jackie kennedy

Caroline Kennedy Talks About Jackie Kennedy Tapes on GMA
women

Caroline Kennedy on Jackie Kennedy's Retro View of Women

Jackie Kennedy is having a moment right now.
by

Jackie Kennedy is having a moment right now. Almost five decades after Jackie Kennedy recorded an interview about everything from her marriage to being first lady to her opinions on her contemporaries, the tapes have been released for the public to hear. Today, Caroline Kennedy went on Good Morning America to give her reaction. Caroline shares what it was like to hear her mother say women should get all their opinions from their husbands and not be involved in politics and defends Jackie by noting that she lived in a very different era and was in a unique position as the president's wife. Caroline recalls listening to the tapes with her daughters, who were absolutely horrified, but also points out that while Jackie said women shouldn't have opinions, she goes on to express her own strong ones on world leaders, marriage, and more. Watch Caroline discuss her mom and hear some of the tape.

Listen to Jackie Kennedy Tapes on Colbert Report
Video

The Jackie Kennedy Tapes: Diane Sawyer Lets Us Listen

A 1964 taped interview with Jackie Kennedy will be released for the first time tomorrow, some 47 years after it was recorded.
by

A 1964 taped interview with Jackie Kennedy will be released for the first time tomorrow, some 47 years after it was recorded. In it, the newly widowed former first lady opens up with frank opinions about figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and French leader Charles de Gaulle, while also reminiscing about her marriage. Diane Sawyer will host an upcoming special on the tapes, and she was on The Colbert Report last night to discuss. Before she came out, we got to listen to parts of the interview, and it was more moving to hear Jackie's voice than just read the quotes. Of becoming first lady, Jackie said, "Suddenly everything that had been a liability before — your hair, that you spoke French, that you didn't just adore the campaign, and you didn't bake bread with flour up to your arms — then when we got into the White House all the things that I'd always done, suddenly became wonderful." Listen now.

Jackie Kennedy Tapes
Politics

What Did Jackie Kennedy Really Think About Her Contemporaries?

Forty-seven years ago, a freshly widowed Jackie Kennedy sat down to record an interview with historian and Kennedy confidant Arthur Schlesinger Jr. On Wednesday, the interview now titled Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F.
by

Forty-seven years ago, a freshly widowed Jackie Kennedy sat down to record an interview with historian and Kennedy confidant Arthur Schlesinger Jr. On Wednesday, the interview now titled Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, will be released. In recent days, some excerpts from the conversations, which are sprinkled with sounds of matches being struck or little Caroline and John Jr. coming and going, have emerged.

On the tapes, the former first lady said John F. Kennedy "so obviously demanded from a woman a relationship between a man and a woman where a man would be the leader and a woman be his wife and look up to him as a man," but she also said she was happy her husband was proud of her and never saw a reason to form a policy opinion. Jackie did, however, form a few strong opinions about her contemporaries, including Martin Luther King Jr., her sister-in-law Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and French leader Charles de Gualle. Let's take a look at some of the statements she made about these historically significant people in the recording made a year after JFK's assassination.

Charles de Gaulle Martin Luther King Jr. Eunice Kennedy Shriver Bobby Kennedy Indira Gandhi
View 5 Photos
Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn Book
Shopping

Fab Read: Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?

It's an age-old question: are you the bombshell or the debutante?
by

It's an age-old question: are you the bombshell or the debutante? The flirty starlet or the sophisticated first lady? Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style ($16) starts with a fun quiz that will help you figure that out. Whether you identify with one more than the other or happen to be a little of both, this Fab read is part style guide, part history lesson. You'll learn tons about both of the iconic women — like their favorite books and music — and get tips on how to emulate their style and overall allure in all areas of your life. This is a totally useful tome, and as a very proud Marilyn, I'm looking forward to using the tips.

 

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?
Poll

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?

On season two of Mad Men, the gang at Sterling Cooper decided that women fall into two camps: Jackies and Marilyns.
by

On season two of Mad Men, the gang at Sterling Cooper decided that women fall into two camps: Jackies and Marilyns. To help modern women determine which of these 1960s beauties they resemble most, Vanity Fair put together a survey that would drive Don Draper mad, considering it includes a question about your relationship with your father. The quiz is a little late to the game, but fun nonetheless.

During times of stress, do you: a. go for a walk on the beach; b. meditate; c. pour gin in your tea? I'll go with walks on the beach, unless it's after 5 p.m. Some of the questions aren't so easy to answer. For example, question eight asks: After you sleep with someone for the first time, he: a. offers you the lead in his movie; b. asks you to marry him; c. has a Cartier bibelot on the breakfast tray. I called on my imagination and took the quiz. Apparently I'm a Jackie.

These two women are supposed to represent two opposite ends of the spectrum because they shared little besides John F. Kennedy himself. One is brunette, the other a platinum blonde. One has a demure look, the other oozes sensuality. It's your classic, and simply sexist, Madonna/Whore dichotomy. And while even the guys at Sterling Cooper knew that every woman has both sides to her, Vanity Fair's lighthearted quiz has me curious: are you more of a Jackie or a Marilyn?

Fifth Avenue 5 AM Asserts That Audrey Hepburn Paved the Way For Fabulous Single Women
Books

The Real Female Dichotomy: Marilyn vs. Audrey

Before Sex and the City, we had Holly Golightly, the fabulous single lady portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
by

Before Sex and the City, we had Holly Golightly, the fabulous single lady portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. In the upcoming book Fifth Avenue 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, author Sam Wasson argues that Hepburn's portrayal was one of the first to glamorize the single, city-dwelling woman.

In the 1958 book on which the movie was based, Truman Capote made Golightly a racy call girl, a far more controversial character who was tamed for the big screen. In the latest issue of New York magazine, Wasson says the casting of Audrey Hepburn made Golightly a more aspirational figure:

"Before Hepburn, there was the prude and the slut, and the reality of in-between had no cinematic correlation. If Monroe had played her, she would have just been a hooker. That was when I got the power of the movie, and the genius of casting Audrey Hepburn."

In a much-discussed season two episode of Mad Men, the creative types at Sterling Cooper argue that all women fall into two camps: the Jackie or the Marilyn, the Madonna and the whore. But being a "Jackie" also means being a mom, so for single women, perhaps the Marilyn vs. Audrey dichotomy is more accurate. What do you think?

Decorating Dos and Don'ts For Obama White House
The White House

Decorating Dos and Don'ts For Obama White House

In the New York Times article "Free the Blue Room," writer and Domino magazine editor Deborah Needleman argues for a more modern aesthetic for the White House.
by

In the New York Times article "Free the Blue Room," writer and Domino magazine editor Deborah Needleman argues for a more modern aesthetic for the White House. Unfortunately, this is no simple task. Why? Because so many previous generations of White House first ladies have shown little imagination in decorating the capital home, since the initial redecoration in 1962 by Jackie Kennedy.

In order to revive the cringe-worthy decor of the White House, reports Needleman, Jackie Kennedy cleverly framed her dramatic makeover as an historical renovation, and had Congress designate the White House as a museum. Unfortunately, since this time, following first ladies have interpreted the preservationist mandate as something not to be tampered with. Thus, the White House's style has languished under a style that, while under Jackie's eye and stylish guidance, looked lovely, but in subsequent interpretations, has gone slightly sour.

To read more about Needleman's recommendations, and to see a video of Jackie Kennedy giving a tour of the White House, read more

Bridal Beauty Looks, Part I: The Princess Bride
Wedding

Bridal Beauty Looks, Part I: The Princess Bride

Besides being a fantastic movie, The Princess Bride is classic, timeless and breathtaking.
by

Besides being a fantastic movie, The Princess Bride is classic, timeless and breathtaking. Think Grace Kelly, Countess Sophia and Jacqueline Kennedy. The princess is having a decadent and fairy tale style affair. This type of blushing bride is seeking a refined, polished look that will highlight and enhance her best features.

For a list of product ideas to help create the look of a beautiful princess bride, read more