Jacqueline Kennedy
When Jacqueline Kennedy made her recently publicized tapes in 1964, four months after Jack’s assassination, I was 11 years old. Jackie typified wives of her time by remaining loyal in glorifying Jack’s achievements while sublimating the pain inflicted by the flagrant affairs Jack publicly enjoyed. I was growing up in a Boston bedroom community where these marriages were the norm. Moms raised kids at home while dads worked (and had affairs). In my world, mothers simply did not have careers, as it reflected poorly on the husband’s ability to support his family.
Those single women who didn’t marry right after college worked to support themselves until they found a husband. I remember these working women as my teachers, nurses and airline stewardesses. This fall’s TV lineup with a return of “Mad Men” and the new “Playboy Club” and “Pan Am” amplifies for today’s youth how it was back then for these women. (more…)
Susan B. Bastress
Simple Truth 