Fashion first, lady second: The politics of style for women in the White House

As a woman in the White House, you exist in the context of all in which you wear and what was worn before you.

Prior to the 2024 election, when discussing the inner workings of American democracy, the mentions of “Mr. President” and “the first lady” were inevitable. These accolades roll off the tongue smoothly, yet they bare the coarse truth of a long-reigning, gendered dynamic at our country’s epicenter.

Even in the absence of a first and last name, the reference to the presidency boasts the title of “Mr.,” a figure of speech formally known as an honorific. This addition is exactly as it sounds: it provides supplementary honor and esteem to a position that inherently represents those pillars already.

“The first lady” is also exactly as it sounds — but it’s decorative, not authoritative. “Lady” is simply synonymous with woman. “First” is not an honorific (because Mrs. Lady would be redundant, wouldn’t it?). Rather, it’s an adjective that amplifies the docile nature of being ladylike.

According to the George W. Bush library, the intended role of the first lady was to “influence, or at least [be] perceived to be able to influence the President.” Key word: perceived. Meaning, the insatiable expectations for the female appearance are on immediate display, urging the masses to look to the White House first for the picturesque portrayal of American womanhood.

Is it so wrong, then, to interpret that to be a leading lady in The White House is to be a spectacle? Is it so right, then, to insist that these powerful women have learned that wearing the title may be just as detrimental as working it? And will president-elect Kamala Harris redefine what it means to be both seen and esteemed should the polls play out in her favor?

However shallow fashion may be painted, at its core, it’s a culture industry. From inaugural gowns to signature accessories, White House women have influenced American culture. The American public gladly labels the icons and the inferiors, imitating the former and interrogating the latter.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — colloquially known as “Jackie O” — has been long deemed an icon of elegance. From the moment she married President Kennedy, she was aware that the front page would await her. Ivory silk and ruffles accompanied the portrait neckline of her wedding gown, marking one of the most quintessential bridal looks in history.

Jackie’s mother hired Ann Lowe, a Black dressmaker who catered to many high society women, to make that very gown and the pale pink bridesmaids’ dresses that accompanied it. While Lowe was not credited as the designer and still remains widely unknown, her work was the catalyst for catapulting Jackie’s style into the public eye.

From then on, the “Jackie Look” was refined, remembered and recreated. In order to avoid interfering with her husband’s campaign, she made the switch from her French couture investments to solely American manufactured clothing. Oleg Cassini, a designer and friend to the Kennedys, pitched himself to Jackie as a viable personal designer.

When it came time for the inauguration ceremony, an original Cassini wool dress and coat wooed the masses. Perfectly juxtaposing the fur coats of other politicians’ wives, Jackie not only graced the Capitol stairs, but she made a statement about her chic simplicity that would dominate the Kennedy era. Halston, then custom-design milliner at Bergdorf Goodman, insisted on an oversized pillbox hat to complete the look.

With President Kennedy giving the first inauguration speech televised in color, her stylistic choices were spectated and swooned over en masse. As a result of a windy morning, Jackie accidentally put a dent in her pillbox hat when readjusting it. From The White House to the rural Midwest, women proudly bought and sported their headpieces with a shallow indent in the crown.

In Kathleen Craughwell-Varda’s 1999 book, “Looking for Jackie: American Fashion Icons” she notes that manufacturers responded to the growing demand to emulate Jackie’s clothing choices by having copies of her clothes in stores within six weeks of their initial debut.

Even on the tragic day of President Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie kept on her double-breasted, wool suit — stained with blood — instead of opting for the alternate dress that had been laid out for her. In a 2022 interview with People, historian Steve Gillon said that Jackie “understood that she had a role to play in helping the nation transition to a new president.” A role in which perception remained a pillar, and a raspberry pink suit became a symbol of American history.

While Jackie O instituted a welcome change for the closet inventory of a politician’s wife, decades later, Michelle Obama would redefine the image of a first lady entirely. Yet, she was met with much more affliction than affirmation.

Michelle Obama

As one-half of the nation’s first Black couple to take on the presidency, Michelle Obama faced violent remarks for the color of her skin alone. The Black female body has a history of being hypersexualized and weaponized, so how she dressed widened that previously existing target on her back — and moved it to the center stage of America. Unfortunately, many were more than ready to aim for the bullseye.

In her first official White House photo in 2009, she received the beginning bout of criticism for showcasing her toned arms. Wearing a black, sleeveless dress adorned with two strands of white pearls — despite the reminiscence of both Jackie’s chic simplicity and Audrey Hepburn’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” look that popularized during the Kennedy era — Michelle’s right to bare arms was a sore topic. How ironic.

Critics rushed to deem her look “unladylike” or “out of season.” As time went on, the misogynistic and racist comments grew in intensity. In 2016, West Virginia native Paula Ramsey Taylor infamously posted on Facebook in favor of Melania Trump, saying: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady in The White House. I’m tired of seeing an ape in heels.” To which the mayor of Ramsey’s city replied: “Just made my day Pam.”

However, in typical Michelle fashion, she honored her motto: “When they go low, we go high.” It should be noted that Taylor was sentenced to prison three years later after embezzling more than $18,000 in disaster benefits from FEMA. A very particular JoJo Siwa chorus comes to mind here.

Michelle continued to ignore the hearsay and champion a modern, strong sense of femininity. Through mixing high-end and affordable fashion labels liberally, she democratized White House fashion in a way that outshone her predecessors.

In fact, she set the precedent before she even stepped foot in The White House. When Jay Leno guessed over $60,000 for the cost of the outfit she wore on “The Tonight Show” during Obama’s campaign, she responded, “Ladies, we know J. Crew. You can get some good stuff online!” She wore a yellow pencil skirt with a yellow and brown tank top, both of which were $148, topped with a $118 matching yellow cardigan.

According to a 2010 Harvard Business Review study, the stock prices of brands that she wore in public had “cumulative abnormal returns” that could not “be attributed to normal market variations.” In layman’s terms, she was, and still is, a bona fide trendsetter that stock prices follow — even when she wears dresses from Target.

Many working moms found solace in her relatability, making the balance of professional sophistication and practicality feel attainable in a position that had once been exclusively frivolous.

Post White House living, Michelle has shifted from refined, understated outfits and bouffant hairstyles to an explosion of bold, expressive force rocking numerous braided looks. Most recently, for her speech at the DNC in support of Kamala Harris, she wore a tailored jacket from Monse’s 2025 “Resort” collection — her arms as still as toned as they were 15 years ago.

While Michelle Obama’s style flourished after departing the White House, Melania Trump experienced the opposite effect.

Melania Trump

As a prominent model and socialite, Melania’s taste before she became the first lady was praised by legacy magazine media to casual onlookers. She was frequently invited to sit front row at various New York Fashion Week shows, and she attended the Met Gala nine times prior to her husband’s presidency.

Melania formerly favored babydoll silhouettes, plunging necklines, form-fitting gowns, luxe silks and a good metallic sparkle. While her love for Hermes (Kelly and Birkin bags, specifically) and Christian Louboutin pumps carried over to her FLOTUS days, her style became exponentially more reserved — well, in coverage, not in connotation.

For many, when Melania Trump’s name appears, an army green Zara jacket comes to the forefront of their mind. For a 2018 visit to a detention center housing immigrant children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, the back of the jacket boasted a tone-deaf message: “I really don’t care, do u?”

Her spokesperson at the time, Stephanie Grisham, tweeted that it was “just a jacket” and the media should be focusing more on the children than Melania’s wardrobe. Melania then went on to claim that “it was a message for the media” to show that she didn’t care about their opinions of her, but Grisham ignored her comments.

Regardless of the intention, the damage proved irreversible. It called into question both previous and following outfits that carried unclear undertones. In 2016, Melania wore a fuschia pussy bow blouse (yes, that’s really what they’re called) during a presidential debate after Trump’s misogynistic “Grab ‘em” comment. Melania’s stylist, Hervé Pierre Braillard, did not comment on the blouse’s significance.

In 2018, just a few months after the jacket fiasco, she visited Africa wearing a white pith helmet as she rode onto the grassland — a crisp symbol of European colonialism. Matthew Carotenuto, a coordinator of African Studies at St. Lawrence University tweeted, “It’s like showing up to a meeting of African-American cotton farmers in a Confederate uniform. Historical context matters.”

When context re-enters the conversation, we can expect Kamala Harris to be somewhere in the mix.

Kamala Harris

Now, America is at the precipice of what could be a historical moment should Harris win the 2024 Election. And fashion is still a first consideration, even as she tackles the title of president rather than the first lady.

Harris’ finely tailored pantsuits have been reviewed at every appearance. She has since traded in her signature Converse for classic black pumps to complete her polished campaign looks, always with the finishing details of an American flag pin or her lapel and the occasional strand of pearls as a nod to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Harris evokes a similar feel to the likes of the “Hillary Clinton effect,” as Clinton also embraced pantsuits as her personal uniform.

The Daily Beast recently published an article titled, “Kamala Harris is Well-Suited for President—But Poorly Dressed.” While her October Vogue cover story was not criticized for its informal posing and set design in the way that her previous Vogue cover story as vice president was, she received backlash for her wardrobe choices in both features. Both were suits.

Isn’t it interesting that wearing the same silhouette still elicits new criticism by the day? Meanwhile, Steve Jobs’ turtleneck and jeans combo, Donald Trump’s long ties and oversized suits and even the wardrobe of the potential Second Gentleman are accepted with no further examination.

Bringing to light the same judgment that Michelle Obama faced, it also seems that whether a Black woman shows some arm or is covered head-to-toe, there is a generalized insatiability present. The true issue reigns: the color of their skin is an accessory they cannot shed.

However, among college students — who tend to have a more inclusive definition of the “warmth and femininity” commentators say Harris’ power suits are missing  — the president-elect’s style is more than welcome. According to fashion students at Montclair State University, Harris is managing to showcase versatility and fun while staying within the professional bounds of dressing for the job.

Not to mention, what makes a pantsuit become a powersuit is, unsurprisingly, the person with the power. Given the history of women wearing suits as a symbol of authority, leadership and breaking gender barriers — it’s safe to say that Kamala Harris has kept the tradition alive.

The relationship between female fashion and the fabric of our democracy is interwoven and inseparable. Ultimately, these women and their White House wardrobe are a canvas for a broader discussion about representation, empowerment and the significance of style as a nonverbal method of communication in positions of power.