Posted on 07/14/2004 4:59:15 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
As they join Dad on the campaign trail, the president's daughters go public in style By Jean Scheidnes
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Like their predecessor Chelsea Clinton, first daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush have chosen the gentle fashion press to launch their public personas. Decked in designer ball gowns, they appear in a detailed profile in Vogue, which hits newsstands Friday. For the past four years, the press has kept a respectful distance from the fraternal twins, except when they ran afoul of the law. But with the Vogue issue and their new roles in their father's re-election efforts -- both have hit the campaign trail in recent days -- the first daughters have marked themselves as fair subjects for the news media.
"They're adults, and they've chosen to enter the fray to a certain extent," said Mike Hoyt, executive editor of Columbia Journalism Review. "I don't think there's anything wrong with them entering the conversation, and obviously they're aware that their interview has got political dimensions.
"I suppose we can expect . . . more stories on who are they and what can we tell about the president's values by looking at his children. Every politician presents his family to show they are human beings like you and me," he said. John Kerry's daughter Vanessa and stepson Chris Heinz have been visible campaigners since the primaries.
In the usual Vogue fashion, the interview -- which includes comments from mom, dad and Austinite Regan Gammon -- throws only softballs. There are no pronouncements about Iraq or gay marriage, and only the subtlest references to the twins' penchant for partying. But for anyone who was wondering, the story does shed light on what they drink at Starbucks (soy lattes), what brand of T-shirts Jenna prefers (C&C), and whether they had boyfriends at press time (Barbara did).
Already, the Bush twins are no strangers to bad publicity. They endured thorough documentation of their underage drinking antics, especially their run-in with the law at Chuy's restaurant in 2001 (Jenna was cited for trying to use fake identification to buy alcohol; Barbara for being a minor in possession of alcohol). And in a sign that the kid gloves have come off for good, The New York Times on Sunday ran a piece that mentioned Barbara -- supposedly the more restrained twin -- doubled over and spitting on the sidewalk.
"Where were Barbara's minders when she was nearly sick outside?" Coco Henson Scales writes of the Secret Service in her first-person account of her year as a restaurant hostess.
"I think the children of politicians should have lots of privacy. And it's probably a mistake for them personally to go on the publicity path, but their father probably needs all the help he can get," said Bryce Nelson, professor of journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.
Clinton enjoyed a measure of privacy throughout her father's presidency that continued even as she attended graduate school at Oxford University. Her coming out was an appearance in the front row of a 2002 Versace show, next to regulars Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, shortly after she wrote an essay for the now-defunct Talk magazine.
Jenna and Barbara, recent graduates of the University of Texas and Yale University, respectively, have also attended fashion shows recently, perhaps in part because their cousin Lauren Bush is a runway model.
The twins will spend the next few months stumping for their father, but the daughters told Vogue they signed on strictly out of filial love, not political inclination. After the election, Jenna intends to become a charter school teacher, Vogue says, while Barbara has plans to work overseas with children with AIDS.
The seven-page spread features family snapshots and two photos shot for Vogue by Patrick Demarchelier. In one, they're the picture of privilege, dressed in strapless satin ball gowns, reclining among antiques. In another, they sport more casual separates. Vogue said the daughters related more to the casual clothes.
"I dress up when I'm in New York," Jenna told the magazine, "but in Austin there's really no need."
ping #20
But of course! Most beautiful young ladies do!
And Chelsea looks like Web Hubbell...
Hehehehehe....the guy seems happy enough! He's either had or going to ..........
Note the lack of conservative appeal.
I missed your reply earlier. What a great collection of pics of the Bush twins. Thanks. Mom & Dad Bush must be proud of them.
Hehehehehe....the guy seems happy enough! He's either had or going to ..........
BUMP for later
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