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U.S. Campus Life

Those who love Jackie

By Masako Yamada


ジャッキーを愛する人々

ボストンはケネディ元大統領らケネディ家発祥の地。その地で今秋、「ジャクリーン・ケネディ:ホワイトハウス時代の衣装展」が始まりました。ニューヨークで開催された際には大変な反響を呼んだのですが、ここボストンではあまり話題にのぼりません。しかし、雅子さんは友人を誘って、この展示会に出かけることにしました。

Boston likes to think that it gave birth to the Kennedy clan. Several Kennedy family members are still very prominent members of the Boston-area political and non-profit circles. There are numerous institutions named after the Kennedys, including the JFK Library and the JFK School of Government at Harvard. Kennedy-family scandals often appear in the local news.

When the "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years" exhibit came to the JFK Library this fall, I knew that I would definitely have to take a look. This is the same exhibit that caused such a furor this summer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The media gave this event — an exhibit of Jackie Kennedy's wardrobeso much coverage that even I, living in Boston, knew about the long lines of people waiting patiently for a peek of her dresses. One of my friends, a design student in New York, talked excitedly about having been able to see the exhibit.

I think people had mixed feelings about the exhibit, and there were even a few debates in the media about the "meaning" of the show. It was extremely popular, but it wasn't exactly "art" of the sort that would normally find itself in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I haven't heard any of my friends in Boston mention the exhibit. I haven't really felt the presence of this exhibit via the normal PR channels: advertisements, press coverage and word of mouth. Even though the content of the exhibit is the same as it was in New York, the event has not been generating the same kind of "buzz." I figured it was because although Bostonians love the Kennedys, they're not into going to events simply because it's the "talk of the town."

Since most of my friends are not very interested in clothing, I asked a Japanese friend to join me. Indeed, she seemed very excited to go to the exhibit, and she even told me that her mom was a big fan of Jackie. I made reservations to the exhibit even though I didn't really expect large crowds. I just wanted to make sure we'd be able to get in. Sure enough, we could've easily gotten tickets simply by showing up at the JFK Library . . . but the crowds were a lot thicker than I expected.

Most of the people at the exhibit were older women, many of them in groups. I could immediately tell that they were the women who followed Jackie when she was in the White House. Many of the women stood in front of each outfit for five or 10 minutes and made comments like "She really brought elegance and class to the White House," and "Yes, things simply haven't been the same." There was a group of Wellesley College alumnae enjoying a 50th reunion trip. Obviously, the people there were not just looking at clothing: they were enjoying a fantasy trip to the past.

It's no wonder that there were not many women my age at the exhibit: I wasn't even born when Jackie was in the White House. It's even less of a surprise that there were not many men at the show. What percentage of men care about A-line skirts or a silk brocade?

I enjoyed watching the women at the Jackie exhibit. Some of them were groomed and chic, and others were more casual and frumpy. The amazing thing about Jacqueline Kennedy is that she managed to make these different types of women love her. She was able to convey a sense of American royalty while not alienating the working class.

I sensed a bit of her spell-binding powers at this exhibit, simply by looking at the people around me. Bostonians may not be gossiping about this hot show on the street, but I felt a deep passion among those who made the effort to visit. Those who are not so impressed by the Kennedy legend would probably never consider going to such a frilly event. But there are lots of people in Boston who would push against crowds to catch one glimpse of Jackie's distinctive garments, not only because they are pretty, but because of what they once represented.


Shukan ST: Nov. 23, 2001

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