The Cult of First Ladyhood: Controlling Images of White Womanhood in the Role of the First Lady

In recent decades, scholars have begun to analyze the role of the first lady in American society. Though the relationship between gender ideologies and this identity has been analyzed, little attention has been paid to how other aspects of the first ladies’ identities could shape the way the public...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Politics & gender 2019-09, Vol.15 (3), p.484-513
Main Authors: Handau, Megan, Simien, Evelyn M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autobiographical literature
Autobiographies
Black white relations
Ethnic identity
Femininity
First ladies
Gender
Gender identity
Gender relations
Gender role attitudes
Gender roles
Hegemony
Intersectionality
Norms
Obama, Michelle
Oppression
Politics
Presidents
Race
Race relations
Racial identity
Research Article
Roles
Sexual orientation
Social privilege
Stereotypes
Subordinates
White people
Womanhood
Women
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Summary:In recent decades, scholars have begun to analyze the role of the first lady in American society. Though the relationship between gender ideologies and this identity has been analyzed, little attention has been paid to how other aspects of the first ladies’ identities could shape the way the public and the first ladies themselves view their role. In this article, we offer an intersectional analysis that considers historical notions of hegemonic femininity in relation to race. We assert that the role of the first lady is a raced-gendered institution that produces a controlling image of white womanhood that simultaneously privileges white femininity and subordinates black womanhood. We conduct an analysis of the autobiographies of six first ladies: Edith Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, “Lady Bird” Johnson, Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama.
ISSN:1743-923X
1743-9248
DOI:10.1017/S1743923X19000333