• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.8
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• pp.14-26
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze Jacqueline Kennedy and Michelle Obama's fashion style from a perspective of modernism and postmodernism. The method utilized in this study was first, to examine the properties of modernism and postmodernism. Next, we explored the types of role performance of the first ladies and the application of their fashion as an aid to their roles through the precedents of the research concerning modernism and postmodernism. The results of the study are as follows. First, there was a trend of formalism and anti-formalism. Jacqueline Kennedy made her public appearances wearing a formal dress in order to express the first lady's authoritarian figure of restrained elegance. The fashion of the first lady aspired to formalism. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama followed more of a free style by eschewing the typical formality of the first lady. She created diverse styles utilizing a variety of items, which were not interrupted by form or by using heterogeneous items. Second, there is a trend of elitism and populism. While Jacqueline Kennedy preferred only haute couture designers' costume in order to show the prestige and dignity of the upper class, Michelle Obama patronized unknown designers' clothing or mid-level casual brand goods that the public favors in order to interact with the public through her fashion. Third, while modernism regards totality or unity to be important, postmodernism puts an emphasis on the eclecticism by pursuing complexity and diversity through the deconstruction of an indigenous genre. In case of Jacqueline Kennedy, this tendency featured monotone clothing color, which presented a unified full set dress that excluded decoration. Michelle Obama, in contrast, mixed and matched formal dresses and a casual cardigan or felicitously mixed luxury brand or low to middle priced brand goods.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.88-99
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• 2012

Recently the hair style of Michelle Obama, the world's most recognized First Lady of the United States has been loved by the public with her optimistic confidence and as a fashion leader. For Michelle Obama's hair styles by length, a medium-short cut style was expressed in various ways to show her strong will by exposing the forehead, an elegant image by asymmetry hair, or a progressive image by a short volume hair cut. A medium cut style expressed an elegant and intelligent image in shoulder-length and a trendy image using a side parting. A updo hair style produced young, womanly, and casual images using twisting, binding, typing up, and rolling technique according to situations. For hair styles associated with her roles, when participating as a diplomatic delegate, she expressed the President's helpful partner by a soft and womanly image using bobbed hair and half updo technique. For the participation in state occasions, her hair styles were examined in three situations. First of all, she mainly had a neat style, exposing her forehead in official schedules as a political partner to create an intelligent and high-class image. Second, she expressed a strong will with a medium-short style during an election campaign. Finally, she showed an elegant and refined hair style in consideration of T.P.O. during social activity. Michelle Obama overcame her hair's handicap, grasped her images associated with hair length, and expressed hair strategically according to her roles as the first African-American First Lady of the United States.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.315-326
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• 2015

Woman leadership has been remarkably highlighted with women's accelerating entry into society. Domestic and overseas interests about political leaders began with the age of media and they are rapidly spreading worldwide with the development of internet, SNS and blog. Along with this phenomenon, exposure of images has been remarkably increasing and fashion has been also used as a political strategy. However, the research on woman political leaders has been insufficient so this study selected Geunhye Park, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton as representative woman leaders for the research. 149 pictures of Geunhye Park, 171 pictures of Michelle Obama and 124 pictures of Hillary Clinton from the articles containing their pictures from Jan. 2002 to Dec. 2013 were analyzed, focusing on their gender. The three woman political leaders' typical images of femininity, masculinity and androgyny were categorized respectively and the period and works in which those images had been expressed were reviewed. Also, fashion styles of the images pursued by each gender were analyzed through their color, material, silhouette, design point, items and accessories. As a result, Geunhye Park had femininity image at the beginning and had masculinity image when she did election campaigns, which led to her current image of androgyny. Michelle Obama uses the image of femininity, masculinity and androgyny simultaneously. It was found that Hillary Clinton emphasized the image of masculinity and androgyny but she emphasizes femininity image these days.