Contrary to what the World Happiness Index crowned the Nordic nation, the Finnish are not so easygoing, after all. A leaked video of Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing and singing at a private party triggered an outrage across the country. From roadside coffeeshops to mainstream newspapers, nothing else appears relevant any longer as people who had once rooted for “world’s coolest politician,” and her ultra-modern approach to the office cannot help but question the error in her ways. The very heated public scrutiny has somehow compelled Ms Marin to step in the open to clear the air. In a bizarre bid to appease her critics, the prime minister has even apologised for controversial pictures of women present at the same social gathering. The pressing fact of the matter, however, neither relates to what a 36-year-old western woman does in her spare time nor what poor decisions are smearing mud over her portrayal as a necessary breath of fresh air. If appointing a female leader to the top position meant a country was finally embracing a progressive outlook, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher and Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto would have pulled the rabbit out of their hats a long time ago. The problematic double standards that refuse to take a final bow wherever and whenever female authority figures are concerned have made women pour out their support on social media. Pictures and videos of women partying in solidarity with the Finnish Prime Minister come as a bittersweet acknowledgement of a slight crack in the nightmarish picture. Because while the seething criticism of those around her might have pressurised Ms Marin into taking a drug test, her ordeal has struck a chord with countless women. Did Russia’s Vladimir Putin ever issue an expression of regret over his topless photos or “boisterous” partying or casual mention of lyrics about rape and necrophilia? The worst of the COVID wave had not stopped British PM Boris Johnson from having a merry time in obvious violation of safety protocols. Was he, too, made the target of a nasty campaign or are such buzzwords only unleashed in the presence of a woman? The unease over her choices was quick to look past what the savvy PM has been able to achieve as a competent administrator. May it be leading her country through the pandemic or applying for NATO membership in the aftermath of the Ukrainian conflict, she has repeatedly shown what she is worth. And if an efficient head of a country, who believes in letting the evidence speak for her credentials, faces misogynistic banter threatening to undo her in the twenty-first century, would the world ever be ready for a new generation of women to pick up the baton and run the show! *