ABSTRACT Title of Disserta tion: FIRST LADIES AS POLITICAL WOMEN: PRESS FRAMING OF PRESIDENTIAL WIVES, 1900 – 2001 Lisa M. Burns, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Professor Shawn J. Parry -Giles Department of Communication University of Maryland This project contends that press framing of the U.S. first lady institution throughout the twentieth century positioned presidential wives as important public women who were presented as models of American womanhood. An analysis of the print news coverage reveals that the first lady institution serves as a site of ideological contestation over women’s public and political roles, reflecting the intersection of gender, publicity, and power at particular historical mome nts. The press practice of gendered framing draws on often competing ideologies of American womanhood, and in doing so shapes the content of news narratives. The subjects of the stories often become representatives of social gender norms. I call this pract ice personification framing, which is the positioning of a well -known individual as the embodiment of a particular ideology. A personification frame serves as an ideological short cut used by journalists to simplify, in the case of first ladies, the comple xities of gender role performance, making such discussions easier to insert into the limited space of a single news story . An outgrowth of personification framing is the emergence of first ladies as public women , gendered celebrities , political activists , and political interlopers , positioning that reflects press representations of women’s public and political roles at various points in U.S. history. The publicity and scrutiny surrounding gendered performances of the first lady position construct boundarie s of empowerment and containment that help to normalize women’s public activity and domestic empowerment while challenging women’s public and private political influence. Press frames, thus, serve as important boundary markers that help to define “proper” performances of both gender and the first lady position. While first ladies’ status as public women and gendered celebrities results in both access to and influence within U.S. political culture, they remain on the fringes, with their power largely limited to domestic matters and women’s issues. When their influence is suspected of trespassing too far into the male political reserve, press coverage exhibits a rhetoric of containment that suggests the political act ivities of first ladies violate the g endered boundaries of institutional performance. Such framing accentuates the c ontestation that surrounds first ladies as political women. FIRST LADIES AS POLITICAL WOMEN: PRESS FRAMING OF PRESIDENTIAL WIVES, 1900 – 2001 By Lisa M. Burns Disser tation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2004 Advisory Committee: Professor Shawn J. Parry -Giles, Chair Professor Maurine H. Beasley Professor James F. Klumpp Professor Trevor Parry -Giles Professor Mari Boor Tonn @Copyright by Lisa M. Burns 2004 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would never have been completed if it were not for the generous assistance and support of many people. I gratefully acknowledge the guidance, nurturance, and wisdom of my advisor, Dr. Shawn J. Parry -Giles. Along with introducing me to the study of first ladies, she aided my development as a rhetorical critic and writer. Her input was invaluable, and her support constant. I would also like to recognize Dr. Maureen H. Beasley, who generously offered me guidance throughout my time at the University of Maryland and served as my “unofficial” ad visor and mentor. In addition, I am grateful to the other members of my dissertation examining committee, Dr. James Klumpp, Dr. Trevor Parry -Giles, and Dr. Mari Boor Tonn, for sharing their insights and supporting my project. Meanwhile, my colleagues at Qu innipiac University, particularly the members of the Media Studies and Public Relations department, were supportive in my efforts to complete the dissertation while working full -time. I would especially like to thank Nancy Worthington, Russell Barclay, Edward Alwood, Carol Marro, Sharon Kleinman, Dean David Donnelly, and Vice President Kathleen McCourt for their guidance, advice, and backing. I am also eternally grateful to the many people who have encouraged me throughout my graduate career. At Maryla nd, a number of people came into my life who I now consider my colleagues, mentors, and most importantly, friends. I could not have made it through my exams and dissertation without the encouragement of my Dissertation Support Group: Laura Janusik, Leslie Dinauer, Leah (Simone) Tuite, and Amy Heyse. My DSG sisters helped me navigate this sometimes frustrating, often stressful, and ultimately rewarding process. When I needed help, advice, or iii someone to listen, they were there for me. This process made us clo ser, and I am forever grateful that we decided to form this group. I must also thank Lisa Corrigan, the other half of “the Lisas” and my soul sister, who helped me maintain my perspective, my cool, and reminded me always of my roots. I also need to thank others who provided support and guidance, including my dear friends Nathaniel Cordova, Dina Gavrilos, and Jessamy Hoffman; mentors Andrew Wolvin, Michael Gurevitch, Robert Bellamy, and Robert Frank; many of my current and former students at Quinnipiac University, the University of Maryland, and The George Washington University who have inquired about my dissertation; and my fellow first lady scholars whom I first met through the Inventing a Voice book project. Finally, I dedicate this work to my mother and best friend, Betty Roberta Williams, without whom none of this would be possible. Everything I am is a reflection of her love, her patience, her wisdom, and her belief in me. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………… 1 The First Lady Institution and the Media: Research Trends……………….. 4 Framing Gender, Memory, and Image in News Narratives ……………….. 11 Print Media Coverage of the First Lady Institution in the Twentieth Century ……………………………………………………... 18 Chapter 1 Repre sentations of Womanhood in the American Press, Pre -1900 …… 28 The Era of Republican Motherhood and Parlor Politics, 1789 – 1833……. 31 Republican Motherhood and Parlor Politics ………………………. 32 The Birth of the First Lady Institution………………………….….. 33 Par tisan Press Framing of the First Lady Institution………….….… 37 The Emergence of True Womanhood and Woman’s Rights, 1833 – 1865... 43 Defining Women’s Proper Place …………………………………... 43 The Antebellum First L ady Institution………………………….….. 46 Framing the Antebel lum First Lady…………………………….….. 49 True Womanhood, New Womanhood, and Social Reform, 1865-1900.…... 54 The True Woman, the New Woman , and the Female Reformer…... 55 Transitional Spouses and the Evolution of the First Lady Institution……………………………………………….. 58 New Journalism and the New Wo man: Framing First Ladies……... 61 Conclu sion……………………………………………………………..…… 68 Chapter 2 First Lady as Public Woman, 1900-1929……………………………….. 71 Competing Gender Ideologies: The “New” Modern Woman………………. 75 Fr aming the First Lady Instituti on in the Modern Era……………………… 83 From True Woman to New Woman: Personification Framing in the Modern Era…………………………………………………………. 84 From Hostess to Advocate: Framing the Performance of the First Lady Position…………………………………………………………….. 91 Emergence of the First Lad y as Public Woman……………………………. 98 Conclusi on……………………………………………………………….... 107 v Chapter 3 First Lady as Gendered Celebrity, 1932 -1961……………………….. 111 Competing Gender Ideologies: From Rosie the Riveter to June Cleaver... 116 Framing the First Lady Institu tion at Mid -Century……………………… 123 Embodying Domesticity: Empowerment and Containment……... 124 The Two -Person Career: Framing the Performance of the First Lady Position…...…………………………………………... 132 Emergence of th e First Lady as Gendered Celebrity …………………….. 142 Conclusi on……………………………………………………………….. 152 Chapter 4 First Lady as Political Act ivist, 1964-1977………………………….. 156 Competing Gender Ideologies: Liberating Women From the Feminine Mystique………………………………………………………. 160 Framing the First Lady Institution During the Second Wave……………. 167 Personifying the Contemporary Woman of the Second Wave…... 168 The Emergence of First Lady as Political Activist ………………. 173 Assessing the Influence of the First Lady as Po litical Activist ………….. 187 Press Memory and Iconic First Ladies…………………………... 188 Challenging First Ladies’ Political Activis m……………………. 192 Conclusi on……………………………………………………………….. 200 Chapter 5 First Lady as Political Inte rloper, 1980-2001……………………….. 204 Competing Gender Ideologies: Feminism and Domesticity in a Postfeminist Era ………………………………………………………….. 207 Framing the First Lady Institution in the Postfeminist Era………………. 213 Feminist Vs. Traditionalist: Personification Framing and Postfeminism …………………………………………….……….. 213 The Emergence of First Lady as Political Interloper…………….. 220 Exploring the Boundaries of First Lad ies’ Gendered Celebrity…………. 230 Iconic First Ladies as Historical Boundary Markers…………….. 232 Boundaries of Empower ment and Co ntainment…………………. 237 Consequences of Violating the Boundaries: The Case of Hillary Rodham Clinton………………………………………….. 243 Conclusi on……………………………………………………………….. 248 vi Afterword ………………………………………………………………………… 251 Personification Framing: First Ladies as the E mbodiment of Gender Ideologies ………………………………………………………..
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