Oprah Winfrey was officially edged out in Forbes' annual list of Most Powerful Women by a newcomer to the list, Michelle Obama. Oprah's rank fell from 36 to 41 this year, while Mrs. Obama came in at 40.
While initially we were skeptical, it's true that Mrs. Obama's star has skyrocketed in the past year. Plus, much like Oprah, she's proven herself capable of single-handedly launching the popularity of labels -- from J. Crew to Jason Wu. Heck, there's even an entire exhibit devoted to Isabel Toledo (the designer behind Michelle Obama's inauguration day suite) right now, something that would have seemed incomprehensible a year ago.
Other noteworthy women of power on the list include Sonia Sotomayor, who's entering the list at 54, Carol Bartz (chief executive at Yahoo!, 12), and the second-time most powerful woman, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.