The First Ladies of the United States are role models, trendsetters, and social and political influencers. Always in the public eye, they’re expected to balance roles as a campaigner, hostess, and policy advocate. They’re remembered and loved for many reasons, but the American fascination with what the First Ladies wear has lasted almost as long as the history of the presidency itself. 

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The fashion of the First Ladies has shaped the ideals of American femininity, reflected the changing roles of women, and helped define their political and cultural contributions.

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“With little guidance on how to manage the position, first ladies often define their roles and responsibilities based on public opinion, their individual talents, their time period, and their husband’s expectations of the job. In efforts to embody an ‘idealized U.S. womanhood,’ the first lady must simultaneously fit in with the norms and vogues of her times and pay tribute to an idealized past, constructed as part of an unbroken lineage of traditional American womanhood” (Finneman and Thomas 224).