Mark White: John F. Kennedy, America’s “Royal Family,” and the Apex of High Society. [Abstract]

John F. Kennedy (JFK) became a glamorous high society luminary as well as a political star in post-war America. This was in part due to his ability to utilize the media – the written press and then television. This media savvy was a trait inherited from his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, and was furthered by his own experience as a working journalist in 1945. Long before he became president, beautiful pictures of JFK and Jackie Kennedy adorned magazines such as Life; and this saturated and flattering media coverage continued during their White House years. His televisual impact was crucial to his election as president in the campaign against Richard Nixon. The Kennedy fortune bolstered JFK’s high society status, as did his numerous connections to Hollywood, epitomized by his friendship with Frank Sinatra and the performance by Marilyn Monroe of “Happy Birthday” at his Madison Square Garden birthday celebration. As erotic transgression was a perceived feature of high society life, JFK’s status as a sex symbol was significant too. He was often linked with other sex symbols, including the fictional character of James Bond. That they were fashion trendsetters added to Jack and Jackie’s high society status, which was projected internationally by personal connections, as well as international media coverage. JFK’s glamorous high society image made political leadership in the US seem more accessible. The Kennedys came to be seen as America’s royal family, and so in a sense JFK was viewed as the person at the top of high society.

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