Tells the story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis through her evolving public persona, from campaign wife to First Lady to fallen idol to treasured national icon
When Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis became First Lady of the United States over sixty years ago, she stepped into the public spotlight. Although Jackie is perhaps best known for her two highly-publicized marriages, her legacy has endured beyond twentieth-century pop culture and she remains an object of public fascination today.
Drawing on a range of sources- from articles penned for the women's pages of local newspapers, to esteemed national periodicals, to fan magazines and film- Our Jackie evaluates how media coverage of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis changed over the course of her very public life. Jackie's interactions with and framing by the American media reflect the changing attitudes toward American womanhood. Over the course of four decades, Jackie was alternatively praised for her service to others, and pilloried for her perceived self-interest. In Our Jackie, Karen M. Dunak argues that whether she was portrayed as a campaign wife, a loyal widow, a selfish jetsetter, or a mature career woman, the history of Jackie's highly publicized life demonstrates the ways in which news, entertainment, politics, and celebrity evolved and intertwined over the second half of the twentieth century.
Examining the intimate chronicles of this famous First Lady's life, Our Jackie suggests that media coverage of this enigmatic public figure revealed as much about the prevailing views of women in America- how they should behave and whom they should serve- as it did about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as an individual.

About the Author
Karen M. Dunak is Professor and Arthur G. and Eloise Barnes Cole Chair of American History in the Department of History at Muskingum University. She is the author of As Long As We Both Shall Love: The White Wedding in Postwar America.

Reviews
Drawing on a wealth of research and archival sources, the author combs media coverage and private and public accounts of JKO over her lifetime... Astute observations on an iconic figure who is apparently of perennial interest. * Kirkus Reviews *
Critically analyzing the media mania surrounding each new phase in Jackie's life, Dunak nimbly parses contemporary journalism and academic evaluations to present a cogent social interpretation and nuanced portrait of one of the most influential and persistently misunderstood women in American history. * Booklist *
Never before had the wife of a political candidate been so consequential to crafting a political win than when, in 1960, Jackie Kennedy energized voters-women in particular-with a well-crafted media strategy based on the 'look' of the new modern American woman. And that was only the beginning. Assembling a treasure trove of contemporary publications, TV and radio coverage, interviews, and more, Karen M. Dunak offers us a breathtaking look at Kennedy through decades of persistent public attention-some adoring, some mean-spirited-that shaped the legacy of a cultural and social icon, while revealing the fascinating evolution of notions about a woman's place and power in America. A great read! -- Kate Clifford Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Rosemary, the Hidden Kennedy Daughter
Just when you thought there were no new perspectives on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Karen M. Dunak discovers a creative approach to one of the most intriguing women in American history. Following Jackie's life through its fascinating stages, while matching them with the lenses through which the world saw her, is the perfect framework for this unique story. Dunak's clear, fluid, eloquent writing style exhibits how Mrs. Kennedy and "Jackie O" reflected, and were a reflection of, gender, media, and politics in mid-twentieth century America until her death in 1994. -- Barbara A. Perry, author of Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier
Examining media coverage of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from the 1950s to the 1990s, Dunak provides important insights into changing gender role expectations during the second half of the American Century. Along the way, she also offers a fresh perspective on Onassis's significance to United States history. -- Katherine Jellison, author of It's Our Day: America's Love Affair with the White Wedding, 1945-2005
Karen Dunak provides an essential and eye-opening perspective on the making of an American icon. Deeply researched and beautifully written, Our Jackie explains how the Kennedy family's political and media savviness combined with press assumptions about womanhood to cultivate a constantly evolving public obsession with Jacqueline Kennedy that has lasted decades. This is media history at its finest. -- Kathryn Cramer Brownell, author of 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News
Although many assume that Jackie Kennedy's life ends at the assassination, we know that this is simply false. Not only does Jackie Kennedy remarry and become Mrs. Onassis, her life also does not end when her second spouse passes away. Rather, she is gifted with the privilege to have agency over her own life, thus driving her to a career centered around her love of literature. Dunak's assessment of how first ladies like JKO are portrayed and treated in public media is refreshing and relevant in our contemporary understanding of what it means to be First Lady of the United States and the legacies that follow. -- Stephanie Bohnak, Director of Education & Outreach at the National First Ladies Library & Museum



Book Information
ISBN 9781479830565
Author Karen M. Dunak
Format Hardback
Page Count 360
Imprint New York University Press
Publisher New York University Press