According to Forbes, the top 10 most powerful women in the world are, in descending order: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, philanthropist Melinda Gates, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, General Motors chief executive Mary Barra, the International Monetary Fund’s Christine Lagarde, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, author and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and first lady Michelle Obama.
Pop star Taylor Swift didn’t shine brightly enough to be classed with these luminaries. But, lower down on the Forbes list, she is shaking it off at No. 64.
“Such is her power,” Business Insider wrote, “Swift is one of the most followed celebrities on Twitter with 58 million followers, Forbes estimates her earnings last year were $64 million … and there were rumors earlier this year that her legs were ensured for $40 million.”
First launched in 2004, the Forbes list of powerful women is billed as the magazine’s “definitive annual audit of the foremost heads of state, iconic entrepreneurs and CEOs, celebrity role models, billionaire activists, and pioneer philanthropists, all ranked by money, media momentum, spheres of influence and impact.”