The Shocking Revelation: First Man
With all of this talk about our next president potentially being the first female president, has anyone stopped and thought about our First Man? The role our First Man would execute has to be taken into as much consideration as the role of our first female president.
From the first through the forty-fourth First Lady, Michelle Obama, first ladies are the trophy wives and add a certain dynamic or tool to enforce the president’s policy message. Often times as seen in most campaign races, first ladies will evoke the family feelings and values their husband, the presidential candidate, wants metaphorically pushed with their political agenda to show what the president believes in and ignite pathos in a rhetorical approach. Most first ladies come into the White House with a specific platform or cause they are passionate about pushing during their husband’s presidential term; for instance, First Lady Obama’s platform during both terms has been ‘Let’s Move!’
This makes me think, will the role of the significant other change? Will a First Man have the same responsibilities as the First Lady? This is a complete gender specific position, and it would seem a bit feministic if a man were to pursue the role as a First Lady would. It all comes back to the way our culture identifies the roles of each gender, so my opinion of the role being feministic might be different than the person’s sitting beside me. A man could always tackle a platform more masculine-oriented.
As society progresses, and the patriarchy system is progressed into a matriarchy system, it is no doubt the job description of a future First Man will need to be throughly examined and question.
April 16th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
I think the role of First Man could be a catalyst for busting traditional male/female roles in politics. Being a female Government and International Politics major looking into careers within the government industry, I find it incredibly frustrating how these gender roles have become ingrained into our political structure. If there were a male spouse fulfilling the First Lady role in a way that wasn’t all that different, and with the presidential spouse taking on the full duties of office, I believe that it would help to make people realize that these roles are not gender specific. I also think MIchelle is pursuing a topic that isn’t necessarily feminine, as fitness is typically more associated with the masculine identity. One related example I can think of is how pink used to be a “boy color” because it was seen as a strong color. Clearly, that perception has now changed. I think it is all about changing public opinion not necessarily to believe the opposite, but to believe there is no difference. For my own future and for the betterment of society, I sure hope this is the future.
April 16th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
Thank you so much for your feedback, Lori! I agree with you wholeheartedly. My minor is in American Government, and I am also pursuing a job in politics. It means the world to me to see driven females such as yourself ignite the passion to right the wrongs in society!
April 24th, 2013 at 7:25 pm
I was just thinking about this the other day! It’s societal gender constructs like these that remind you how our culture is still very much based on stereotypical expectations.