Princess Politics #3

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was born on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York to father John, a wealthy New York stock broker and mother Janet Bouvier, an accomplished equestrienne of Irish Catholic heritage. Eldest of two, Jackie has a younger sister Caroline Lee Bouvier. Jacqueline enjoyed a privileged childhood of ballet lessons and French lessons from the age of 12. At a dinner party in 1952, Jackie met the dashing young congressman and senator-elect John F Kennedy from Massachusettes who asked her out on a date and they got married a year later on September 12, 1953. In January 1960, during Kennedy’s candidacy for U.S presidency, Jackie worked tirelessly from home due to her pregnancy at the time which prevented her from joining her husband on the campaign trail. In this period she answered letter, gave interviews, taped commercials and wrote a weekly column called “Campaign Wife”. Her mission as the First Lady was to transform the White House into a museum of American history and culture that would inspire patriotism in public service those who visited. The public became enchanted with her simple approach to clothing and beauty and eventually this helped women get out of tight waists and crinolines and into sleek shifts, pillbox hats and a natural approach to makeup that focused on the eyes. Jackie Kennedy brought shift dresses, three-quarter sleeves, jeweled sandals, silk scarves with big sunglasses to the masses that endures strongly up to this day. She showed us that if you’re going to wear white, make it as blinding as possible having the effect of a spotlight on you all the time. Jackie’s buttoned-down sleeveless shirt is such a good alternative to tank tops which we still follow and she made a grand gesture that pink is more powerful than red with diamonds ofcourse. A scarf was an iconic alternative to a ponytail for Jackie. Ever seen an elastic around her wrist? We think not!