The first lady is not just the wife and companion of the head of state. Often, she performs a number of social functions: defends the rights of women and children, advocates the development of education and science. Often the spouses of heads of state are even more popular than their husbands. The biography of every first lady is unique. Many women managed to build a successful career, showed themselves in politics or charity. We will tell interesting facts about the most famous first ladies.
Melania Trump (main photo)
Donald Trump’s path to the presidency is hardly typical. He always paid more attention to his business, rather than political activity. His wife, Melania, was also far from politics. She was born in Slovenia, after graduation she entered the University of Ljubljana, where she studied architecture and design. But soon she left her studies for the modeling business. And she was right: her career was developing very successfully. Melania participated in fashion shows in Milan, Paris and New York. It was after one of them that she met her future husband.
Brigitte Macron
The press often focuses on the big difference in the age of the ruling couple, and not on their merits. Not surprising, because Brigitte is 24 years older than her husband. This is a smart and extraordinary woman, whose life path is really amazing. Brigitte was born in northern France, in a family of wealthy businessmen. But she refused to continue their business. Instead, Brigitte successfully graduated from university and began to work as a teacher. Her career was successful, later she began to teach at the prestigious Parisian gymnasium. But she had to leave her job when her husband ran for president of France. However, this does not prevent her from studying education. Brigitte often attends schools and communicates with teachers.
Lee Sol Zhu
North Korea is a closed country with a totalitarian regime, so little information is known about the ruling couple. Many argue that the wife of Kim Jong-un has an extremely positive impact on him. She is trying to improve the status of women in the country. Thanks to Li Sol Zhu’s actions, they are now allowed to ride bicycles, wear jeans and low-heeled shoes.
Mehriban Aliyeva
Mehriban Aliyeva is not only the first lady of Azerbaijan, but also an active statesman. Until her husband was elected president, she worked as an ophthalmologist. Also, a woman is a candidate of philosophical sciences. In 2017, she became the first vice president of Azerbaijan. Mehriban is actively involved in charity work and is the UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Pat nixon
Pat Nixon is the wife of Richard Nixon, who was the 37th president of the United States. The peak of its popularity came in the 50s of the last century. Pat was a faithful companion of her husband and, in the eyes of many people, an ideal housewife.
But in fact, as the first lady, a woman actively defended the rights of women. She encouraged them to participate actively in US political life. It was thanks to her influence that Nixon passed a law allowing women to be elected to the Supreme Court. In addition, Pat was involved in charity work. She did not just transfer money to the funds, but she personally visited many disadvantaged countries in Africa and Asia to help draw public attention to the problems of local residents.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary is the first lady of the United States during the presidency of her husband Bill Clinton. But she herself also made an equally impressive political career.Hillary was the only first lady to enter the U.S. cabinet. In her youth, a woman dreamed of a military career, she even considered becoming an astronaut. However, Hillary was not able to pass a rigorous selection, so she focused on the study of jurisprudence. In 2016, she could become the first woman president of the United States, but with a slight margin she was ahead of Donald Trump.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor is the wife of the 32nd US president. Her husband ruled the country in difficult times: the protracted Great Depression, and then World War II. His wife actively defended equal rights for all people. Eleanor actively supported black US citizens and women. The First Lady held individual press conferences in the White House, where she discussed the problems that ordinary people face. Her husband supported his wife and opposed segregation. At press conferences, he was not afraid to sit next to black people, although by law a separate zone was always allocated for them.
In addition, Eleanor took part in the creation of the UN and was involved in the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is believed that she was much more popular than her husband. And the American press often called her the first lady of the whole world.
Aki Abe
Japan is a patriarchal monarchy, where more attention is paid to members of the imperial family. But they also have a first lady, she is the wife of the prime minister. Aki Abe is not just a companion of her husband at public events, but also an active public figure. She is not afraid to openly object to her husband’s policies. A woman actively supports the participation of women in the socio-political life of Japan. It is noteworthy that in her youth she worked as a DJ on the radio, and now she owns her own bar in Tokyo.
Angelica Rivera
The wife of the former president of Mexico does not have an active political position. But she built a successful career on local television. Angelica starred in several popular Mexican TV shows. And the soap opera Just Mary made her popular all over the world. But she was forced to end her acting career in 2007. After 3 years, she married the future president of Mexico.
Bonus: Valentina Tereshkova
Of course, officially, Valentina Tereshkova was never the first lady, but she performed her duties. For a long time, the wives of the secretaries-general were not public figures, they did not meet with foreign delegations and did not take part in government events. Therefore, the functions of the first lady were performed by Valentina Tereshkova - she was the first female astronaut. She was respected and loved not only in the USSR, but throughout the world. Therefore, it fell to her to receive foreign delegations.