The Second Lady

In the midst of all the Inauguration madness (which I will blog about later), much has been made about our wonderful new First Lady. And rightfully so! But another woman has been catching my attention through all of this: the Second Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. First of all, have we EVER had a wife of the prez or vp with a doctorate??? But away from her professional accomplishments, she has led a pretty remarkable personal life. When four of her best friends were diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, she established the Biden Breast Health Initiative. That included going to Deleware high schools and educating teenage girls on proper breast health. She has also earned two master's degrees while raising three children, two of which were not hers. As you probably know, Joe Biden's first wife and daughter were tragically killed in a car accident.

Jill Biden seems to represent many middle class women. And while some may say that she's only representative of white women, I beg to differ. She herself was born into a working class family, much like Michelle, and began work as a waitress at the age of 15. She also quickly married and divorced while in college, characterized herself as "rebellious", and even did some modeling. This tells me that she is unlike the typical politician's trophy wife, born into money and groomed to be the "philanthropic" blonde bombshell. She taught public school for 13 years, including special work with emotionally disturbed students. Neither did she settle into the role of housewife; rather, her responsiblites as a mother only seemd to further her impact on her community. I hope that your average American woman can see that she is so much more like they are than the infamous Sexy Sarah. She has class, an education, and actual accomplishments, yet she has also made some questionable decisions just like many of us have. I also love her style. She's a wonderful example of a healthy, productive, and down to earth woman. And I like her a little more each time I see her :)