Make FLOTUS Great Again

In 2016, the editor of one of the most important fashion magazines in the country had already done a cover shoot with Hillary Clinton, celebrating her as the first woman to be elected president. It was part of a larger bid to be more political, which included making Vogue’s first-ever presidential endorsement earlier that year. In fact, the magazine had planned out nearly half a year to celebrate “women in power.” It all came crashing down when Donald J. Trump won. Vogue wasn’t the only one to get out over its skis politically. Glamour had done soft-focus pieces for the Obamas that year, while conducting a relentlessly negative interview with Ivanka Trump. The fashion press along with much of the formerly apolitical cultural media, already in decline, could not stand against the general thrust of the media, so they joined the resistance to the Trump era.

America seemed to lose something in the new arrangement; it lost the first lady of the United States, as she has been understood since the Kennedy era. Normally, the first lady is treated by the press as a symbol of the glamour and good-heartedness of the American people themselves. The first lady often becomes a reason for promoting some fashion designers, as she chooses gowns and dresses for major occasions. And she usually takes on some philanthropic or social-cultural role. Although they could be nasty to her, the press relentlessly pushed Nancy Reagan’s campaign against drug abuse. The press noted Laura Bush’s fondness for Oscar de la Renta gowns. Michelle Obama became identified with her campaign against childhood obesity and for better nutrition for children. A major post–White House memoir came to be expected and would typically earn millions for its publisher.

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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In 2016, the editor of one of the most important fashion magazines in the country had already done a cover shoot with Hillary Clinton, celebrating her as the first woman to be elected president. It was part of a larger bid to be more political, which included making Vogue’s first-ever presidential endorsement earlier that year. In fact, the magazine had planned out nearly half a year to celebrate “women in power.” It all came crashing down when Donald J. Trump won. Vogue wasn’t the only one to get out over its skis politically. Glamour had done soft-focus pieces for the Obamas that year, while conducting a relentlessly negative interview with Ivanka Trump. The fashion press along with much of the formerly apolitical cultural media, already in decline, could not stand against the general thrust of the media, so they joined the resistance to the Trump era.

America seemed to lose something in the new arrangement; it lost the first lady of the United States, as she has been understood since the Kennedy era. Normally, the first lady is treated by the press as a symbol of the glamour and good-heartedness of the American people themselves. The first lady often becomes a reason for promoting some fashion designers, as she chooses gowns and dresses for major occasions. And she usually takes on some philanthropic or social-cultural role. Although they could be nasty to her, the press relentlessly pushed Nancy Reagan’s campaign against drug abuse. The press noted Laura Bush’s fondness for Oscar de la Renta gowns. Michelle Obama became identified with her campaign against childhood obesity and for better nutrition for children. A major post–White House memoir came to be expected and would typically earn millions for its publisher.