Sanna Marin arrives at the European Union summit in Brussels in December 2019, shortly after being elected Prime Minister of Finland (left) , and much more. recently at the Victoria Beckham show during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023 (right) Photo: AFP/Darren Gerrish/Getty Images
Barack Obama took up kitesurfing and signed a deal with Netflix; David Cameron retreated to his shed to reflect on his legacy, and Boris Johnson turned to procreation with almost alarming haste.
Life after premiership is an adjustment for anyone accustomed to the breakneck speed of power, but unlike From most of her peers, Sanna Marin doesn't act as if her time as Finland's prime minister was a career pinnacle from which to come down.
Marin, 37, was ousted from power in April this year and for months newspapers speculated that she would try to stage a return to government. She put an end to that in September when she formally resigned as an MP, and her behavior since then suggests she has her sights set on a very different reward – and one not always open to former politicians.
< p>It's hard to imagine, say, Liz Truss or Theresa May being welcomed to Paris Fashion Week and presented with dresses from top designers. But that's exactly what happened to Marin when she recently took a front row seat next to Anna Wintour on the Victoria Beckham runway.
Sanna was removed from power in April this year. Photo: Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg
After the event, which was also attended by Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson and the entire Beckham clan, Marin shared a series of photos on Instagram (where she has a million followers), including shots of herself in Victoria Beckham's flared dress.
“I wonder if that she decided to go to fashion week because female politicians often spend years fighting against a culture that places much more importance on their appearance than on men,” says Natasha Lindstedt, a writer and lecturer at the University of Essex who specializes in media and politics.
“In the same way, you can be an intellectual and enjoy other things, and saying a woman can't go to fashion week and then be taken seriously is like criticizing a man in politics for enjoying a sports match “.
Being young and undeniably attractive certainly helps if you want to be embraced by the fashion industry, as do Marin's left-wing politics and fashionable views on climate change and wealth inequality.
But her treatment by the press and other Finnish politicians after a video of her wildly dancing and drinking with friends emerged last summer has brought her even greater fame and led a number of famous women to speak out in her support.
Sanna held a press conference in August 2022 after videos showing her partying. Photo: Roni Rekomaa/AFP
One of them is Sharon Stone. After lunching with the Basic Instinct star in Los Angeles late last week, Marin posted a photo to Instagram of them both smiling in the California sun. Below, Stone commented: “You are so cool, so smart and so beautiful. It must be too hard for men to deal with.”
This seems like an indirect reference not only to Marin's recent divorce (she split from her partner of 19 years, Markus Raikkonen, in May – the couple share a daughter), but also and last summer's scandal, which made headlines around the world
The leaked video showed Marin and her friends, who included Finnish celebrities, dancing and singing with abandon. A separate photograph later emerged, taken at another party at the Prime Minister's residence, showing model and influencer Sabina Sarkka and another woman (not Marin) kissing.
More recently, the ex-prime minister was praised as “very cool”; and “so beautiful” Sharon Stone
Many said the shocked reaction from members of the Finnish parliament – including the chancellor's call for Marin to take a drugs test (which she later passed) – was sexist, and her supporters wondered whether a man blowing off steam at home would be found unfit to govern.
Marin also vigorously defended her right to privacy at the time, criticizing the party's “unfounded and completely exaggerated” press coverage in a tearful speech to the Finnish parliament.
One of the consequences of this scandal was that – somewhat unusually for a leader of the Scandinavian countries – Marin left her post with great international prestige. Again, her age and gender have undoubtedly increased her fame (Vogue had already photographed and featured her when she took over in 2019), but rather than fight it, she is now seeking to capitalize on the international interest in her.
“The Prime Minister of Finland has never received such attention before,” says Lindstedt. “But it makes sense: she has model looks, she’s very young and very articulate. Then add the fact that she was in power during the Russian-Ukrainian war and could take a very hard line against NATO.
“As a result, she achieved unprecedented fame. for politicians in this part of the world – and she clearly came into the bright light.”
Sanna Marin broke up with her 19-year-old partner Markus Raikkonen (pictured) in May. Photo: Jussi Nukari/STT-Lehtikuva/PA Images
Marin has shown she wants to capitalize on this by signing with entertainment and talent management company Range. Media partners within weeks of leaving office. The agency, whose clients have included Bradley Cooper, Tom Hardy and Keira Knightley, works across the entertainment industry, filling high-profile positions with actors, singers, sports stars, directors and writers.
“She's always attracted a lot of attention to her appearance—she was reluctant about it, but she seems to have changed her mind and is leaning toward it,” Lindstedt says. “I don't think she's trying to be an actress, but she's trying to get on stage where she'll have more influence around the world, and probably realizes that she might need an agent who crosses all the different boundaries between politics, entertainment and media. ”
Sanna achieved international fame unheard of among Finnish politicians. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
As evidenced by the fact that Marin has also taken several more traditional steps since taking power. She joined forces with another former prime minister when she agreed to take on a consulting role at the Tony Blair Institute, and has given speeches at various conferences about the future of global social democracy.
In many ways this is blurring. politicians and celebrities are very modern and what we should expect from our first generation of millennial leaders who are familiar with the brand. Politicians are often well equipped to work in the entertainment world, and the role of social media means that the better-looking and charismatic they are, the more opportunities they have after they leave office.
“Sanna's dreams clearly go beyond Scandinavia, and she has every opportunity to realize them,” says Lindstedt. “She realized that there was a lot of interest in her and that she could become a star – and at the moment nothing could stop her.”
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