There is no job description for first lady, no guidebook, and for Betty Ford, who had never imagined herself in the role, the only way she knew how to handle the situation was to be herself.
“Okay, I’ll move to the White House,” she said, “do the best I can, and if they don’t like it, they can kick me out, but they can’t make me somebody I’m not.”
Outspoken and surprisingly candid, Betty Ford was refreshingly relatable, and as it turned out, she was exactly what America needed. At a time when the women’s rights movement was gaining momentum, there hardly could have been a better spokesperson. Betty’s openness about everything from her personal health issues, to her views on premarital sex and smoking marijuana, sparked important and timely national conversations. After so many years living in Jerry’s shadow, Betty Ford was in the spotlight, and as she began to realize the power of her platform, she became determined to make the most of it.