In a candid interview with award-winning journalist Any Perez, President Laura Chinchilla made a few statements that came across as both refreshing and strong. Our President has been fighting off results of independent surveys that show her approval ratings among Ticos have taken a dive. On her most recent in-depth interview in La Nacion, our President comes across as a woman who has learned quite a bit on the job, and who is finding her groove while leading the nation.

One interesting aspect of her interview in La Nacion’s Revista Dominical (Sunday Magazine) was our President’s casual explanation of why she looks so worried now whenever she is addressing members of the news media. Ticos have noticed that President Chinchilla’s brow is now turned inward in consternation, displeasure or perhaps worry; a facial gesture she had not exhibited in the past. Could the stress of leading the nation be weighing down on our President?

Perhaps, but the straightforward answer from our President was Botox. It was something that image consultants in her electoral campaign recommended because she looks a bit strained when she concentrates. No longer worried about campaign matters, our President decided to forego Botox; although she mentioned she would take up the treatment again if it matters that much to journalists.

A Social Media Presidency

U.S. President Barack Obama may have been labeled the first social media president, but when it comes to active online social networking, President Chinchilla takes the lead.

On the issue of social media, our President is fully engaged. When Any Perez insinuated that her social media strategy during her electoral campaign had fizzled and that she is no longer involved, our President made very clear that her Twitter account @Laura_Ch is only hers:

“No one else has the password. So if one day something happens to me, that account will go silent. If someone doesn’t like something, they can only complain directly to me. I don’t go into Facebook as often, but I follow it, and if there’s something important to take care of, I ask (my team) to escalate it into a more personal level.”

Our President currently has more than 95,000 followers, and she seems to be quite active. One of her most recent Tweets communicated her satisfaction with Sala Cuarta’s (Constitutional Hall) ruling on the controversial Tobacco Control Law. Prior to that, she sent a message of solidarity to Mexican President Felipe Calderon after the strong earthquake that shook that nation.