First Lady Fantasy Job.

Imagine this: your husband is offered his dream job. And I’m talking dream job, not just a better job, or more money, but a real, honest-to-goodness, this-is-all-I’ve-ever-wanted Dream Job. Of course, you’re going to have to move to a new city, but the company will provide you with a beautiful house to live in. Your children will have to change schools, but no worries, the company will make sure that they’re admitted to the private school of your choosing. Your husband is going to have to work pretty much all the time, but he’ll get to work from home, which is a bonus. The company will also provide your family with a personal chef, a driver, and a bunch of people to help take care of your errands and every day needs. And, oh, there’s just one more thing. You have to quit your job, and you can’t get another one. In fact, your husband is going to be so important to the company that you’re going to have a lot of clients coming to visit, and were kind of going to need you to entertain them. And their wives. And sorry, but you know, we hired him, not you, so, we can’t really pay you anything for doing it. Although, if you’re passionate about something and you want to do some non-profit work on the side, that’s totally cool. In fact, we encourage it. It really helps with our image. We’ll even let you use one of our private jets.


If any of this sounds familiar, it should, because the company is America, the dream job is President of the United States, and the wife in question is the First Lady. It sounds pretty antiquated, don’t you think? Very pre-suffragist, pre-Title IX, pre-NOW. I thought so, at first. I was all set to go on a tirade against the indentured servitude, the downright slavery that is First Ladydom. But as I’ve sat here for the last several hours, contemplating this post, my opinion has completely changed. I don’t think the role of First Lady is old-fashioned at all. If anything, I think it’s totally, utterly modern. So modern, in fact, it’s almost post-modern.


Technically, the First Lady has no official duties. She’s not required by law to host state dinners, or to pick out china patterns. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the First Lady must charm foreign dignitaries, or visit sick children in hospitals. But she can’t really work outside the White House, either. It’s not an explicit ban, but the potential for conflicts of interest is just too great, and I think we can all agree that no employer of any kind should have that much influence with the President, whether real or perceived. So while it’s not fair that a First Lady can’t work in the private sector, it does make sense, and it’s not a double standard, either. Just look at what Bill Clinton had to go through in order for Hillary to be named Secretary of State. And he’s doing charity work.



This post rocked. As a working mom who wishes I had the option to off-ramp whenever I needed to, I have to agree that the First Lady job sounds pretty sweet.


Hmmm...I hadn't thought of the role of First Lady that way before. Like you I've always thought of it as very antiquated position. But after reading your thought provoking article I'm beginning to see Michelle Obama's new job in a different light. Good luck to her.