HAIRSTYLES OF AMERICA'S FIRST LADIES

I stumbled upon this article recently, which originally went to print last February in the New York Times. It features the distinctive hair styles of every first lady from Martha to Michelle. No bangs. Huh. I've never been fond of bangs either.

Hair-Portraits of First Ladies. From left to right: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Martha Randolph, Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Monroe, Louisa Adams, Rachel Jackson, Hannah Van Buren, Anna Harrison, Letitia Tyler, Julia Tyler, Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, Abigail Fillmore, Jane Pierce, Harriet Lane, Mary Lincoln, Eliza Johnson, Julia Grant, Lucy Hayes, Lucretia Garfield, Ellen Arthur, Frances Cleveland, Caroline Harrison, Frances Cleveland, Ida McKinley, Edith Roosevelt, Helen Taft, Ellen Wilson, Edith Wilson, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Lou Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama.

The first thing that struck me was that even though I think of myself as someone who has an above average knowledge of our nation's history, many of these names were unknown to me. We had a first lady named Letitia?

I wish we could also see, by way of comparison, the hair styles of the presidents. Probably wouldn't be as interesting or as diverse, but it would be kind of neat to see that side by side with the ladies.

I wonder how Sarah would do her hair if she became first lady, or should I say... if she were elected President. I don't want to appear chauvinistic. (I know that 3/4 of BFZ readers are ladies, and I wouldn't want to piss you guys off...I mean gals...oh darn it!) If Sarah was President and I was her boy toy I don't think I would do much differently with my hair unless my handlers forced me to get my hair did, but this is my pledge to you, America, I will never put product in my hair, and nor will I dye it. If I start to go bald, so be it. Read my lips...

While we are on the topic of hairstyles of first ladies, check out the mighty mane belonging to the first lady of Cameroon. I found pictures of her alongside our own Michelle Obama during a visit to the Drudge Report this morning. Not since Rod Blagojevich have I found a hairstyle so arresting. Her hair is a force to be sure. It is rumored that her unnatural ginger tresses, which smell precisely like a Strawberry Shortcake doll, singlehandedly put down a coup earlier this year.

Seeing her garish style juxtaposed with our own first lady gave me an appreciation for Michelle Obama's personal style. As a fellow, I find it understated and classy. Way to represent, Michelle!