GUEST OPINION
White House at sunset (Photo – maxpixel.com).
The title First Lady needs to be retired.
By Jennifer Hall Lee
We describe the spouse of the President of the United States as First Lady of the United States, or FLOTUS. It is time to replace the term with First Spouse, a title that is gender free and expansive.
The term First Lady was never official; it came to be used as the role of the spouse of the President grew and evolved. The term had precursors such as First Lady of the Land and First Lady of the Republic. It was shortened to First Lady even though the role had no clear definition (what did a First Lady actually do?). Over time, the women who have held the position created definition.
Eleanor Roosevelt reshaped the role from that of a silent partner to a more independent function as she spoke to the press and wrote about the pressing social issues of the day. In fact, Ms. Roosevelt said, “I never wanted to be a President’s wife,” She preferred to be addressed as Mrs. Roosevelt. Her work in human rights was groundbreaking. She inspired girls and women, but also paid the price for her independence; she was laughed at and insulted by members of the press and in the public arena. Powerful women create fear in the eyes of traditionalists.
The term First Lady conjures a gendered image of men as presidents (men who have power) and women as wives (women marry power). How will we change the entrenched gender power structures of our culture if the ultimate image of power in our nation is male? Is our old-fashioned language holding us back? I think so.
According to Merriam Webster the first definition of Lady is “a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior.” A second definition is “a woman of superior social position.” Is the term First Lady speaking to our modern times? No.
The term
First Lady
conjures
a gendered image
of men as presidents
Some may say that this is nonsense and that familiar terms are not limiting. I disagree. When I hear First Lady I think of a woman. (I think you do, too.) Just for fun, close your eyes and think of our 45 presidents as all female. Take a few minutes with this image and imagine.
First Lady is also heterosexist because linguistically there is no room for a gay nominee for President.
The road to the White House will stay narrow if we keep using language from a time when women had no rights. If we see our Presidency, the top power spot in the country, as male then surely that definition resonates in our culture: men have power and women marry power.
Thought and language go together. If we want to create change in our world, let us start with language.
If you believe that you can use an archaic term but raise girls to see themselves as the President then ask yourself if you would refer to a girl as a guy. Oh, wait we do that, too! Sexist language lies deep in our culture and serves to continue a male dominant nation. As we continue to refer to all people as guys but not gals we are giving an edge to males as the mainframe examples of the human species with the female as a subset to males–Adam’s rib, if you will.
It is time to change the language of the presidency. The term First Spouse allows a freedom of thought as to who really belongs in the Presidency, which is any of us. We can keep working towards a Presidency that includes everyone if we start with our language and analyze our deep feelings about power and gender. The time for the First Spouse is now.
Jennifer Hall Lee is a filmmaker and writer. She lives in Altadena and is a PUSD parent.
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