rights all over the world, particularly in Afghanistan and Iran, and railed at insidious sexism closer to home. "Women in power are analyzed and décortiquées,” she said, using a verb for peeling shrimp that also means dissected, scrutinized. “Politics is hard for everyone,” she continued, to applause, “but it is harder for women.”

Other distinguished speakers echoed her f rustration. Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile, said, “People like Anne Hidalgo and I are criticized for being women, called authoritarian for making decisions— this is our job!” And Dilma Rousseff, former president of Brazil, described how she had been deposed by an online trolling campaign accusing her of corruption—charges of which she has since been acquitted.

Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told me afterward, “I do believe it’s very important to have more women in all levels of political activity and leadership.” Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, was impressed: “If I had to capture Anne Hidalgo with one word,” she told me coming offstage, “it would be bold.”