Making your first million is hard enough — women like Sara Blakely have built an empire from the ground up and are now ranked amongst the world’s richest. Others descend from political royalty and use their power and privilege to pioneer philanthropic efforts and organizations. Take a look below at the nine most beautiful female billionaires in the world — inside and out.
Georgina Bloomberg: $11.5 billion
A young adult author, professional equestrian and mother of one, Georgina Bloomberg takes no political or journalistic notes from her father, the former mayor of New York City. Instead, she focuses her efforts on competing, raising a family and advocating for animals. She also founded The Rider’s Closet in 2006, an organization that makes it certain that horse riders across the board — including ex-military, special needs, intercollegiate and individual riders — have access to the clothing they need, regardless of their financial background.
Holly Branson: $4 billion
The oldest child of Richard and Joan Branson, Holly has an impressive resume. She earned her degree in medicine from the University College London and became a practicing junior NHS doctor in 2007. Shortly thereafter, she departed medicine to join her father at his company, and has worked in management at the Virgin Group since. Her passion for people hasn’t faded a bit: When she’s not growing the family business, she’s working on various philanthropic efforts, including her own venture, Big Change. The organization refers to itself as a “social impact accelerator” and invests in youth across the United Kingdom. Holly’s also an adventurer; she’s climbed mountains, including Mont Blanc, and attempted several records, including the mono hull sailing record across the Atlantic and kite-surfing the English Channel. She’s recently signed up to fly into space with Virgin Galactic.
Amanda Hearst: $2 billion
The gorgeous great-granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst is busy. Between working as a fashion editor and co-founding an online and ethically-sourced luxury retail company, her career has taken her around the country and on the covers of Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair. She’s also founded Friends of Finn, an organization that fights puppy mills and inhumane dog breeders.
Dylan Lauren: $2 billion
Being the daughter of one of the most well-known fashion designers in modern history is so sweet that Dylan Lauren launched her very own candy company in 2001. Since then, Dylan’s Candy Bar — a boutique of confectionary emporiums — has sprouted up locations around the world, with a mission “to awaken the creative spirit and inner child in everyone.” Lauren told Vogue that if she wasn’t in the candy business, she’d want to create “the best” rescue animal-shelter organization.
Anna Anissimova Schafer: $1.6 billion
She’s been referred to as the “Russian-American Paris Hilton” for her tabloid-worthy antics in the early 2000s, but it’s a title she resents — and says no longer applies today. The daughter of Russian Oligarch Vasily Anisimov, Anna is now a wife, a mother and a Hollywood actress who’s had her fair share of the best and worst of what the world has to offer. In 2000, Anissimova’s half-sister and her husband were bound and murdered by burglars in Russia; her father has been very protective of her since, insisting on a driver and/or a bodyguard. She also acknowledges that she has a “complicated” relationship with money, sometimes feeling shame of how much she has.
“I want people to know that I am an average girl,” she told LLNYC. “Everything I did in my past and all the money that I have doesn’t define what I am like or who I am. I am just like anyone else in this world trying to make it through one day. I have the same problems as everyone.”
Alexandra Andresen: $1.31 billion
Hailing from Norway, the Andresen’s are known for the tobacco brand Tiedemanns, as well as Ferd, an investment company Alexandra owns 42% of. At 21, Alexandra is the youngest billionaire in the world and is still exploring the world, sharing her impressions of the globe on her Instagram account and maintaining her disciplined horse riding, for which she’s one several major competitions in dressage. Business Insider also notes that Alexandra grew up driving second-hand cars and saving her pocket money.
Sara Blakely: $1.06 billion
Self-made billionaire Sara Blakely knows that women can have a hard time finding something to wear. She knows women can have a hard time in general, actually, and has been lifting women up — literally and metaphorically — since 2006, when she cut the feet off a pair of control to pantyhose and hoisted them up to smooth things over beneath a party outfit. Spanx was born and a few years later, Blakely’s foundation was too. It’s given money to organizations that benefit women and girls around the world, including model Karlie Kloss’s coding program and Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Women in Africa.
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