The article analyzes the exposition of the pre-election campaign of 2018, the distinctive feature of which was the active participation of women, stimulated by the self-nomination of Ksenia Sobchak. The task of the study is to identify the points of view formed in the media related to the nomination of women for the presidency. The material for the analysis is the texts of the Integrum database and the results of the social survey. The subject of observation is the gender component of statements. According to Integrum, three samples of statements including the name - Ksenia Sobchak were made: sample 1 (16.10.17 - 16.11.17; 1281 documents), sample 2 (16.12.17 - 16.01.18; 717 documents), sample 3 (06.03.18 - 20.03.18; 1125 documents). The change in the image characteristics of the candidate in the media texts has been noted since: the announcement of the intention to participate in the elections; after she successfully submitted the documents to the Central Election Commission; when collected signatures and formulated the thesis of her political program and registered as a candidate for the post of President of the Russian Federation from the non-parliamentary party "Civil Initiative". In the statements that make up the first sample, the political activity of women, including representatives of show business, is ironically evaluated as a spectacular show. A special object of irony is "socialite Sobchak". In the statements that make up the second sample the irony is gradually replaced by a rational understanding of the thesis of Sobchak’s political program. Based on the principle of gender differentiation and using the typology proposed by N. D. Arutyunova, the article reveals the classifying, characterizing, relational predicates, the ratio of which allows us to fix the shifts in the collective perception of Ksenia Sobchak’s image from glamorous candidate to officially registered candidate for the presidency of the Russian Federation. In the statements that make up the third sample axiological assertions still have gender constant. The possibility of further political future of Ksenia Sobchak is predicted.