In the spring of 2021, Annalena Baerbock became an unlikely candidate to lead Germany’s chancellery election after experiencing a huge surge in popularity ahead of the vote held in September of that year. But after she pledged to block a gas pipeline project between Russia and Europe, the Greens party candidate soon became the target of a vicious campaign on social media.
Suddenly, fake and photoshopped images of a nude Russian model were circulated purporting to be of Baerbock and suggesting that she previously worked as a sex worker. A string of sexist attacks followed, including questions about whether she could balance the responsibilities of chancellorship with being a mother. Her high approval rate quickly plummeted and Baerbock eventually lost the election, coming in third place.
Read more at Time.