# Spain vers. France – first ladies **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406 "2010-11-30T14:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/1 "2010-11-30T14:17:19Z")
Ok granted. You guys might have bigger aircraft carriers and guns and more silly stuff like that, but our first ladies are of vastly better quality than yours. Here are Mrs. Spain and Mrs. France. Which of the two first ladies should be unified first lady of Europe? [![](https://i.imgur.com/JrVcS.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/JrVcS.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/2 "2010-11-30T14:32:28Z")
There’s something Photoshoppy about that picture. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/3 "2010-11-30T14:34:00Z")
“I hate to see you leave, baby. But I love to watch you walk away” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/4 "2010-11-30T16:24:15Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://i.imgur.com/JrVcS.jpg) That photo is blocked at my work - d’oh! And what’s wrong with Angela Merkel’s booty? I know Bush thought she had something going on. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/5 "2010-11-30T17:52:14Z")
Is “Mrs. Spain” in that photo really Sonsoles Espinosa (Prime Minister Rodríguez Zapatero’s wife)? Because it certainly isn’t Queen Sofía, the other contender for the analogue to Carla Bruni. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/6 "2010-11-30T19:02:44Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Is “Mrs. Spain” in that photo really Sonsoles Espinosa (Prime Minister Rodríguez Zapatero’s wife)? Google images suggests not, as Espinosa keeps her hair short. A tineye search on the image leads to this snopes page: > **[Is This Michelle Obama with Princess Letizia and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-letizia-bruni/)** > > Photograph shows Michelle Obama with Princess Letizia and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy? It’s Princess Letizia of Spain with Carla Bruni. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/7 "2010-12-01T05:34:39Z")
See, that’s what I thought, and it’s a little weird to describe the Princess of Asturias as the “First Lady” of Spain. I suppose if the role of “primary young, high-ranking, attractive wife” is in question instead, she could be thought of as the analogue to Carla Bruni, if you allowed that the Princess of Wales was as well at the relevant time. But that makes me ☹ even more than the usual attitude regarding first ladies does. (Especially egregious example: During the Toronto G-20, the _Globe and Mail_ put out an online fashion supplement depicting the gowns of “the First Ladies” [sic] of the summit – the first two of whom were the Chancellor of Germany and the President of Argentina. :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/8 "2010-12-01T08:06:37Z")
… I haven’t even looked at the pic, but before I knew who was depicted, I refrained from saying this, because it seemed too snarky, but seriously: the one from Spain (whether Sofía, Leti or Sonsoles) would certainly have a distinct advantage over Ms Bruni or any other Mrs Sarkozy - staying power. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/9 "2010-12-01T13:30:50Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Google images suggests not, as Espinosa keeps her hair short. A tineye search on the image leads to this snopes page: > > [Is This Michelle Obama with Princess Letizia and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/photos/derrieres.asp) > > It’s Princess Letizia of Spain with Carla Bruni. Ok, first ladies and crown princesses then. Would be better that way anyway. Democracy is a failure for Europe. When we had kings and queens we ruled the world and the whole world prostrated themselves in awe at our magnificence and power. Now, with elected officials, we’re quickly becoming a quaint open air folk museum. At the very least we should elect officials on the basis of how hot their wives are. That will be more democratic and lead to better results. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-vers-france-first-ladies/562406/10 "2010-12-01T14:39:16Z")
So if she wants to be president, Fernández de la Vega needs a wife pronto? I know people who assume she’s a lesbian (never married female - uhhh, so am I and I like guys, promise), but whether she is or not, I sure hope that if she ever gets married it will be for better reasons than “needing arm candy” 😛