Catherine Kennedy's Influence On Jfk

“I am a woman above everything else,” Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said. To the world Jackie Kennedy was a pretty face, a strong woman that stood by her husband until his death. However, too often people refuse to look beyond the exterior, and really dig deep into what makes a strong woman so strong. The public front Kennedy showed was not all she was, in fact there was so much more she hid from the public eye. She wanted to escape from it all, to be a normal person after her husband’s death and that was the one thing she could not have. From before she became a Kennedy, through her personal life with JFK, through her time as a First Lady, and the aftermath of JFK’s assassination she kept her head high, something most people have such a

The public originally just saw Jackie Kennedy as just an average politician’s wife. She made it clear her children were her top priority, not to be a political figure herself. But she was also idolized for making The White House more artistic. The nation wanted to dress like her. Her fashion was copied and soon she became one of the most popular first ladies. She then became criticized for staying with JFK after he was caught cheating on her. After JFK’s assassination she was more than just a woman. To the public she was a coping mechanism a “symbol of pain.” The nation used her to grieve. But she was also known to be strong. Something the nation lacked after the death of their president. According to Vanity Fair she was, “A symbol of strength for a traumatized nation in the winter of 1963–64” (Leaming). Today, Jackie Kennedy is often forgotten in First Lady popularity rankings. However, she is still cherished by many, continuing as a symbol of strength and pain. According to Nerve Magazine she is the sexist First Lady. In 2016, a movie about Kennedy’s life after the assassination entitled Jackie was made in which she is portrayed by Natalie Portman. There is music made about Jackie-O’s pain as well. Tori Amos has a song entitled “Jackie’s Strength.” The song talks about shots ringing out and police. It also touches on her wedding and how happy she was with JFK. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis may be a woman of history but her legacy will always be with the