British Prime Minister Theresa May and her fashion choices

Britain's new prime minister, Theresa May, has an extensive shoe collection that includes more than one pair of leopard-print heels, English tabloids happily announced earlier this week.

What do her fashion choices have to do with her ascent to the premiership? Mrs May would probably much rather be judged by how she intends to negotiate Britain's exit from the European Union and tackle the deep-seated division within the country.

Still, she says she has "grown used" to the focus on her choice of clothing and shoes through her years in politics.

The new occupant of No 10 Downing Street isn't the only one to receive such frivolous scrutiny. It seems to be part and parcel of being a female politician or high-powered woman; these women know that their appearance is automatically a preface to whatever they have to say.

But while the outside world continues to dwell on their sartorial choices, these women have almost always been forced to show that they put substance first.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arguably controls the purse strings of the EU, leads a male-dominated government, and has brought Germany to the economic forefront, among other achievements – all pulled off while navigating the scrutiny over her changes in hairstyle and penchant for coloured blazers.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde was first elected in 2011, and began on her second term last year, having earned praise for building up the stature of the IMF.

She has in the past spoken out on the stigma that women face in politics, and noted that people tend to pay less attention when a woman speaks. At the Women in the World Summit in April, she said that women still need "skin as thick as an old crocodile's" to get to the top in male-dominated circles.

(Related: What is hindering more women from scaling corporate rungs?)

Across the Atlantic, the world listens to every intonation of Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen.

(Incidentally, the average lifespan of a saltwater crocodile is 70 years, and Mrs Merkel, Ms Lagarde, Ms Yellen and Mrs May are hovering at the 60-year mark.)

Mrs May is only Britain's second female premier, after the larger-than-life Margaret Thatcher, which inevitably draws comparisons between the two.

The initial impressions have been favourable, highlighting the new PM's no-nonsense style of politics as a parallel to that of the Iron Lady. Former chancellor Ken Clarke, who also worked with Mrs Thatcher, has gone as far as to call Mrs May a "bloody difficult woman".

But even if Mrs May is no Thatcherite herself, she would be pleased if she ends her term having broken some glass ceilings of her own.

The former home secretary has appointed several females to key positions in her cabinet, including leadership rival Andrea Leadsom and new justice secretary Liz Truss; rumours that suggested she might fill half her Cabinet with female allies have proven to be untrue.

Meanwhile, she has been swift and decisive in her decisions, cutting out former chancellor George Osborne and Brexit campaigner Michael Gove, both of whom were notable favourites of her predecessor David Cameron.

(Related: CDL's Kwek Leng Beng hunting for property bargains post-Brexit.)

It is probably no coincidence that many of these women in power today have eschewed charisma in favour of pragmatism - not so much because they don't have the charm and oratorical abilities, but because a woman leader is automatically expected to be less of a talker, and more of a doer.

Still, would a president Hillary Clinton ending a speech with "Clinton out" garner as much approval or appreciation as did President Barack Obama?

Female leaders have essentially opted for substance over style, both out of choice and necessity.

But maybe, if Mrs May has her way, it doesn't have to be a zero sum game.

She said: "I always tell women, 'You have to be yourself. Don't assume you have to fit into a stereotype' and if your personality is shown through your clothes or shoes, so be it."

Leopard-print kitten heels or not, so be it.

Adapted from The Business Times.