I'm Just the Wife
Watching the French president and his wife greet the Trumps this week, and the completely irrelevant and insulting remarks Trump offered ("She's in such good physical shape." Really? Did you expect her to be flabby and sagging and fat just because she's closer in age to you than to Melania?), I thought about how different the consort of a leader is treated according to the country and the leader.
To begin, the only consort that seems to grab much media attention, internationally at least, is the American First Lady. Since Eleanor Roosevelt, if not earlier, each dedicates herself to one cause or another and becomes its most public advocate. I suppose that having seen Michelle Obama in such a public fight against childhood obesity, it is strange to see that Melania doesn't want to go public on anything. It was mentioned back in January or so that she would take up the cause against bullying. At least that's what I think she was supposed to espouse, though many would think her fight starts at home. But we haven't seen her doing much of anything except accompany her husband.
The Spanish wife of Mariano Rajoy seems to have disappeared except for very exceptional public occasions. I think her name is Elvira, but I don't even know her surname. Most Spanish first ladies seem to remain at home, as if continuing the ancient tradition of the wife being absent from the public eye. That has not always been the case. Felipe Gonzalez's wife was also a congresswoman from Andalucía. She had her life, and was not about to conform herself with being a flower by her husband's side. José María Aznar's wife, Ana Botella, however, presented herself as a first lady in body and soul. She accompanied her husband on international trips, was by his side to greet foreign dignitaries, and was interviewed and followed by reporters. The problem in Spain, is that there is no First Lady per se. There is a Queen. As the consort to the head of state, the King, she is the de facto First Lady. The wife of José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero brought things back to anonymity. In fact, she didn't want the job at all. She was by her husband's side at certain moments, but always in the far background. Her successor, as I mentioned, has retreated even farther back into the scenery.
The job of First Lady in France has also never been defined. Sometimes they appear, are famous for one thing or another (Carla Bruni comes to mind), and sometimes are simply missing in action, such as when Hollande's wife decided to leave him because of his affair with an actress. Macron's wife at the moment seems to accompany him, but is more news for being much older than him than for being his consort.
Truly missing in action are the First Gentlemen. If it weren't for an occasional mention in the news, we would never know that Angela Merkel or Theresa May are even married. Remember Margaret Thatcher? Her husband was also non-existent except for a couple of times. I remember a picture, in which the British Prime Minister is looking on in awe as her husband downs a glass of wine. Married to the Iron Lady, one would think he downed quite a few in his time. In an obvious throwback to male dominance, it is expected of a wife to accompany her husband, yet it is not expected of a husband when the wife is a dignitary.
Since we are now in the twenty-first century and different ways of love are finally being accepted, we also have the first same-sex couples in power. Luxembourg's prime minister is married. His husband showed up at the meeting of NATO leaders earlier this year, and posed for the photo of the First Ladies. It was quite an incongruous moment, noted for posterity by most news outlets which usually don't take much notice of such pictures. Of course, it was noted even more when the White House Facebook page omitted his name as one of the First Spouses for the space of a few hours, until public complaints made someone put it in. Ireland's prime minister is also gay and has a partner. They are waiting for same-sex marriage to be approved to formally marry.
Things are changing in the consort business. From being a woman who traditionally stayed home and ran the household to her pleasure, and dressing to the nines to accompany her dignitary husband in ceremonies, the modern consort of a country's leader is doing her or his own thing. Wives aren't simply flowers to adorn their husbands. Yet, it continues to seem normal to see them as an appendix, rather than to hear of their continuing dedication to their own affairs, as happens when the dignitary is a woman. How about we start to get rid of such sexism?
To begin, the only consort that seems to grab much media attention, internationally at least, is the American First Lady. Since Eleanor Roosevelt, if not earlier, each dedicates herself to one cause or another and becomes its most public advocate. I suppose that having seen Michelle Obama in such a public fight against childhood obesity, it is strange to see that Melania doesn't want to go public on anything. It was mentioned back in January or so that she would take up the cause against bullying. At least that's what I think she was supposed to espouse, though many would think her fight starts at home. But we haven't seen her doing much of anything except accompany her husband.
The Spanish wife of Mariano Rajoy seems to have disappeared except for very exceptional public occasions. I think her name is Elvira, but I don't even know her surname. Most Spanish first ladies seem to remain at home, as if continuing the ancient tradition of the wife being absent from the public eye. That has not always been the case. Felipe Gonzalez's wife was also a congresswoman from Andalucía. She had her life, and was not about to conform herself with being a flower by her husband's side. José María Aznar's wife, Ana Botella, however, presented herself as a first lady in body and soul. She accompanied her husband on international trips, was by his side to greet foreign dignitaries, and was interviewed and followed by reporters. The problem in Spain, is that there is no First Lady per se. There is a Queen. As the consort to the head of state, the King, she is the de facto First Lady. The wife of José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero brought things back to anonymity. In fact, she didn't want the job at all. She was by her husband's side at certain moments, but always in the far background. Her successor, as I mentioned, has retreated even farther back into the scenery.
The job of First Lady in France has also never been defined. Sometimes they appear, are famous for one thing or another (Carla Bruni comes to mind), and sometimes are simply missing in action, such as when Hollande's wife decided to leave him because of his affair with an actress. Macron's wife at the moment seems to accompany him, but is more news for being much older than him than for being his consort.
Truly missing in action are the First Gentlemen. If it weren't for an occasional mention in the news, we would never know that Angela Merkel or Theresa May are even married. Remember Margaret Thatcher? Her husband was also non-existent except for a couple of times. I remember a picture, in which the British Prime Minister is looking on in awe as her husband downs a glass of wine. Married to the Iron Lady, one would think he downed quite a few in his time. In an obvious throwback to male dominance, it is expected of a wife to accompany her husband, yet it is not expected of a husband when the wife is a dignitary.
Since we are now in the twenty-first century and different ways of love are finally being accepted, we also have the first same-sex couples in power. Luxembourg's prime minister is married. His husband showed up at the meeting of NATO leaders earlier this year, and posed for the photo of the First Ladies. It was quite an incongruous moment, noted for posterity by most news outlets which usually don't take much notice of such pictures. Of course, it was noted even more when the White House Facebook page omitted his name as one of the First Spouses for the space of a few hours, until public complaints made someone put it in. Ireland's prime minister is also gay and has a partner. They are waiting for same-sex marriage to be approved to formally marry.
Things are changing in the consort business. From being a woman who traditionally stayed home and ran the household to her pleasure, and dressing to the nines to accompany her dignitary husband in ceremonies, the modern consort of a country's leader is doing her or his own thing. Wives aren't simply flowers to adorn their husbands. Yet, it continues to seem normal to see them as an appendix, rather than to hear of their continuing dedication to their own affairs, as happens when the dignitary is a woman. How about we start to get rid of such sexism?
What wonderful ideas you bring up
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