The First Lady: The Unelected Face Of The Presidency
As the United States heads towards one of its most disputed elections yet, the events in Trumpland are a never-ending revolving door of drama, gossip and ‘fake news’. One of the latest (but not the last) events focused on a different character this time, however. Melania Trump’s plea for ‘racial harmony’ during the National Convention for Republicans made headlines, particularly as she tends to stay out of them. It was a rare official appearance from the First Lady, which does prompt the question: what does a First Lady actually do?
Laura Bush famously said “The role of First Lady is whatever the First Lady wants it to be”. However, that is simply not the case.
The term ‘First Lady’ has its origins in the United States in the 19th century, to refer to the (female) partner of the (male) President, but is now a term used by countries around the world. The original First Lady, Martha Washington, was referred to as ‘Lady Washington’, with the First Lady title steadily gaining popularity after being used to refer to Dolley Madison (wife of James Madison) at her state funeral in 1849. Terms such as First Gentleman, First Spouse or First Partner do exist, but these are much more rarely used. ‘Lady’, with its gendered and classist connotations, remains the norm. The United States have also made handy acronyms for these former titles: FLOTUS and POTUS. How these acronyms would work with the non-gendered titles remains to be seen.
Historically, the role of the First Lady was hostess, welcoming important political and community figures into the White House and organising dinners and functions. If these went well, they would go some way in advancing her husband’s political ambitions. The First Lady also acted as hostess of the nation: in a time without social media or the idea of global celebrity, female American citizens took their cues from her. A large part of the role also involved managing the household affairs of the White House, such as overseeing renovations and decorations. This element is still carried out by more modern First Ladies: Jackie Kennedy famously helped redesign the White House Rose Garden, and last year Melania Trump shared a promotional video of the Christmas decorations to promote seasonal tours of The White House.
Towards the mid-20th century, there was a seismic shift in the role of the First Lady, which is frequently credited to Eleanor Roosevelt. Before entering the White House, Eleanor closely worked with the Women’s Trade Union League for fundraising. Her political activism continued in the role of First Lady, where she focused on fundamental change around issues such as women’s rights, civil rights and humanitarian efforts. After her husband passed away, Roosevelt continued a life in politics. She became the first US ambassador to the United Nations, the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and oversaw drafts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her legacy is immeasurable.
One of her lasting impacts is the campaigns that First Ladies run during their time in the White House — referred to as ‘pet projects’ by the press. It is important that these issues are generally uncontroversial, such as Pat Nixon’s focus on volunteer service.
Initially, these projects had no direct overlaps with presidential policy, but in recent years they have reinforced the larger issues focused on during each presidency. For example, Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ anti-drug campaign coincided with Ronald Reagan’s ‘war on drugs’, and Michelle Obama’s ‘Let's Move’ fitness campaign reflected Barack Obama’s focus on reforming healthcare.
Alongside the growing political element of the role of First Lady, the notion of global celebrities and mass media accelerated. Jackie Kennedy was considered a global fashion icon during her time as First Lady, with her outfits spawning fashion trends that brands were keen to replicate. Even to this day, the Jackie O-style sunglasses remain iconic. The growing media interest in her was also highlighted by her being the first First Lady to hire a press secretary. At the time, the press portrayed Jackie as the ideal American woman, which, according to academic Maurine Beasley, “created an unrealistic media expectation for first ladies that would challenge her successors” . Nancy Reagan and her husband also worked in the Hollywood film industry before Ronald became Governor of California and later President. As with Jackie, press photographers followed Nancy for her glamour, style and youthfulness.
It is clear that the role has since developed over centuries, but it is still limited. The First Lady remains in a grey area: unelected so unable to enact change at policy level, yet simultaneously criticised for not doing enough and ‘letting the side down’.
The contradictions within the role was exemplified during Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to formalise its French equivalent in law. The idea of a separate public budget to pay for an office, staff and an allowance (as opposed to being taken out of the President’s) was met with outcry and the idea was scrapped. In contrast, Jimmy Carter passed a law in 1978 that sought to shape the role of the FLOTUS more formally, including the hiring of staff.
Hillary Clinton also received considerable backlash from the press during her time as First Lady, often for being too involved in policy. It’s interesting, therefore, that First Lady Michelle Obama later chose to self-brand as a ‘Mom-in-chief’; diluting the political with the domestic.
The idea that First Ladies had a previous career is also somewhat infuriating to the more conservative press. The emergence of nude modelling photographs of the current FLOTUS prompted outrage that she had dared have a life and career before stepping into the White House. A similar situation also occurred to the former French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Yet previous presidents have waved off scandal after scandal (and far more concerning ones at that).
So it’s no surprise that some First Ladies try to avoid the spotlight: as Boris Johnson moved into No. 10, many UK tabloids ran headlines such as ‘Who IS Carrie Symonds?’ Questionable taste in men and adultery aside, she is actually a senior advisor for an ocean conservation charity and has spoken on the climate crisis. She also waived her anonymity to successfully campaign against a rapist’s early release.
But to the vast majority of media (and therefore everyday citizens), she is just the unmarried hussy in Downing Street. Likewise, Sarah Brown and Samantha Cameron, perfectly intelligent and capable women in their own right, were frequently given the diminutive description of ‘PR girl’ when discussed by the press.
Perhaps it’s no surprise: Cherie Blair, one of their predecessors, was criticised for ‘trying to do it all’, which is code for ‘having a successful career as well as supporting her husband on international trips’. In a post-Downing Street interview, Cherie spoke of the press’ constant lashing out at her.
“[They]were my husband's political opponents, who didn't like me being a professional woman in my own right. … Certainly, for his political opponents, if they couldn't attack him, it was quite useful to attack me,” she reflects. In contrast, there is very little speculation about Philip May and Joachim Sauer.
The First Lady is often collateral damage; she pays a large price for her husband’s chance at success. And the role of the First Lady is exactly that — a role, something that must be endured, smiled through. They’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
Written by Sophie Ellis
Sophie is a twenty-something cafe assistant near Bristol and Bath. You can usually find her trying to perfect her latte art and book shopping, but ideally, she's by the beach.