19 First Lady Outfits That Meant More Than You Realized

First ladies hold a unique position in the American political landscape. They aren't looked to for specific opinions on policy or guidance during times of crisis, but they do have influence on culture. And when first ladies aren't given the proper platform to share what's on their mind, they use another powerful tool at their disposal: fashion.

Fashion has often been top of mind for first ladies. Many first ladies have been featured in Vogue. The dresses they wear to inaugural balls end up displayed in perpetuity at one of the most famous museums in the country. Some first ladies are remembered for the most scandalous outfits they've ever worn. There are even bizarre fashion rules that first ladies have to follow. Oftentimes, first ladies are reported on for what they wear more than what they have to say, so they communicate through their wardrobe — something they've been doing for decades. Here are 19 first lady outfits that meant more than you realized.

First ladies have been doing what they want for decades. In the late 1800s, Frances Cleveland was first lady, and she was no stranger to criticism. Cleveland once wore a sleeveless dress, and her choice was not taken well by certain members of the public, notably the Women's Christian Temperance Movement who urged her to dress more modestly. Though Cleveland supported the group, she didn't listen and wore what she liked. Now, photos of Cleveland wearing certain dresses seem to be just photos, but they're actually symbols of a woman defying expectations.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis walked so Hillary Clinton could run ... in pants. Prior to the Kennedy White House era, first lady fashion was defined by elegance and grandeur. Although she did wear plenty of elegant items throughout her time as first lady, Kennedy Onassis also brought about a new era of fashion for the position, making pants a prominent part of her wardrobe and becoming a style icon in the process. Her first lady 'fits are still influential today.

One of the darkest days in American history was November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis grabbed her husband right after he was shot, and her iconic pink suit was stained with his blood in the aftermath. After JFK was declared dead, Jacqueline was transported to Air Force One for Lyndon B. Johnson's swearing in ceremony. She was offered a change of clothes but kept her bloody suit on as a statement. "[L]et them see what they've done," she told Life magazine, per Biography.

Gerald Ford became president in August of 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned, so Gerald didn't have a formal inaugural ball like other presidents. Traditionally, the dress the first lady wears to the inaugural ball is displayed at the Smithsonian. Since first lady Betty Ford didn't have a ball to attend, she selected a dress from her existing collection to use for the display. She opted for a green gown with chrysanthemums, a symbol of honor and respect, holding special meaning given the circumstances under which she became first lady.

On the last full day with the Ford family in the White House, first lady Betty Ford walked into the Cabinet Room with photographer David Hume Kennerly, stood on the table, and started dancing. She did so simply because she had always wanted to, and Kennerly snapped a photo. The photo wasn't published until years later, but when it became public, the combination of Ford standing on the table and wearing pants became an iconic symbol of women's rights, a cause she championed as first lady.

It's rare for a public figure to wear the same outfit twice — at least in public — but Rosalynn Carter bucked expectations in 1977 when she wore a gold-trimmed blue chiffon dress to the inaugural ball after her husband was sworn in as president. Carter had worn it eight years earlier to the inaugural ball after her husband was sworn in as governor of Georgia. Carter's choice to re-wear her gown was criticized by some as a refusal to support the American fashion industry, but it was praised by others as modest and sustainable.

On Inauguration Day in 1981, Nancy Reagan arrived to support her husband as he became president of the United States. Reagan was wearing a red coat and a matching pillbox hat. The color certainly stood out, and it served as a harbinger of what would define Reagan's first lady fashion. Reagan continued wearing what came to be known as Reagan Red in the White House, seeing the color as a strong choice. "I always liked red. It's a picker-upper," Reagan once told W magazine, per the Los Angeles Times.

No one is more well known for wearing a pantsuit than Hillary Clinton, but she and the outfit weren't always so synonymous. That all changed when she became the first woman to wear pants for her official first lady portrait. The wardrobe choice reflected how Clinton saw herself — just as smart and driven as any man. In her memoir "What Happened," Clinton said, "[I] thought it would be good to do what male politicians do and wear more or less the same thing every day" (via CNN).

Every first lady adopts a cause to work on while in the White House, and one of Laura Bush's most prominent causes was heart health. The leading cause of death in United States women is heart disease, and Bush wanted to raise awareness. Bush started the Red Dress project, an initiative in which she encouraged women to wear red as a reminder to take care of their hearts. Bush even won an award for her efforts in raising awareness of heart disease in women, and she wore red to accept the award.

Michelle Obama has had lots of notable fashion moments since becoming involved in politics. While on the campaign trail for her husband in 2008, Obama arrived at a rally wearing a purple dress and a pearl necklace. The pearls were huge and quite obviously fake, and they made a major statement. Essence editor Mikki Taylor said, "Those are pearls you have to deal with," when describing them to the New York Times, and Obama was seen as relatable and praised for being unafraid to wear faux accessories. It became an impactful first lady fashion moment in history.

Michelle Obama has gotten bolder and bolder with her wardrobe choices over the years, and in 2016 she wore what seemed to be one of her boldest fashions to date. As the Obama era was coming to an end and the nation was enrapt by the presidential campaign, Donald Trump was making statements that shocked his detractors. Seemingly in response to one of Trump's comments about women, Michelle arrived to her final state dinner in a metallic Versace dress, presumably as a symbol of female empowerment.

It's no secret that the Obamas and the Trumps differ in their politics, but that didn't stop Michelle Obama from continuing a time-honored tradition of hosting the next first lady at the White House for tea after the presidential election. For her November 2016 meeting with Melania Trump, Obama wore a purple dress, carefully selecting the color of her garment to represent unity. Purple is often used to represent unity between Democrats and Republicans as it's made up of blue and red.

Michelle Obama continued making wardrobe statements after she was no longer living in the White House. The former first lady arrived at the 2021 presidential inauguration in a head-turning monochromatic outfit, replete with a turtle neck, wide leg pants, and a matching coat by designer Sergio Hudson. The plum-colored ensemble seemed to evoke yet another calling for unity across the aisle and across America, echoing a message Joe Biden had focused on throughout his successful presidential campaign.

Melania Trump made headlines with her first go at an Inauguration Day outfit, wearing a powder blue Ralph Lauren ensemble. For her second Inauguration Day, Trump wore another Ralph Lauren get-up, this time mostly black with hints of white. Both outfits sent a message, but the second one was particularly poignant as she was again wearing an American designer after her husband had spent his campaign urging United States citizens to support American businesses.

In the summer of 2018, Melania Trump went viral for wearing a utility jacket with the words "I really don't care, do you?" printed on her back as she disembarked Air Force One for a visit to a migrant child detention facility in Texas. Trump first said the jacket meant nothing, but she later said it was a message to the left-wing media. "You could criticize, whatever you want to say, you can say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right," she told ABC News.

Not all messages are so clear. In 2018, Melania Trump arrived at the State of the Union Address wearing all white while most of the other women in attendance, notably the female legislators, were wearing all black in support of the #MeToo movement. Trump's outfit certainly meant something, but the public was in disagreement on whether her outfit was a message of support for women (white is often associated with the women's suffrage movement) or against women.

Other messages are very clear. While on the campaign trail in 2020, Jill Biden once wore a pair of boots with one simple yet powerful word on the side: "Vote." Campaigners are often encouraging the public to vote, but the encouragement was especially strong from the left in 2020 as Democrats were trying to oust Donald Trump from office. Though it's unclear how many people decided to vote in direct response to seeing Biden's boots, 2020 did turn out to be a record year in voting numbers.

Jill Biden immediately used her wardrobe to send a message when she became first lady. The professor arrived at her husband's inauguration in 2021 wearing a monochromatic teal ensemble with a jacket, coat, and gloves. The pieces were made by Makarian, an American brand, and the color was chosen intentionally, as it represents trust and loyalty, two important characteristics in a president. "That was important for us, to get that information across," Makarian designer Alexandra O'Neill told the New York Times of Biden's inauguration look.

Jill Biden had plenty to stay on top of during her husband's administration, but she made sure to voice her opinions on what she found most important, even through her wardrobe. As tensions rose between Russia and Ukraine, Biden showed her support for the Ukrainian people by arriving at the State of the Union Address in 2022 wearing a dress embroidered with a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine and a symbol of resistance amid the Russo-Ukrainian War.