PRIMA DOMINA
In the realm of Government, women have had less of a prominent voice in terms of holding an elected office. The general theory is that this is the result of a constitution founded within a patriarchal mindset. They have yet to claim the top position in the executive branch of Government; however, women have been recurring, prominent players in the white house narrative. From the term being first coined “… when Dolley Madison was eulogized as ‘America’s First Lady’” (Lynne E. Ford 2014), the President’s wife has had a role in taking up a cause in societal welfare. While having no delegated powers from the constitution, this paper examines the influence of the First Lady of the United States and the evolution of this role throughout history as well as the effects of being such a high profile family.
Research
The First First
When looking at how the position of First Lady has changed throughout history, there is a consistency found of responsibilities and qualities that were shown by the first First Lady, Martha Washington. Linda English’s article it is shown that Martha Washington did all she could to support the war effort as well as acting as a hostess to weekly receptions held by the first family. She had to uproot her family and move to the American center of government which at the time was New York City. While she had the ability to hold live under the public eye, it should be noted she did desire privacy as shown by her burning the letters written between her and George following his death. (Linda English 2017) This desire for privacy is a recurring theme when in the position of the first lady. As it is not an office that one runs for it’s more of a situation one is thrust into by the ambitions of their partner.
Unwanted Spotlight
Often times the proximity to the Presidency puts these women into situations requiring courage and resilience in the face of the actions taken by their husbands. In Kate Anderson Bower’s novel First Women, she describes some of Pat Nixon’s experiences in the White House as the Watergate scandal tore through Washington. She was fearful to leave the White House for lunch worried about encountering violent protests, thus she was confined to the mansion for months with her only company being the White House staff, whom she developed close relationships with as a result of this. (Brower 2016) She stood by her husband throughout all of this, enduring all the consequences of the wrongs he had done in such a high profile position. Guilty by association put her in a less than ideal situation, and all of America was there to see. This puts a unique strain on the relationship between family and career, often the latter being prioritized.
Another First Lady having to endure tragedy under the scrutinization of the public is Jackie Kennedy. In an article by Carl & Dorothy Schneider (2015) it details how Jackie Kennedy was no stranger to being the wife of a politician due to her husband John’s previous job holding as a senator. (Carl & Dorothy Schneider 2015) Nothing could have prepared her though for the tragedy to befall the Kennedy family on that fateful day in Dallas Texas. As told in Kate Brower’s novel, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson the wife of LBJ, Kennedy’s Vice President, sent for Jackie to return to the White House on multiple occasions and received nothing but declines as she felt it too painful to return after her husband's untimely death. (Brower 2016) She experienced a great loss due to her husband's high ranking status.
Advocacy Programs
The idea that a First Lady should take up a cause and devote efforts to advocating that cause can be traced back as early to Martha Washington taking up to help the war effort. Lynne E. Ford gives some more recent examples of this are Nancy Reagan’s drug awareness program, Laura Bush’s attention to Literacy, and Michelle Obama’s pledge to help end childhood obesity. (Lynne E. Ford 2014) These programs range in effect and means that are taken to carry out their promise. In some cases, these advocacies end up translating into legislation being enacted to help carry out the First Lady’s goals. These programs are a great way for the First Lady to use her position in power for the betterment of society. While she has no real Federal powers, she has enough status as a celebrity to enact change through the Federal system. In a way that’s more citizen-friendly than the confusing path of enacting change through Bureaucracy.
A special case is presented in the case of the Clinton family. Bill Clinton actually appointed Hillary, his wife, to take a political position in the White House. Hillary was more than qualified, holding a law degree from Yale and having a comprehensive understanding of the American political system; however general misogyny and an opinion on her career-driven attitude as “anti-family” lead to this being a controversy in American Politics. (Lynne E. Ford 2014) The Clinton administration also endured a harsh blow when it came to the wanton details of the Monica Lewinsky Scandal; however, Hillary Clinton still moved on to run for President herself in the 2016 election taking home the popular vote, but not the electoral college. This brings us to the current First Lady, Melania Trump.
Melania
The 2016 election and subsequent Trump Administration is one marked by controversy, and the current First Lady is not exempt from that. Born in Slovenia, she is one of two First Ladies born outside the U.S. Her status as an immigrant is ironic considering her husbands' general anti-immigration attitude. She speaks five languages and worked as a model before her time in the White House. (Steckenrider 2018) She has one son and lives a life relatively independent of her husband, making few efforts to appear united. She herself has not effectively evaded controversy with a speech she made in 2016 to the Republican National Convention which was later exposed as being comprised of multiple passages from a speech earlier made by Michelle Obama in 2008. She did not play a huge role in the campaign trail, mainly staying home to take care of her son.
The most recent Melania related controversy was in regards to a jacket she wore while visiting McAllen Texas, in the midst of the family separation crisis. She has publicly identified herself as championing advocacy for children; however, the jacket she wore on this visit had “I really don’t care, do u?” inscribed on the back. This jacket doesn’t seem too out of the norm with fashion these days, but within the context of the situation, it is extremely inappropriate especially considering her husband’s actions on this matter. This situation was just another brick in the already polarizing wall that is the Trump administration.
Melania is an interesting figure. An immigrant herself, married to a notoriously anti-immigrant president, a former model, fluent in five languages, she definitely breaks the norm in a way no first lady prior has. She makes very few public statements, and it’s hard to really discern her true opinions on anything. It will be interesting to see how she carries the banner moving forward through the next years of the Presidency.
Discussion
Limitations of this study. As not all information is released to the public, it is difficult to get a true first-hand account of all the happenings within the white house and how much the First Lady truly has a say in. It also should be taken into consideration the First Lady often has a staff of people looking out for her and her image. Since there was no individual analysis of every single First Lady also there are likelihoods of discrepancies within the conclusion.
Results
All this information presented points to the role of First Lady is truly dependent on the factors of the White House and the character of the person holding this position. There isn’t really much consistency of power delegated to the role, it is merely a product of the climate of the rest of the administration.