From Deification
to Vilification

By the mid-1960s many Americans began to tire of the fact that Jackie Kennedy would not play the role that they believed suitable for the former first lady of a slain president. With every passing day her halo grew dimmer and dimmer until it disappeared entirely and within a very short span of time, she came to be thought of as “the mean girl”. Journalist Leslie Valentine reported that the trashing of Mrs. Kennedy became so widespread by 1967 that no social gathering was complete without someone pointing out her shortcomings.

“Only a short time ago this woman could do no wrong; she was universally acknowledged to be the most revered, admired and respected woman in the world… It would not have been possible in 1964 or 1965 or even in the first half of 1966 for a newspaper to print (as a Florida newspaper did) ‘Mrs. Kennedy Being Imperious Again'”

When it comes to the widows of our most admired heavyweights, Americans prefer the Coretta Scott King variety.

An article that typifies the sort of disrespect Jacky Kennedy had to suffer can be found here…

Click here to read about Jackie Kennedy’s life after leaving the White House.