First lady Melania Trump made a rare solo visit to Capitol Hill on March 3, the day before her husband's joint address to Congress, to advocate for the passage of the Take It Down Act, which would require companies that feature user-generated content to have a "notice and takedown process" for deepfake revenge porn.
In the famous dinner scene of the hit movie "Saint Elmo's Fire," the mother will barely say out loud the word "cancer" or "drugs." "There are certain words that my mother finds too horrible to utter, so she whispers them," Wendy Beamish, played by Mare Winningham, explains to her friend Billy Hicks, played by Rob Lowe.
While revenge porn might not be words teachers, parents, and daytime newscasters like to speak out loud, the growing problem is one that the first lady, along with online safety advocates, members of Congress, survivors of nonconsensual intimate imagery, and others feel should not be whispered about but brought to the forefront so everyone can speak up boldly about this serious issue.
The Office of the First Lady is undefined, and so each occupant can do what she wants with the unpaid, voluntary role. Many first ladies like Mrs. Trump have used the office to change public perception and awareness of some of the more difficult and often even off-limits topics to discuss through their advocacy and work on programs like Just Say No, Let's Move, and Be Best.
First lady Melania Trump launched her signature campaign, Be Best, which focused on cyberbullying and promoted wellness among America's youth during her husband's first term.
"Hearing from so many parents deepened my understanding and strengthened my resolve to use my platform to advocate for change. I decided to launch an overarching initiative aimed at implementing impactful changes to ensure the wellbeing of our children," she wrote in her autobiography "Melania."
Wearing her three-piece Ralph Lauren pantsuit, Mrs. Trump sat alongside two brave young women advocates, Francesca Mani and Elliston Berry, to lend support to the bill co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., which unanimously passed in the Senate.
Mrs. Trump said, "It's heartbreaking to witness some teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content."
She continued, "By advancing this bill, Congress can take an important step towards ensuring accountability and fostering responsible online behavior. The Take It Down Act represents a powerful step toward justice, healing, and unity."
First lady Nancy Reagan was determined to do all she could to tackle the drug problem during her tenure as first lady. Despite the growing epidemic across the country, many felt they could not talk about the issue, much less admit they had recovered from an addiction.
In addition to her public awareness campaign of Just Say No, first lady Nancy Reagan also worked with Second Genesis, an addiction recovery center, giving hope to those that were overcoming addiction. She even invited those who had recovered to hang Christmas decorations with her at the White House, highlighting and demonstrating firsthand their ability to move forward.
When first lady Betty Ford decided to go public with her breast cancer it was the equivalent of an earthquake. Woman were empowered to speak about a serious health issue that they were facing but often too ashamed to discuss.
Thousands of women around the country lined up to go have mammograms, saving countless lives. Jane Howard of The New York Times wrote of her public announcement the fact "that Mrs. Ford's right breast had been found malignant and removed shook the nation as much as any event since Watergate."
What Ford did in her actions completely changed the perception of women's healthcare — although it did not happen overnight and was in fact years before it could be considered common talk at a dinner table. Howard continued in her 1974 article on the first lady that if Mrs. Ford "achieved nothing else during her husband's administration, the light her trouble has shed on a dark subject would be contribution enough."
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., thanked the first lady for coming, saying directly to Mrs. Trump, "I really appreciate you bringing your humanity and looking at this as a parent and as a leader and not through politics. He acknowledged that her presence would "make a big difference" and said, "I appreciate your being here and doing so much for the country in a bipartisan way."
Sen. Cruz closed the event with gratitude for Trump's leadership on the issue as well, saying, "Your presence and your advocacy brings people together, inspires them, and is producing real action to fight for these young women and young boys and Americans across the country."
First lady Betty Ford wrote in her autobiography, "Lying in the hospital, thinking of all those women going for cancer checkups because of me, I'd come to recognize more clearly the power of the woman in the White House. Not my power, but the power of the position, a power which could be used to help."
At a time when Democrats and Republicans have trouble finding common ground, it seemed the one thing that all were able to agree on is the power of the first lady. Mrs. Trump's presence will certainly help highlight an important problem in this growing digital world.
Jennifer B. Pickens (@JenniferBPickens) is a White House historian and first lady expert. She is a public speaker the author of three books on the White House: "Christmas at the White House," "Pets at the White House," and her latest book "Entertaining at the White House: Decades of Presidential Traditions." Read more of her reports — More Here.
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