This paper considers the various types of descriptive expressions employed by the journalist to refer to the woman the article deals with. These expressions enter an inherent relation of predication with the noun they determine, although, in the superficial structure, they become manifest as appositions. In this context, the paper aims at pointing out the types of descriptive expressions applied to women, having as a starting point the distinction between objective designations without auctorial intrusions vs subjective designations including axiological assessment. According to the type of designation, the expression obtained accomplishes different rhetorical functions which we attempt to highlight by approaching a series of excerpts from newspaper articles available on line.