The role of international diplomat developed for first ladies post–World War II. Although Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt set precedents, Jacqueline Kennedy solidified protocols for diplomatic behavior during the Cold War. First ladies use soft diplomacy as a counterbalance to military policy to advance civil society and democracy. This chapter examines travel as state diplomacy, skill in interpersonal relationship building, fashion and cultural diplomacy, and issue-based negotiation. Analysis includes Pat Nixon’s humanitarian travel and support of détente with China, Rosalynn Carter as surrogate president in Latin America and encourager of Middle East peace, Nancy Reagan as promoter of US–Soviet relations to end the Cold War, Hillary Clinton as a champion of women’s rights as human rights, Laura Bush’s support for Afghan women and girls, and Michelle Obama’s international efforts to promote girls’ education. These exemplary women indicate the power of first ladies to advance progress in education, health, foreign policy, and human rights.

Electronic media use by first ladies dates to the 1930s when Lou Hoover delivered her first radio address. The development of radio and television—and later social media—placed a greater emphasis on image and personality, giving first ladies the opportunity to be heard as well as seen, and in some cases offering them more control over their messaging. This chapter looks at several notable examples of how first ladies strategically used—and in some cases misused—electronic media to shape their public image, support their husband’s programs, and advocate for their own causes.

US first ladies have exercised a complicated kind of activism when it comes to women’s rights. Some have acted as vocal advocates to insist that women’s equality should be a national priority. Others have used their platform more quietly to intervene on behalf of women’s rights. Still others have held and promoted views that have contradicted, undermined, or altogether avoided efforts to advance women’s rights. This chapter traces how US first ladies have addressed and influenced the prevailing women’s rights issues of their day, with a focus on two national campaigns: a federal amendment for women’s suffrage and a federal amendment for equal rights. By engaging or avoiding the debates surrounding women’s suffrage and the ERA, these women stretched the political and rhetorical boundaries of their platform and shaped public understanding about the ongoing struggle for women’s equality in the United States.