Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- The First Ladies Podcast Episodes
- Notes on Contributors
- Chronology of US First Ladies
- 1 Introduction
- 2 US First Ladies
- 3 Neither Wives nor Companions
- 4 First Ladies in Wartime
- 5 First Ladies and International Diplomacy
- 6 First Ladies, Slavery, and Civil Rights
- 7 First Ladies as Social Advocates
- 8 First Ladies, Suffrage, and the Equal Rights Amendment
- 9 Examining the Impact of Gender Norms on First Ladies’ Speeches
- 10 First Ladies as Trendsetters
- 11 First Ladies’ Strategic Use of Electronic Media
- 12 First Ladies in Film
- 13 Mourners in Chief
- 14 Legacy, Memorialization, and Public Memory of First Ladies
- Further Reading
- Index
10 - First Ladies as Trendsetters
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2025
- The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- The First Ladies Podcast Episodes
- Notes on Contributors
- Chronology of US First Ladies
- 1 Introduction
- 2 US First Ladies
- 3 Neither Wives nor Companions
- 4 First Ladies in Wartime
- 5 First Ladies and International Diplomacy
- 6 First Ladies, Slavery, and Civil Rights
- 7 First Ladies as Social Advocates
- 8 First Ladies, Suffrage, and the Equal Rights Amendment
- 9 Examining the Impact of Gender Norms on First Ladies’ Speeches
- 10 First Ladies as Trendsetters
- 11 First Ladies’ Strategic Use of Electronic Media
- 12 First Ladies in Film
- 13 Mourners in Chief
- 14 Legacy, Memorialization, and Public Memory of First Ladies
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
“Trendsetter” first ladies show new ways of modeling femininity in a given era, often through attention to the visual. Because women in public long have been expected to be seen and not heard, fashion and image historically have provided a way of communicating nonverbally. Thus, first ladies who were considered trendsetters typically circulated new “looks” or images to a given public, drawing from the culture in which they operated to influence norms around femininity, beauty, and celebrity. This chapter assesses seven first ladies for their visual influence. Dolley Madison (1809-1817), Julia Tyler (1844-1845), and Frances Cleveland (1886-89, 1893-97) were the most notable of the nineteenth-century first ladies who found themselves positioned as style icons. Following in their footsteps were Mamie Eisenhower (1952-1960), Jacqueline Kennedy (1960-1963), Nancy Reagan (1980-1988), and Michelle Obama (2008-2016), who each leveraged the trendsetter role during their time in the White House.
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- The Cambridge Companion to US First Ladies , pp. 245 - 269Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025