Heard a wonderful commentary on NPR yesterday, where a man took his fourth-grade niece to the Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The girl, who initially hadn’t heard of Jackie, was tremendously unimpressed with the former First Lady. Why did such an important woman speak in such a tiny, little girl voice? And why was she so concerned with her clothes? The man was amazed that his niece wasn’t more enthralled by it all.
“But she really didn’t do anything,” said the girl.
“What is a First Lady supposed to do?” said the man, a little taken aback.
“Go places and fix problems and help people, like Eleanor Roosevelt did, or Madeleine Albright,” said the girl.
Amen to that. I’ve never understood the fascination with Jackie, except as a participant in the Kennedy mystique. Even as an icon, she represents some pretty superficial aspects of society: clothes (by browsing the museum’s web site, you would think her pillbox hat was equivalent to the Holy Grail), hair, interior decorating, social status, and living a genteel life shielded from the papparazzi. Not much to build a legend around, if you ask me.
FINALLY, someone who feels the same way I do about Jackie K! For years I’ve been perplexed by the old fascination with her. She’s a historical icon, BUT SHE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!!!