It’s 2023 and yet today’s news is being dominated by the fact that Margot Robbie has won MAXIM Australia’s annual ‘Hot List’ for the fourth time in a row.
Don’t get us wrong, Margot is the epitome of success – with the culture-defining success of the Barbie movie, her production company LuckyChap and gin brand Papa Salt – what an absolute powerhouse she is. But four times in a row?
The magazine, which is the sister of the original American publication, has released their hot list every year since 2012, aiming to rebrand it away from being about ‘sexiness’ and towards the substance of the women on the list.
These days it’s described as a “definitive list of Australia’s most influential, successful, powerful, newsworthy, talented and beautiful women this year.”
The magazine’s editor-in-chief Santi Pintado said in a statement that they chose the list by the “aptitude, intellect, humour, headlines, sassiness, and overall incredible talents” of these women.
However, while the list goes under a new-age ‘woke’ guise, there’s no denying that the ranking of Australia’s successful women against each other leaves a bitter taste.
Robbie is followed by Matildas star Sam Kerr in second place, and singer and Netflix actress Delta Goodrem in third.
The list continues with the likes of Sophie Monk, G Flip, Jessica Mauboy, Kaylee McKeown, Ariane Titmus, Abbie Chatfield and MAFS’ Evelyn Ellis all making the top 10.
The fact that most of the women in the top 10 are thin-framed or sporty is not lost on us.
While MAXIM Australia says that the list is focused on the ladies’ achievements, we can’t help but feel that there is a thinly veiled focus on looks.
The inclusion of the likes of Grace Tame (at number 26) is jarring. Her achievements are profound — hell, marie claire Australia named her one of our 2021 Women of the Year. But there’s no getting around the fact that Maxim is better known for pin-ups and salaciousness. Is it really appropriate to put a sexual abuse survivor and tireless campaigner on their hot list?
Adding female politicians like Foreign Minister Penny Wong (number 96) and Queenland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (number 99) to the list is equally jarring. Women in politics have spent decades trying to get both the country and their male colleagues to take them seriously. Are we really putting them in a “hot” list?
While it’s clear that MAXIM Australia is aiming to steer the list away from being a hot-and-heavy ranking of women based on looks, the ranking of women in this way is still an unnecessary perpetuation of competition between women. It’s even more obvious in a year when we have shown exactly how we lift each other up: Barbie, the Matildas, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, to name a few cultural phenomena.
Celebrating the women on this list isn’t about asking ‘who did it best’ and ranking them in a magazine read mostly by men. It’s about celebrating that women are dominating the cultural zeitgeist, together.
Our take? Lists like this are so 2012.
The Full Maxim 100 ‘Hot List’ For 2023:
- Margot Robbie
- Sam Kerr
- Delta Goodrem
- Sophie Monk
- G Flip
- Jessica Mauboy
- Kaylee McKeown
- Ariarne Titmus
- Abbie Chatfield
- Evelyn Ellis
- Mackenzie Arnold
- Caitlin Foord
- Mary Fowler
- Hayley Raso
- Ellie Carpenter
- Cortnee Vine
- Paris Raine
- Bianca Censori
- Costeen Hatzi
- Narelle Maree
- Mollie O’Callaghan
- Sarah Snook
- Elizabeth Debicki
- Casey Boonstra
- Ellie Cole
- Grace Tame
- Jess Fox & Noemie Fox
- Ellyse Perry
- Minjee Lee
- Moraya Wilson
- Olivia Frazer
- Gabby Epstein
- Harriet Dyer
- Rose Byrne
- Rebel Wilson
- Sonia Kruger
- Amanda Keller
- Chrissie Swan
- Shiralee Coleman
- Miranda Kerr
- Jennifer Hawkins
- Natalie Roser
- Melissa Leong
- Anna Torv
- Sports Presenters
- Alexa Towersey
- Celeste Barber
- Nicole Kidman
- Cate Blanchett
- Samara Weaving
- Ruby Rose
- Amy Shark
- Peach PRC
- Sarah Magusara
- Brooke Satchwell
- April Rose Pengilly
- Emily Scott
- Emily Weir
- Kylie Minogue
- Jackie O
- Ruva Ngwenya
- Isla Fisher
- Chantelle Otten
- Donnell Wallam
- Tamika Upton
- Erin Phillips
- Tess Magden
- Molly Picklum
- Erin Molan
- Kate Ritchie
- Carrie Bickmore
- Ricki-Lee Coulter
- Celia Pacquola
- Julia Morris
- Jessica Ferguson
- Kitty Flanagan
- Sandra Sully
- Georgie Tunny
- Sarah Harris
- Allison Langdon
- Sarah Abo
- Natalie Barr
- Melissa Tracina
- The Real Housewives of Sydney
- Heather McCartney
- Kodi Buckley
- Jacinta Nampijinpa Price
- Linda Burney
- Liz Ellis
- Jacinta Allan
- Vanessa Hudson
- Dani Laidley
- Jodie Haydon
- Michelle Kimberlee
- Molly Moyies
- Penny Wong
- Bec Judd & Kate Twigley
- Lidia Thorpe
- Annastacia Palaszczuk
- Michele Bullock
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